Governance of food assistance: new relationship between public institutions and the third sector

After the crisis, food aid resources multiplied in high-income countries. As a result, important issues have arisen regarding the right to food, the role of public institutions and the third sector in order to face food needs, and the impact of food aid resources in the development of the welfare state. The aim of this paper is to present the results of an exploratory research or first approach around these topics, carried out in the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The main objective is to understand the synergies born of the need to implement emergency mechanisms to face food need in poverty situations. The main conclusion is that emergency arrangements between public institutions and third sector emerged to alleviate the deficiencies of public agencies. Although the city has a wide range of social resources, some vulnerable citizen still need charitable stigmatizing resources.