The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) supports and advocates on behalf of independent food aid providers operating across the UK while the need for charitable food aid exists. The network's membership includes over 550 independent food banks while IFAN has been responsible for the identification of at least 1172 independent food banks across the whole of the UK. IFAN’s vision is of a country without the need for charitable food aid where adequate and nutritious food is affordable to all. IFAN supports and advocates on behalf of its member organisations in a range of different ways including:

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• sharing advice, guidelines, best practice and funding opportunities.uk.

• running meetings, webinars and conferences for member organisations to share concerns, ideas and best practice

• collating food parcel distribution data from network members and other independent food banks and using these figures to advocate for policy changes to end the need for charitable food aid in the UK

• leading work across the UK to co-develop local 'Worrying About Money?' cash first referral leaflets

• advocating for a cash first approach to food insecurity when providing comments, information and written submissions on members' behalf through the media, at events, within advisory groups, through evidence-gathering inquiries, in collaborative work with academics and other anti-poverty charities, and at meetings with central, national and local government teams as well as elected representatives

• facilitating member contributions to media coverage, national surveys, research projects, events and conferences

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You can sign up to IFAN as a member using our membership form below. If you have any questions about joining IFAN please contact us at admin@foodaidnetwork.org.uk.