This article explores the evolving landscape of food assistance in Turin, Italy, against the backdrop of increasing food poverty in Europe. Turin presents a compelling case, having formally recognized the Right to Adequate Food and developed a dense network of food aid initiatives. Using a two-dimensional framework (emergency vs. non-emergency, formal vs. informal), the study maps local practices and highlights a polycentric welfare system. Drawing on geospatial analysis and insights from a participatory workshop with key stakeholders, the article identifies critical tensions: reliance on surplus food as both resource and constraint, mismatches between aid infrastructure and local needs, and persistent emergency-driven approaches. Actors call for a shift toward integrated, rights-based models that treat food not as charity, but as a social right. The Turin case illustrates how food aid can function as a gateway to broader social support and a catalyst for systemic transformation in urban food welfare governance.