“It Is More Than Just Food, We Need To Be Human Beings Together”: Service Provider and Leader Perspectives on Charitable Food Services for Persons Experiencing Homelessness

This critical ethnographic study examined the perspectives of service providers and organizational leaders working within charitable food services for people experiencing homelessness in two Canadian cities. Informed by Paulo Freire's writings and a human rights‐based approach, we explored how power is enacted through everyday practices and how service providers and leaders navigate the tensions of delivering care within structurally constrained systems. We collected data through observation and semi‐structured interviews, identifying three themes: (1) the realities of a nonprofit environment; (2) regulating the services and spaces; and (3) opportunities for connection. Our findings indicate that although service providers are strongly committed to meeting basic needs, they operate within structural constraints that limit choice and autonomy. These pressures lead to regulatory practices and resource scarcity that can unintentionally reinforce control and dependency. At the same time, providers identified moments of connection and mutual respect as opportunities for empowerment. Situating these findings within a human rights‐based approach highlights how the absence of accountability shifts food access from entitlement to discretionary charity. We offer implications for research, policy, and practice that emphasize systemic reform to advance dignified and equitable solutions.