Food & Solidarity rules for conduct of members

Our values

Solidarity not charity: We do not run food banks; we are not a charity or a co-op. We were established to enact structural, material change.
Respect for all members: Members of this organisation should feel safe, respected, and able to take part.
Working for the benefit of our members — serve the people: Money gathered for this organisation must only be spent on running this organisation and supporting its members.
From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs: The focus of all the work that we do should be on what we can achieve as an organisation, rather than comparing each individual person.
Member-led democracy: All our members should have a say in how we run. Members should respect the democratic mechanisms of the organisation and use them to make any changes that are needed, and do this promptly. (See our decision-making process.)
Discipline and co-operation with other members: If the organisation makes a democratic decision at a general meeting, all members need to respect and follow it. If a member disagrees with a decision, they must challenge it in an open way which respects member democracy.

Code of Conduct

The following applies both during and outside of Food & Solidarity activities.

1. Solidarity not charity

While we will not always have the resources to make this happen, we want all of our members to have everything they need to live dignified lives, free from poverty and insecurity. As a result, members should not be:

Expected to be “grateful” for small gifts of food or money which are just enough to live on
Shamed for wanting or needing food, housing, or other supplies beyond what we are able to provide
Expected to live in poverty indefinitely because of their employment or immigration status
Discouraged in any way from organising to demand better living conditions for themselves, their families and their neighbourhoods

Improving the living conditions of our members is everyone's responsibility. We must all work together to combat poverty, hunger, and exclusion rather than blaming individuals for social forces beyond their control.

2. Respect for fellow members

No racism
No religious discrimination
No class discrimination — members should not be judged as less important because they do not have stable, well-paying jobs, advanced education, or even basic things that they need
No gender discrimination or misogyny
No homophobia, transphobia, or other anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination
No disability discrimination

We will also not tolerate abusive behaviour towards members and volunteers. This includes:

Any kind of violence or assault
Abusive language, insults, or name-calling
Bullying, stalking, or harassment
Stealing other people's belongings
Unwanted comments on someone's appearance, way of speaking, national or ethnic background, etc.

3. Working for the benefit of our members

If another member is depending on you for help with getting food, housing, or anything else which they need, and you do not carry out this work properly, you are not only hurting them directly but harming the entire organisation. This should be borne in mind when engaging in any activity connected to the organisation; people should not engage in activity that runs counter to the organisation's stated aims.

4. Members taking on certain roles must sign the F&S Responsibilities Agreement

Before taking on roles like Case Lead, Dispatcher, Director, Membership Admin, or Rota Coordinator, members must sign F&S's Responsibilities Agreement. This shows they understand their duties around data safety, conduct, and potential for harm. Digital copies of these signed agreements are stored securely. You can read the full Role-Specific Responsibilities Agreement. It covers data handling and confidentiality, representing F&S, raising concerns via the Report Concern process, and what happens when a role ends.

5. Support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and Palestinian solidarity

When goods or services are purchased from any supplier, we will request that we receive no goods or services grown or made in Israel. We will also boycott companies listed in the BDS movement's consumer boycott priority targets. In the case that Israeli-produced food is delivered, it will not be put in parcels; replacements will be bought and the food donated to other organisations.

6. Complaints procedure

Without a complaint procedure that gets it right, is accountable, is fair and proportionate, puts things right, and seeks continuous improvement, our organisation will not be able to grow, we will not discover problems and rectify them, we will not eliminate our shortcomings, and we run the risk of doing harm to our members.

There are two related procedures, shown below: the complaint procedure (in plain language) for when something happens that upsets or worries you, and the incident and concern reporting procedure for issues that are not necessarily linked to a rule.

Complaint procedure flowchart in plain language, three stages. Stage 1: if something happens that makes you upset or worried (check the member rules), let us know. 1a: write down what happened, mention the rule it's about, and give it to a board member or elected officer. 1b: a board member or elected officer talks with you to understand what you want to happen. Stage 2: 2a: if the problem is not fixed yet, a small group of at least two members, none personally involved, is created to look into it — the 'complaint committee'; they consider what you want and whether it's good for everyone in the group. 2b: the committee tells you (the complainant) and the person the complaint is about (the complainee) when they plan to finish; the complainee knows there is a complaint but details are kept back to keep everyone safe. 2c: the committee finishes looking into things, writes a report, and tells both of you. Stage 3: 3a: if either of you disagrees with the decision, you can ask for another complaint committee to look at it again; the first group shares all its information; this can only happen once. 3b: the committee suggests ideas, which may be changes to rules or ways of working, but must match existing rules and the group's values; everyone gets a chance to vote on them at a meeting. — The complaint procedure in plain language: Stage 1 — tell us and talk it through; Stage 2 — a complaint committee investigates and reports; Stage 3 — appeal (once) and recommendations voted on at a meeting.

Incident and concern reporting procedure flowchart, three stages. Stage 1: a member or volunteer has a concern or is involved in an incident, not necessarily linked to a rule. 1a: the incident or concern is reported via the various mechanisms (online form, incident book, or directly) and picked up by the board or elected officer if there is one. 1b: if it requires further investigation, a complaint and incident committee is formed; if not, it is brought to the next members' meeting. Stage 2: 2a: the elected officer or one of the directors forms a committee of at least two members, none personally involved, to investigate; the committee considers what outcome is appropriate and meets the needs of the wider organisation. 2b: the committee reports a target completion time, before the next general meeting; at this point it is considered whether the incident or concern is better treated as a complaint, in which case the complaint procedure is followed from 2b; care is taken to minimise harm to members. 2c: the committee completes investigations and draws up a report, and those involved are informed of the outcome. Stage 3: 3a: the committee's decision can be appealed, triggering a new committee including reappraisal of desired outcomes; the outgoing committee hands all information to the incoming one; limited to one round. 3b: recommendations are made to the board or general meeting, which should include changes to rules and ways of working where appropriate; these must fit existing member rules and stated organisational values, and must be voted through at a general meeting. — The incident and concern reporting procedure: Stage 1 — report via the online form, incident book, or directly; Stage 2 — a committee investigates with a target completion time; Stage 3 — appeal (once) and recommendations to the board or general meeting.

The full written procedure is also available in Spanish under Procedimiento de quejas below.

7. Directors elections

Updated 29 May 2026. Directors are elected annually at the AGM.

Information candidates must disclose

Legal requirements of company law — full name, address, and nationality. Your name will go on Companies House (the publicly accessible register of companies in England and Wales), and you are legally required to verify your ID via their system when you are registered as a director.

Information that F&S requires — you may be removed if you fail to disclose:

Current connections with other organisations where there may be a conflict of interest
Any further information that might reasonably be considered to (a) affect the election, or (b) potentially cause reputational damage to the organisation

This will not include information pertaining to protected characteristics of the individual, if the individual does not want to disclose these.

Legal eligibility to be a director

You must be over 16 (this is also the minimum age of F&S members)
You do not have to be a UK citizen
You must not be an undischarged bankrupt
You must not be a disqualified director

Voting process

Each candidate is listed separately with “Yes”, “No” or “No opinion” vote options, and a photograph if they wish.
Members vote online over the course of 7 days.
If a candidate receives more than 20% “No” votes (as a percentage of members who voted), they are not elected.
A candidate requires 30% or more “Yes” votes (as a percentage of members who voted) before they can be elected.
If there are fewer than 10 directors, nominations are reopened to fill the vacancies.

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Normas de Food and Solidarity para la conducta de los miembros

Nuestros valores

Solidaridad, no caridad: No somos un banco de alimentos, no somos una organización benéfica ni una cooperativa. Nos establecimos para promulgar cambios estructurales y materiales.
Respeto a todos los miembros: Todos en esta organización deben sentirse seguros, respetados y capaces de participar.
Trabajando en beneficio de nuestros miembros — servir a la gente: El dinero recaudado para esta organización solo debe gastarse en administrar esta organización y apoyar a sus miembros.
De cada uno según su capacidad, a cada uno según sus necesidades: El foco de todo el trabajo y la organización que hagamos debe estar en lo que podemos lograr como equipo, en lugar de comparar a cada persona individualmente.
Democracia dirigida por los miembros: Todos nuestros miembros deberían poder expresar su opinión sobre cómo funcionamos. Los miembros deben respetar los mecanismos democráticos de la organización y utilizarlos para realizar los cambios que sean necesarios, y hacerlo con prontitud.
Disciplina y cooperación con otros miembros: Si la organización toma una decisión democrática en una asamblea general, todos los miembros deben respetarla y seguirla. Si un miembro no está de acuerdo con una decisión, debe impugnarla de manera abierta que respete la democracia de los miembros.

Código de conducta

1. Solidaridad, no caridad

Si bien no siempre tendremos los recursos para que esto suceda, queremos que todos nuestros miembros tengan todo lo que necesitan para vivir vidas dignas, libres de pobreza e inseguridad. Como resultado, no se debería:

Esperar que los miembros estén «agradecidos» por pequeños obsequios de comida o dinero, que justo son suficientes para vivir
Avergonzar a los miembros por querer o necesitar alimentos, vivienda u otros suministros más allá de lo que podemos proporcionar
Esperar que los miembros vivan en la pobreza indefinidamente debido a su empleo o estatus migratorio
Desanimar de cualquier manera a los miembros a organizarse para exigir mejores condiciones de vida para ellos, sus familias y sus barrios

Mejorar las condiciones de vida de nuestros afiliados es responsabilidad de todos. Todos debemos trabajar juntos para combatir la pobreza, el hambre y la exclusión en lugar de culpar a los individuos por fuerzas sociales que escapan a su control.

2. Respeto a los compañeros

No al racismo
No a la discriminación religiosa
Los miembros no deben ser juzgados como menos importantes por no tener trabajos estables y bien remunerados, educación avanzada o incluso los bienes básicos que necesiten
No a la discriminación de género y a la misoginia
No a la homofobia, transfobia y otras discriminaciones anti-LGBTQ+
No a la discriminación por discapacidad

Tampoco toleraremos comportamientos abusivos hacia miembros y voluntarios. Esto incluye:

Cualquier tipo de violencia o agresión
Lenguaje abusivo o insultos
Intimidación, acecho o acoso
Robar las pertenencias de otras personas
Comentarios no deseados sobre la apariencia de alguien, su forma de hablar, origen nacional o étnico, etc.

3. Trabajando para el beneficio de nuestros miembros

Si otro miembro depende de ti para obtener comida, vivienda o cualquier otra cosa que necesite, y no llevas a cabo este trabajo correctamente, no solo lo estás perjudicando a él directamente, sino también a toda la organización. Esto debe tenerse en cuenta al participar en cualquier actividad relacionada con la organización; las personas no deben participar en actividades que vayan en contra de los objetivos establecidos por la organización.

4. Procedimiento de quejas

Sin un procedimiento de quejas que acierte, rinda cuentas, sea justo y proporcionado, ponga las cosas en su sitio y busque la mejora continua, nuestra organización no podrá crecer, no descubriremos los problemas ni los corregiremos, no eliminaremos nuestras deficiencias y corremos el riesgo de hacer daño a nuestros miembros.

Fase 1

Sucede algo que requiere queja (ver las normas de conducta de los miembros).

1a: Se presentará una queja por escrito, haciendo referencia a la norma correspondiente, a un miembro de la junta (o miembro electo, si lo hay).
1b: Un miembro de la junta (o un miembro electo) se reunirá con el denunciante para establecer cuál es el resultado deseado.

Fase 2

2a: Si la queja continúa, el miembro electo o uno de los directores formará un comité para investigar la queja (el comité debe tener un mínimo de 2 miembros, ninguno de los cuales debe estar personalmente involucrado). El comité deberá tener en cuenta si el resultado deseado por el denunciante es apropiado y satisface las necesidades de la organización en general.
2b: El comité de quejas informará de un tiempo deseado de finalización al denunciante y al denunciado. Se informará al denunciado de que se ha presentado una queja contra él (si corresponde), pero los detalles se anonimizarán. En esta fase se debe tener cuidado de minimizar el daño a los miembros.
2c: El comité de quejas completará las investigaciones y elaborará un informe; el denunciante y el denunciado serán informados del resultado.

Fase 3

3a: Tanto el reclamante como el denunciado pueden apelar la decisión del comité; esto desencadenará la formación de un nuevo comité (incluida la reevaluación de los resultados deseados, es decir, de 1b). El comité saliente entregará toda la información al comité entrante. Esto se limita a una ronda.
3b: Se harán recomendaciones a la junta o a la reunión general (dependiendo de lo que sea apropiado), que deben incluir cambios a las normas y formas de trabajar, cuando corresponda. Estos deben ajustarse a las normas de conducta de los miembros existentes y a los valores organizacionales declarados, y deben ser votados en la junta general.

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