ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the relationship between workfarism, neoliberal welfare policy and shadow-state institutions. It makes two arguments: that each of the food access organizations studied have distinct workfarist; and neoliberal tendencies that position participants as 'deficient' and in need of appropriate training. Ruby's Food Pantry (RFP) meets the needs of those who are experiencing food insecurity through a process that promotes self-respect and the ability of individuals to provide for themselves without experiencing the stigma associated with other food access programs. Community-based food programs have a complicated relationship with the neoliberal state. The state creates the macro-level conditions that produce food insecurity as a particular manifestation of poverty and economic inequality. Any attempt by community-based food programs to articulate a message distinct from neoliberalism and workfarism is complicated because the dominant message presented by this porous continuum of care is that individuals are powerless, a burden on society, and in need of a modicum of support in order to survive.
