Nathan Atkinson, Co-Founder of Rethink Food in the UK on Removing Hunger as a Barrier to Learning

In this episode, Nathan Atkinson, Co-Founder of Rethink Food in the UK, shares a deeply grounded perspective on hunger, education and systemic change, shaped by a decade spent leading schools in some of England’s most disadvantaged communities. Nathan traces the origins of Rethink Food back to a defining moment as a headteacher, when a school kitchen breakdown revealed the hidden scale of child hunger and its direct impact on behaviour, wellbeing and learning. That experience led him to a simple but powerful commitment: to remove hunger as a barrier to education. The conversation explores how Rethink Food has evolved from grassroots action into a nationally recognised organisation working across three pillars of impact: access to healthy food, skills and stewardship, and systems change. At the centre of this work is the National School Pantry Network, a flagship programme supporting schools to become trusted, community anchored hubs where families can access healthy food without stigma, alongside wider support services. Nathan explains why food is both the entry point and the connector. Sharing food builds trust, which then enables schools to link families to help with debt, housing, digital access, employment and education. The aim is not only to respond to crisis, but to break the cycle of food insecurity altogether. A significant part of the discussion focuses on nutrition, dignity and choice. Nathan challenges simplistic narratives about poverty and food, highlighting structural barriers such as transport, infrastructure and access to healthy options.  Listeners will gain insight into how the organisation operates day to day, from surplus food logistics and volunteer mobilisation to digital education programmes and cross sector partnerships with corporates, planners and policymakers. Nathan reflects on the importance of collaboration over confrontation, and why working with unlikely allies can unlock long term change. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 350+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.