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Good Food Box: A MAnuAl

How To Start A Program In Your Community

First Edition by Mary Lou Morgan and Kathryn Scharf

Second Edition by René Biberstein

and Mark-Jan Daalderop

THe

© 2008 FoodShare Toronto

Published by:

FoodShare Toronto90 Croatia StreetToronto, ontarioCanada M6H 1k9

[email protected]

www.foodshare.net

ISBn 978-0-921030-28-7

FoodShare would like to thank the Heifer Foundation International for making this second edition possible.

We would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the Ontario Ministry of Health for the first edition. The opinions, results, and conclusions presented in this manual are those of FoodShare, and no official endorsement by the Ministry of Health is intended, nor should one be inferred.

We gladly authorize the reproduction of portions of this manual for non-profit, educational purposes.

3Table Of COnTenTs

TABle oF ConTenTS

Executive Summary• ................................................................................................................5Preface and Acknowledgments by Zahra Parvinian• ..................................................................7Introduction to the First Edition by Mary Lou Morgan• ............................................................10Introduction to the Second Edition by Debbie Field• ...............................................................13

understanding The Good Food Box: Is This The Right Program For Your Community?

History of The Good Food Box• .............................................................................................17Philosophy• ............................................................................................................................18Good Food Box Guiding Principles• .......................................................................................19Week in the Life of FoodShare’s Good Food Box Program• .....................................................20Our Customers: Who are they and why do they purchase The Good food box?• ....................22Good food Markets, another Option• ....................................................................................24

Starting Your own Good Food Box ProgramChoosing Goals for Your Program• ................................................................................25Identifying Your Target Group and Making the Program suit Their needs• .................27The Fresh Produce Distribution Industry • .................................................................28Competitive analysis• ...............................................................................................29Marketing Plan – The 5 P’s• ...................................................................................... 31Management Structure• .............................................................................................35Stages of Expansion• .................................................................................................36Financial Plan• .......................................................................................................... 41

Guide To Produce Sourcing And ManagementProduce Sourcing• ....................................................................................................45Buying Practices• ......................................................................................................46box Contents and Produce Mix• ...............................................................................48Ordering spreadsheets and Technique• .....................................................................51Presentation of Boxes• ..............................................................................................51sample box Contents• ...............................................................................................52Produce Management Basics• ...................................................................................53Organic Good food boxes• ......................................................................................54

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Human Resources and Volunteer CoordinationVolunteers• ........................................................................................57Staff• ..................................................................................................57Good food box drop-off Coordinators• .............................................58Packing Day Volunteers• ....................................................................60Coordinating a Packing day• .............................................................. 61

The Good Food Box newsletterWhy add a newsletter to the Good food box?• ............................................ 63Writing a newsletter That speaks to Your Customers• .................................... 63newsletter Resources• .................................................................................. 64does the newsletter Get Read?• ................................................................... 64

Profiles of Other Good Food Box ProgramsMontreal• ..................................................................................................... 65Saskatoon• .....................................................................................................67Innisfil• ......................................................................................................... 68

The evolution of the Good Food BoxThe Origins of the Good food box Program• ......................................71FoodShare Programs 2008• ................................................................75

AppendicesGood food box Coordinator Package• ..........................................................81sample Ordering spreadsheet• ..................................................................... 84frequently asked Questions• ........................................................................ 85Produce Buying Policy• .................................................................................87Good food box Order form• ....................................................................... 89Produce Storage Guidelines• ........................................................................ 90Good Food Box Sales Figures• .......................................................................91Local Produce Statistics• ................................................................................93Good food box Yearly sales Trends• .............................................................97Good food box newsletter• ........................................................................101Good Food Box Flyer• .................................................................................105Annual Good Food Box Farmers Meeting Flyer• ..........................................107

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TheGoodFoodBoxisanon-profitfreshfruitandvegetabledistributionsystemoperatedbyFoodShareToronto.Itrunslikealargebuyingclub,withcentralizedpurchasingandco-ordination.Individualsplaceorders

forboxeswithvolunteerdrop-offcoordinatorsintheirneighbourhoodandpaybetween$12and$32fortheirbox,dependingontheversiontheychoose.

FoodShare’scustomerspurchasetop-qualityfruitandvegetablesfromlocalfarm-ersandtheOntarioFoodTerminal,whichvolunteerspackintoboxesatFoodShare’swarehouse.Eachbox contains the samemixtureofproduce, though the contentschangewitheachdelivery,dependingonwhatisinseasonandreasonably-pricedatthetime.FoodShare’struckdriversdelivertheboxestotheneighbourhooddrop-offlocations,wherethelocalvolunteercoordinatorsensurethatcustomerspickuptheirboxes.Establishedin1994withjust40boxes,theTorontoGoodFoodBoxprogramnowdistributesjustunder4,000GoodFoodBoxeseachmonth.

TheGoodFoodBoxGuide isdesigned toprovidedirection to individuals andorganizationswhoareinterestedinusingthistypeofsystemtoimprovefoodaccessforthemselvesandpeopleintheircommunities,particularlythoselivingonalow-income. Italsoencouragescommunitydevelopment,promoteshealthyeatingandsupportsthelocalagriculturaleconomy.

Overthelast14years,GoodFoodBoxorganizershavelearnedmanylessonsaboutthephilosophyandlogisticsofrunningalarge-scaledistributionsystem,withbothcentralizedcoordinationandcommunity-basedinputandsupport.

Theguidebeginswithalookatthehistory,philosophyandprinciplesoftheGoodFoodBoxprogram.This is followedby informationonhow tomarket theGoodFoodBox,howtofindfunding,howtopromotetheprogramandwhatequipmentandresourcesareneeded.

Alsointhemanualaresectionsonproducebuying,volunteermanagementandcreating a newsletter. Examples are provided of newsletters, promotional pamph-lets,profilesofotherGoodFoodBoxprograms,sampleboxcontents,workrhythmsand growthmechanics. Since 1994, dozens of otherCanadian communities havedevelopedtheirownversionsoftheGoodFoodBox,respondingtolocalneedsandcircumstances,allworkingtowardsincreasingaccesstogood,healthyfood.

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July21,2008

W henIwasgrowingupinIran,mygrandmotheralwayssaidthatweshouldeatarainbowofvegetableseachday.Heradviceto“pickvegetablesofdifferentcolours”stemmedfromherbeliefthateatingallofthecolours

oftherainbowwouldkeepushealthy.

Ithinkofmygrandmother’smessageeachweekandtryandcreatethisrainbowineachandeveryGoodFoodBoxthatwepack–purpleeggplant,darkgreenkale,orangecarrotsandredstrawberries.

ArainbowofpeoplemakestheGoodFoodBoxhappen.Ourstaffandvolunteersarefromallovertheworld,areofallages,arefromallbackgroundsandhavemanycolourful personalities. In the old auto-body shop of an abandoned high school,whichwehavetransformedintoabrightandcleanwarehouse,wepacktheGoodFoodBoxwithanamazingteam.

TheGoodFoodBoxtakesarainbowofskillsaswell.BackhomeinIran,IstudiedbusinessmanagementandhereinCanada,Ibecameasocialworker.Thiscombina-tionofskillshasbeenanasset inmanagingthesocialenterprisethat istheGoodFoodBox.Ittakesthemindofabusinesspersonandtheheartofasocialworkertounderstandthatwhileourprojectisfirstaboutincreasingfoodaccessandisthereforeaboutprovidingasocialsupport,wehavetooperateasmuchlikeabusinessaspos-sible.

IwanttothankourstaffforalltheirhardworkinmakingtheGoodFoodBoxprogramasuccess.Thankstoourofficestaff,DelsieHyattandCafeonNembhardfor their terrific customer service and their outreach efforts that have helped theGoodFoodBoxandFreshProduceprogramgrowandshine.ThankyoutoMoorthiSenaratneforhisworkinthewarehousewherehepatientlysupervisesourinterns,receivesproducefromfarmersandhelpscoordinatepackingday.

ThankyoutoMark-JanDaalderopforhisworkorderingproducefromover15dif-ferentsuppliers.Thisisadifficultjob,somewherebetweenscienceandart,becauseofthemanyconflictinginterestsinmakingtheboxasuccess.

ThankstoBillJeneiwhocoordinatesFoodShare’sFreshProduceandGoodFoodBoxdeliveries.Hehashelpedenormouslyinimprovingtheefficiencyandreliabilityofourservice.Thanksalsotoourdrivers:EdwardScott,RajahSubramanianandMarcusRak,andDriver’sHelpers:DougWhittleandRonHardywhocourageouslybattlethechaoticstreetsofdowntownTorontotodeliverfreshproducetocommun-ities.

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ManythankstotheGoodFoodBoxteamfortheirdedicationandallthecoloursthateachstaffmembergivestotheprogram.

ThanksalsotoDanielHoffman,theYouthProgramCoordinator, for thecarehetakesinintegratingalltheyouthinternsintotheGoodFoodBoxprogram.

Thankyou to JesúsGomezandSybilPinnock,of theKitchenandCateringpro-grams,fortheamazinghomecookedsnacksandlunchtheyprepareforeveryone.Nopackingdaywouldbepossiblewithoutthem.

ThankyoutoMikeNevin,ourCompostingFacilitator,whomakessurethatalloftheorganicwastegeneratedbytheGoodFoodBoxprogramisturnedintosoilandusedbyourUrbanAgricultureteamincommunitygardens.ThankstoAngelaElzingaCheng,RavennaBarker,AyalDinnerandIanAleyfortheirworkinanimatingGoodFoodMarkets,bringingfreshproducestallstoneighbourhoodsthroughoutthecity.

Thework of promoting healthy food in our schools is enhancedby the outreacheffortsofthestudentnutritionteam.ThankyoutoLoriNikkel,ourStudentNutritionManager,MeredithHayes,ourFieldtoTableSchoolsCoordinator,andtheTorontoPartnersforStudentNutritionstaffmembers:FionaBowserandUllaKnowles.

ThankyoutoGloriaPadilla,FoodShare’sFinancialManager,NoraLong,ourGoodFoodBoxBookkeeper,ZolaDyer,DonorRelations andFoodlinkCoordinator andAnnaLa,FundraisingandVolunteerCoordinator,whoallmaintainthefinancialandfundraisinginfrastructureoftheprogram.

Andofcourse,abigthankstoDebbieField,FoodShare’sExecutiveDirector,forallshehasdonetodeveloptheGoodFoodBoxprogramovertheyearsandhelpingussecurefundingforitsoperation.

TheGoodFoodBoxcouldnothappenwithoutthecooperationofallofourstaffandallofthehundredsofvolunteerswhohelpuspacktheboxeseachweekandcoordinatethedrop-offlocations.

WealsowanttothankHeiferInternational,especiallyColleenRossandChrisKru-gerofHeiferCanada,forthefundingofthissecondeditionoftheGoodFoodBoxManual.Thefirstedition,originallyfundedbytheOntarioMinistryofHealth,wassopopularthatitwentoutofprintandwehavebeenphotocopyingitforyearsforthosethatrequestacopy.

WefirstbeganworkingwithHeiferInternationalsevenyearsagowhentheyfunded

ourbeeproject,whichhasbeensosuccessful.WethankHeiferCanadaforfundingusto“passonthegift”ofhowtoorganizeaGoodFoodBoxprogram.

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ThevisionofHeifer International is aworld of communities living together inpeaceandequitablysharingtheresourcesofahealthyplanet.ThroughHeifer’s“pass-ingonthegift”philosophy,communitiesandfamiliessharetheirlivestock,know-ledge, resourcesandskills, creatingandexpandingnetworksofhope,dignityandself-reliance.Heiferworks inCanada, and around the globe, towards social, eco-nomicandpoliticaljustice.

Heifer International commits to helping families, communities, organizations,partnersandmovements intheirstruggletoachievefoodsovereigntyandsustain-ablelivelihoods.Itsupportssustainablefoodsystems,therecoveryofcultures,localknowledge, spirituality and theenvironment, fostering justice andequity throughparticipation,solidarity,andadvocacy.Formoreinformationpleaseseewww.heifer.org.

MaryLouMorganandKathrynScharfwrotethefirsteditionofthismanualandhavesincemovedontonewjobsandnewopportunities.Mark-JanDaalderopandRenéBibersteintooktheleadonthissecondedition.ManythankstoMark-JanandRenéforalltheirhardworkonmakingthismanualhappen.ThankstoAnnaLaandAdrienneDeFrancescofortheirmeticulouscopy-editing.AspecialthankstoLauraBermanofGreenFuse Images fordesigning thismanual andproducingbeautifulphotographsforFoodShare.

InmyyearsatFoodShareIhavehadthepleasureof“passingonthegift”ofhowweoperatetheGoodFoodBoxtomanypeopleacrossCanada.JustrecentlywehavebeensupportingagroupinMontrealwhohavestartedaboxprogramthere.ItissosatisfyingtoknowthatotherswanttostartaGoodFoodBoxprogramintheircom-munity.Wehopethismanualanswersyourquestionsandthatyouaresuccessfulinyourprocess.

GoodluckincreatingyourownGoodFoodBoxprogram;mayitbearainbow,filledwithhealthyproduce,beautifulexperiencesandwonderfulpeople.

Zahra ParvinianGoodFoodBoxandKitchenProgramManager

July21,2008

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Inmanyways,theGoodFoodBoxisFoodShareToronto’sseminalproject.AlltheotherFoodShareprogramsbuildonitsstrengths,echoitsphilosophiesandcirclearounditsrhythms.Withvirtuallynoadvertisingbesideswordofmouth,

wehavegrownfromtheoriginal40boxespackedinFebruaryof1994tosellingjustunder4,000boxeseachmonth.

Ibelieveourstrengthliesinthefooditself.Eatingagorgeousshinypurpleegg-plant or a sweet apple, the sight of a farmerproudlypresentingmixedbaskets ofyellowandredheritagetomatoes,pickingabeetfromthedirt,amealshared–alloftheseexperienceshavethepowertoawakenoursenses,feedourbasicneedforfoodandconnectustoeachother.Theseexperiencesareespeciallyimportanttopeopleinthecity,whomaybelivinginstressfulconditions,aredisconnectedfromnatureandseparatedfromeachother.

Timeandtimeagain,IhaveseenvolunteerswhocometopacktheGoodFoodBoxgohomeafter sixhoursofhardphysicalwork exhaustedbut exhilarated.Sooftenthesevolunteersmakeapointofthankingusonthewayoutthedoor.Thank-ingusforthechancetomeetandeatwithothers,forthechancetodomeaningfulworkandfortheopportunitytocontributetoourcommunity.Onthereceivingend,mothersreporttheirchildren’sexcitementwhentheGoodFoodBoxarrives,peopleproudlyphonetotellusoftheirsuccesswiththelatestrecipesandpeoplecommentonthestoriesofwhereourfoodcomesfrom.Ibelievethecolours,qualityandsea-sonalnatureoftheproduceisdirectlyresponsibleforthesegoodfeelings.Workingwithothers,beingconnectedtoourneighbourhoodsandtoalargernetworkoflike-mindedpeople,alsoenhancesourwellbeing.

AtFoodShare,wedidn’tstartouttocreateanalternativefooddistributionsystem.Afterall,Canadahaschainsofpowerfulandefficientretailgrocerystoresandthou-sandsofsuccessfulcornerstores.ProducefromallovertheworldisavailabletousandCanadiansspendonaverage,only14percentoftheirincomeonfood;thisisthelowestamountinanydevelopedcountry.Canadianfarmersproducefoodefficientlyand there isoftenexcess foodproduced.Canadians alsoexportbillionsofdollarsworthoffoodtoothercountries.

ThesefactswouldleadustobelievethateverythingisfinewithourfoodsystemandthatinCanadanooneshouldbehungryormalnourished.Infact,manychildrengo to schoolwithoutbreakfast. InToronto,120,000peoplevisit foodbankseachmonth;foodbankshaveopenedatuniversitiesandeveninfarmingcommunities.Reportsofhighcholesterolandobesityinyoungchildrenareconstantlysurfacing.

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Mostoftheseproblemscrossallincomelevels.Inthelongrunifeveryoneimprovestheirdiets,ourpopulation’shealthwouldimproveandhealthcarecostswouldfall.

CanprogramsliketheGoodFoodBoxmakeadifferenceinthefood,healthandagriculturalsystem?Whataretheissuesandchallengesweface?OvertheyearsatFoodSharewehavelistenedtoparentsstrugglingtofeedtheirfamiliesandlearnedthat the reasons are complex. Paying for food is a problemwhen you don’t haveenoughmoney,unlessyouareaveryskilledshopperandaresourcefulfrom-scratchcook.Acommonmythisthataroofoveryourheadandfoodinthecupboardsarepeoples’firsttwopriorities.Inreality,whenthereisnotenoughmoney,fooddoesn’tmakeitontothelistofpriorities.Itbecomestheelasticbandforallotherpressures.Familiespayforshelterandemergenciesfirst.Rent,ahydrobillormedicalexpensescomebeforefood.Fieldtripsatschoolorrunningshoessometimestakeprecedenceoverhomecookedfood,asparentswanttheirchildrentobelong.

Changingpersonal situations like cuts inwelfare rates, caring for sickor agingfamilymembersandtherisingcostsoflivingcanleavepeoplewithlessmoneytobuyfood.Somepeoplemaynothaveaplacetocook,storeorgrowfood.Peoplemaybeillorhavepersonalsituations,whichmakeithardforthemtogetorpreparenutritiousfood.Somepeoplehavelosttheopportunitytolearnskillsthatusedtobepasseddownthroughthegenerations;immigrationandfamilybreakdownsaresomeofthereasonsthishappens.

Weallknowweshouldeatbetter.TheCanadaFoodGuide,dietitians,TheCancerSocietyandTheHeartandStrokeFoundation,alltalkandwriteaboutimprovingourdiets,butTheGoodFoodBoxdelivers.TheincreasingpopularityoftheGoodFoodBoxreinforcesourownstrongbeliefthatthisstraightforwardapproachworks.PeoplewhohavereceivedtheGoodFoodBoxmorethan6timesreportanincreasedconsumptionoffreshfruitsandvegetablesandapositivechangeinacknowledgingthatahealthydietispossibleevenonalimitedbudget.

Parentsandchildrenareoverwhelmedwithadvertising for fast foods.Thefoodindustryspendsmillionstopromoteprocessedfoodbecausethatiswhereprofitsarehighest.Wearepromotingthebenefitsoffreshproduce,foodinitsmostbasicstate,preparedandeatenathome.Thenewslettergives recipes,nutritional information,storiesaboutthehistoryoffood,explanationsaboutwhereourfoodcomesfromandhowitisgrown.Wehavedevelopedstrongrelationshipswithlocalfarmersandourlargevolumepurchaseshaveearnedusrespect.

Ourprimaryfocusistopurchasefoodthatisinseasonandisgrownasclosetohome as possible.There are several reasons for this. Local food is generallymoreaffordableandmoneyisnotspentgettingthefoodtoamarkethundredsofthousandsofmilesaway.Afterwefindoutwhatisonthemarketwesupplementtheproductselectiontoprovidethevarietyoffruitsandvegetablesthatwehaveallgrownaccus-


tomedto.Withexperience,wegettoknowandtrustthefarmersandsuppliers.Wealsofeelthatfoodgrownclosetohomeisproducedunderconditionsandstandardsoverwhichwehavesomemeasureofcontrol.Fairlabourlaws,reducedpesticideuseandenvironmental standards are important tous.TheOntariogovernmenthas aplantoreducepesticideusebyhalfbytheyear2000andencouragesfarmerstofileenvironmentalfarmplans.

TherhythmsoftheGoodFoodBoxhaveestablishedthemselvesovertheyears.Ordersandpaymentsaretaken,collated,produceisordered,foodreceived,packedanddelivered.TheGoodFoodBoxispaidforinadvanceanddeliveredtoaneigh-bourhooddrop-offpoint,whichisrunbyavolunteerdrop-offcoordinator.Volun-teersalsohelptopacktheboxes.InallthesewaystheGoodFoodBoxbreaksdownbarrierstogettingaffordable,nutritiousfood.It’sasimpleideathatacommunitycantakeandadapttoitsownreality.GoodFoodBoxprogramshavestartedinmanycit-iesandtownsinOntariobypeoplewhoareinterestedinfoodsecurityissues.

InOctober1997,groupsrunningGoodFoodBoxprogramsacrosstheprovincegottogethertodiscussoursimilaritiesanddifferences.Wecomparedcustomernum-bers,typesofboxes,buyingsources,newslettersandvolunteersupports.Itwasawon-derfulopportunityforustomeet.Oursolution-orientedapproachestotheproblemsoffoodinsecurityarecomplexandintegrated.Manyareexperimentingwithgrowingfood,providingjobreadinessskillstovolunteersandevensettingupsmallcommun-itysupportedbusinesseslikeNiagara’sGiftBasketsandFoodShare’sFieldtoTableCateringCompany.

Ourcommongroundinvolvestheconnectionbetweengrowingfoodandeatingit,therelationshipbetweenfamilyandthecommunityandtheinterplayofhealth,nutritionandmoney.Ourbottomlineisthatwebelievethatfoodisacauseforjoyandcelebration.

MaryLouMorganFounderoftheGoodFoodBox

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Muchisthesame,yetsomethingsaredifferentthantheywerein1997whenFoodSharepublishedthefirsteditionofTheGoodFoodBoxGuide.

InToronto,therealitiesthatledtothedevelopmentoftheGoodFoodBoxstillexist.Pooraccesstoaffordable,healthyfoodforlow-incomecommunities, limitedmarketaccessforlocalfarmersandpromotionofpre-packaged,conveniencefoodsbythedominantplayersinourfoodsystem,allremainprofoundproblems.

Butthingshavechangedaswell.

Firstandforemost,thefoodcrisishasescalatedinwaysthateventhemostpes-simisticfoodcriticscouldnothavepredicted.Whoin1997couldhaveforeseenfoodriotsin2008,causedbysoaringfoodprices?Worldhungeraggravatedbygrowingpovertyhas resulted in increased food insecurity instead of thepromised “endofhunger.”MeanwhiletensofthousandsofIndianfarmershavecommittedsuicideinthepastdecade1andtheFarmLine2hotlinewassetuptosupportOntariofarmersindealingwithfinancialandemotionaldifficulties,includingtheescalatingrateoffarmbankruptcies.Wearealsowitnessingapandemicofobesity3anddiabetes,partlyfueledbyacorporatefastfoodsystemthatcaresmoreaboutprofitthanhealth.

Risinggasprices,biofuelmania,globalclimatechange,drought,tradeimbalancesandcontinuedwarhavecreatedastaggeringglobalfoodcrisis:

• 1.1billionpeoplegotosleephungryeverynight;• Forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,thesamenumberofpeople,1.1.billion,goto

sleepover-nourishedfromtoomuchoftheleasthealthyfoods4;• Agricultureisincreasinglyeconomicallyandenvironmentallyunsustainable.

Atthesametime,interestinhealthyandlocalfoodhasgrownexponentiallyoverthepastdecade.Everyoneistalkingaboutfoodandtheneedtochangethefoodsys-tem.Manyofthepracticallifestylesolutions,grassrootsprogramsandpolicypropos-alspromotedbyFoodShareadecadeago,arenowacceptedasmainstreamsolutions.Canada’sfoodguidehaschanged;ahealthydietisnowbasedonamoreservingsof

1 Food First: A Bitter Harvest: Farmer Suicide in India, Development Report, 2007 (https://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/1611)2 Farm Line: When You Need Someone to Talk To, 2008 (http://www.thefarmline.ca/whoweare.html)3Health Experts: Obesity Pandemic Loom, 2006 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14657885/)4 Gary Gardner and Brian Halwell: Overfed and Underfed, World Watch Paper, 2000 (http://www.wellfedworld.org/PDF/Overfed%20and%20Underfed.pdf)


vegetablesandfruitsaday.Local,organicandfairtradehaveallbecomemoreaccept-ableandanewgenerationofyoungpeopleandimmigrantsareinterestedinfarmingandproducingfoodforthelocalmarket.

Thisheightenedinterestinfood,thoughpositiveintermsofthegrowinginterestintheGoodFoodBoxandFoodShare’swork,hasexacerbatedtheinherentcomplexitieswithintheprogram.Isitalwaysawin-winsituationbetweentheneedsoflow-incomeconsumersandlocal farmers?HowcantheGoodFoodBoxbuyasmuchlocalaspossibleevenifitcostsabitmore,whensomanyGoodFoodBoxcustomershavelostbuyingpoweroverthepastdecade?Howdowebalancevariousenvironmentalagendas? Shouldwe select importedorganicproduce from southernCalifornia orconventionallygrownOntarioproduce?WhataboutthetastesandtraditionsofnewCanadiancustomersborninthetropicswhocaredeeplyaboutimportedproducelikemangoesinthewinter?Wheredoesorganic,stillclosetodoublethepriceofconven-tionalproduce,fitintoaprogramdesignedtoimprovelow-incomeindividuals’accesstohealthyfood?

Thesechangesoverthepastdecade–increasedglobalfoodproblemsandinterestamongstbroadlayersofsocietyinanewfoodsystem–makeitmoreurgentthaneverforgovernmentinvolvement.

Whatifgovernmentsallaroundtheworldagreedtoput“foodfirst”ratherthanlastinsocialpolicy?Whatiftheysubsidizedbasicfooditemssuchasvegetablesandfruits,rice,grainsandbeans,soldthroughoutthecountry?Thesekindsofsubsidieswere successful inensuringbetter foodaccess for thepoor in India’sKerala state5beforetheWorldBankpressuredthegovernmenttostopthem.Subsidizedopen-airSacalaomarketsinBeloHorizante,Brazil6areoneofseveralprogramsthatthelocalgovernmentsupportstoimprovefoodsecurity.

What ifhealthy foodswerecheaper, inallgrocery stores, thanpackaged foods,reducing the rates of obesity, diabetes and a variety of illnesses caused by eatingunhealthyfoods?Whatiffarmerswhoproducedforthelocalmarketwereguaran-teedstableandadequatepriceswhilelow-incomeconsumerswereguaranteedafford-ablepricesandthegovernmentmadeupthedifference?

Inthemeantime,whatifGoodFoodBoxprograms,whichmodelthesesolutionsina community-based setting,were fundedbygovernments at all levels?What ifeveryone,ineverypartofCanada,wasabletoaccesstheGoodFoodBox?Weareconfidenttheirhealthwouldimproveastheyincreasedtheirconsumptionoffreshfruitsandvegetables.Marketshareforlocalfarmerswouldimprove,sincetheGood

5 Poykayil Simon George, International Food Policy Research Institute: Costs and Benefits of Food Subsidies in India, 1988 (http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/ppa88/ppa88ch16.pdf)6Cecilia Rocha: An Integrated Program for Urban Food Security: The Case of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2000 (http://www.envir-eform.utoronto.ca/conference/local-food/cecilia-rocha.doc) and The City that is Ending Hunger, 2006 (http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1398)

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FoodBoxprioritizes local buying.There could be environmental benefits too, byworkingwithfarmerstoreducepackagingandtransportationandtopromotesus-tainable growingpractices.Since theGoodFoodBoxdoesnotdeliverdirectly toindividualsbutonlytogroupsoftenormore,therearealsosocialbenefitsintermsofbuildingcommunitycohesion.

Government funding would reduce tensions between the needs of low-incomeconsumersandfarmers,byprovidingfundstoensurethatfarmersgetafairprice,whilestillkeepingtheGoodFoodBoxpriceaffordableenoughforlow-incomecon-sumers.

ThebenefitsoftheGoodFoodBoxhaveonlyincreasedinthefourteenyearssinceitbegan.Althoughitisasmallcommunitybasedprogram,theGoodFoodBoxisbuiltontheprinciplethateveryonedeservessubsidized,healthyfoodandhasgreatpotentialtoinfluencepolicysolutionsforamyriadoffoodsecurityissues.

Inordertoshareourexperience,weweredelightedwhentheHeiferFoundationssupportedusinrepublishingtheGoodFoodBoxGuide,oneoftheeightmanualswehavepublishedtosharewhatwehavelearnedabouthowtoorganizesuccessfulgrassrootsfoodprograms.

TheHeiferFoundation’sconceptof“passingonthegift”iscentraltothepracticeofnon-profitorganizationssothatothersdon’thavetoreinventthewheel.Itisnotacookiecuttermodel,aseachcommunity’ssituationisdifferentandthereforeeachprogramacross the country varies, sustainedby the theirownorganizational andfinancialrealities,butwehopethismanualwill serveasaresourcefor inspirationandlearning.

AfewyearsagoIparticipatedinapanelattheFoodSecurityConferenceinAlberta,withaRegisteredDieticianfromCommunityFoodConnectionsinMedicineHat,Alberta.Sheheldupthreemanuals–FoodShare’sGoodFoodBoxGuide,TheABC’sofBabyFood:MakingBabyFoodfromScratchandHowDoesOurGardenGrow:AGuidetoCommunityGardeningSuccess.Wehadnevermetbefore,butshehadfoundourmanualshelpfulinthecreationoftheirGoodFoodBox,babynutritionandgardeningprograms.

Thoughwecanpassonthelogisticsofhowweorganizepackingday,itishardertopassonoursustainabilitymodel.Peoplealwaysaskabouthowtheycanfinancetheprogram.Acrossthecountryweallstrugglewiththeeconomicsofoperatingfoodprogramssincethereisnofederalandverylittleprovincialorlocalfunding.Wewishwecould“passonthegift”ofamodeloffinancialsustainability.Inourcase,livinginalargecity,wecanaccessprivatedonors,foundationsandgrantsfromtheCityofTorontofortheGoodFoodBoxprogram.


IntheUnitedStates,theDepartmentofAgriculturefundscommunity-basedfoodprogramsliketheGoodFoodBox.WhenwestartedtheGoodFoodBoxwereceivedafewyearsofProvincialfundingthroughapartnershipbetweentheOntarioMin-istryofAgricultureFoodandRuralAffairsandtheMinistriesofEducation,Com-munityServices andHousing.Agriculture andHealth areFederal andProvincialissuesanditisimportantthattheyareinvolved.

TogrowtheGoodFoodBoxweneedincreasedfunding.Themoreboxeswedis-tribute,themorefundsneeded.Thosestartingaprogramwillneedtofindsourcesofsustainablefunding.Inthelongrun,wehopegovernmentfundingwillbetheretohelp. In the short term,weencouragegroups to seek funding fromeveryone–faith-basedorganizations,individuals,theprivatesector,familyfoundationsandthegovernment–whenpossible.

WehopethissecondeditionofthemanualwillhelptoincreaseinterestinstartingGoodFoodBoxprogramsandthatreadersfindituseful.Pleasestayintouchwithusasweworktowardgovernmentsupportforfoodprogramsandaswebuildamoresustainable,equitableandjustfoodsystem.

DebbieField

ExecutiveDirector

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1undeRSTAndInG THe Good Food Box:

Is this the right program for your community?

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The History of FoodShare’s Good Food Box Program

FoodSharewas founded in1985by thenMayorofToronto,ArtEggleton, andothersconcernedaboutthegrowthofhungerinourcityandthemanyfoodbanksthathadtakenplace in thewakeof therecessionof theearly1980’s.FoodShare’soriginalmandatewastocoordinateemergencyfoodservicesandtocollectanddis-tributefood.WewerealsoresponsiblefortheHungerHotline,whichwasestablishedasavolunteer-runreferralprogramforpeopleseekingfoodservicesintheirneigh-borhood.AnotherkeypartofFoodShare’smandatewastoadvocateforpoliciesthatwouldensureadequateemploymentandtheincomenecessarytoenableallpeopletomeettheirbasicneeds.

In the late1980’s,FoodShare staffbegan to share the frustrationofmany thattheproblemofhungerwasnotdiminishing.Incomeinequalityandunemploymentwere, ifanything, increasing.Foodbanks–originally intendedasa stopgapsolu-tion–appearedtobeheretostay.Weheardfromfoodbankusersthatthefoodtheyreceivedwasoftenlimitedinquantityandquality,andrarelyincludedfreshproduce.Astrongtraditionagainstresortingtocharitymeansthatmanyfeelashamedwhentheyareforcedtouseafoodbank–sometimestothepointofgoinghungryratherthandoingso.Foodbankorganizershavestatedthatfoodbanksarenotasustainableresponsetohungerandthattheywantto“putthemselvesoutofbusiness.”

SoFoodSharebegantoexploreself-helpmodelslikecooperativebuyingsystems,collectivekitchensandcommunitygardensthatwouldhavethepotentialtoaddressshort-termissuesofhouseholdhunger,whilealsoprovidinglonger-termbenefitsbybuildingthecapacityofindividualsandcommunities.

TheGoodFoodBoxprogramwascreatedasacooperativebuyingsystemwithafocusonlocalandseasonalfreshfruitsandvegetables.InJanuaryof1994,wepackedfortyGoodFoodBoxesinthebasementofourofficeonQueenStreetWest.Now,in2008,wepackanddistributejustunder4,000boxespermonthina7,000squarefootwarehousewithawalk-incoolerandforklift.Wehavealsogrowntohavealmost180activeneighborhood-baseddrop-offs.

Wehaveseenthenumberofweeklyordersriseovertheyears.Asaresult,wearenowabletogetbetterpricesonproduceduetoincreasedpurchasingpowerandcanpassthesesavingsontoourcustomers.Wehavealsobeenabletoincreasethenumber

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offarmersfromwhomwepurchasedirectly,especiallyforourorganicboxes.Thelargerourordersare,themorefeasibleitisforfarmerstoworkwithus.

The Philosophy Behind the Good Food Box

Webelievethateveryonedeservesaffordable,healthyandsustainablypro-ducedfood.Communitiesshouldnotbedependentonhandoutsoffood,norshouldhandoutsbenecessary.Inthelongrun,governmentneedstomakefoodarightandsubsidizebasicfoodsfortheentirepopulation.Inthemeantime,cooperativemodelsoffooddistribution,liketheGoodFoodBox,arecreatedto improveaccess andaffordabilityof freshproduce and tohelp strengthenlocalfarmeconomies.

Overtheyears,wehavebroadenedourfocustolookattheentirefoodsys-tem–how food is produced, distributed and consumed.We seehunger asjustonesymptomofafoodsystemthatisgearedtotreatingfoodprimarilyasacommodity.FoodSharebelievesthataccesstofoodisabasichumanrightbecause, likeairorwater, it is fundamental toourhealthand survival.Butthequestionishowtomakethisrightareality.Shouldfoodbesubjectedtothesamerulesofmarketdistributionthatgovern,say,soaportoothpaste?OrshouldgovernmentshelptoensurethatbasicfoodsareavailabletoeveryoneinthesamewaythatthehealthcaresysteminCanadaprovidessubsidizedhealthcaretoallCanadians?Webelievethereisarolefornot-for-profitfooddistribu-tionmechanisms,ofwhichtheGoodFoodBoxisoneexample,inhelpingtoensurethatallpeoplehavethebasichumanrighttoaccessfood.Webelievethat the government should support programs like theGood Food Box tomakethisrightareality.

Whatwe’vecometorealizeisthatthe“what”and“how”offoodaccessisalsoimportantandthatit’snotjustanyfoodthatwe’retalkingabout.Wetrytopromoteanawarenessthatfresh,wholefoodsarekeytohealth,well-beinganddiseaseprevention,andtoillustratethisprinciplethroughallourprograms.

Howpeoplegettheirfoodisalsoimportant.Fooddistributionsystemsthatinvolve communities and help to create neighborhood leaders have a greatpotential to enhance individual and community empowerment, by leadingpeopletofeelthattheyhavecontroloverthisverybasicpartoftheirlives.Allourprogramsarebasedonthiscommunitybuildingprinciple.Again,becauseofitsmaterial,culturalandsocialimportance,foodisspecialinitspowertomobilizepeopletoaction.

TheGoodFoodBox–whilesubsidizedbyFoodSharethroughindividualdonations,foundationandgovernmentgrants–aimstogiveitscustomersa

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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stakeinthefooddistributionprocess.Itisnotafor-profitenterprise,norisitbasedoncharity.Itisabulk-buyingclubthatusespublicsubsidytotryandcreateapositivesituationforconsumersinthecityandforfarmers,byallowingfarmerstoearnbetterpricesfortheircrops,whileallowingconsumersinthecitytopaywholesaleprices.LikeallofFoodShare’sprograms,itdoesnotdis-tinguishbetweenrichorpoor,becausewebelievethateveryoneneedstoeathealthier foods and increase their consumption of vegetables and fruit.Wehavelearnedfromyearsofworkinlow-incomecommunities,thatpeoplelivingonalow-incomedon’tlikeparticipatinginmeans-testedprograms.

ItisobviousthattheGoodFoodBoxprogramcannotsolvetheproblemsoffoodinsecurityalone.However,weseetheGoodFoodBoxasagoodstart.Attheveryleast,theboxcanimprovepeople’saccesstohealthyfood,supportfarmers,bringpeopletogetherandstrengthencommunities.Wehopeitcanbeaconversationstarteraboutthekindofsystemwewanttobuildinwhichevery-onehasaccesstohealthy,affordable,localandsustainablyproducedfood.

Good Food Box Guiding PrinciplesStart with the food!

FoodincludedintheGoodFoodBoxisofthehighestquality.Itisgearedtowards being personally and culturally acceptable to the widest group ofpeoplepossible,andisselectedandarrangedinordertoappealtoallofthesenses.Aestheticsmatter.Handlethefoodcarefully.Chooseproduceforcol-ourandvarietyandthoughtfullyarrangetheproduceformaximumappeal.AbeautifulboxreflectsthefactthattheGoodFoodBoxisnotahandoutbutahighqualityproduct.

Improve the affordability of healthy foodCustomerspayforaportionofwhatitcoststoproducetheGoodFoodBox,

FoodShareandit’svariousfundingsourcesmakeupfortherest.Customersbenefitfromthecostsavingsofbulkbuyingandthetimesavedfromthisdis-tributionmethod.Thismeanspurchasinghighquality,freshfoodiswithinthereachofmanymorepeoplethanthroughtheregularretailsystem.

Make the Good Food Box funAlargepartoftheTorontoGoodFoodBox’ssuccessarisesfromthesheer

fun thatpeoplehave receiving thebox.Opening thebox is a surprise eachtime,“What’sinitthistime?”Customershaveevenreportedthattheirchil-drenaremoreinterestedinandwillingtoeattheGoodFoodBoxfoodbecauseofthenovelmethodbywhichitarrives.

“A person who has health has hope, and one who has hope has everything."

Anonymous


Support local and organic agricultureWebelievethattocreateasustainableandaffordablefoodsystemweneedtoinvest

inourlocalfarmersandsupportsustainablefarmingpractices.Ahealthyfarmecon-omyhelpstoboosturbaneconomyandhelpstoensurewehaveaccesstoaffordablelocalproduce.Inordertosupportoneanother,citydwellersandfarmingcommun-itiesneedtoworktowardsasharedvisionforfoodaccess.TheGoodFoodBoxcreatesanopportunityforcustomerstolearnmoreabouttheirlocalfarmersandinfluencethevarietyofproduceandhowitisgrown.

Make participation easy for everyoneBeawareof,andmaketheboxmeettheneedsoflow-incomepeopleandpeople

onsocialassistance.Forexample, inTorontocommunities, thatmeansrequestingpaymentinadvanceanddeliveringtowardtheendofthemonth,whenmoneyandsuppliesarerunninglow.FamilieswithlittlemoneyforfoodtakeariskwhenpayinginadvancetopurchaseaGoodFoodBox,soqualityisofutmostimportance.Iftheboxarrivesfullofwiltedvegetables,thiscanhaveasevereimpactonafamily’sfoodforaweekandcandissuadeafamilyfromfutureparticipation.Damagedfoodmayalso call up associations of “seconds,” furthering stigmatization and reducing thechanceofpositivewordofmouthadvertising–animportantcomponentforsuccess.Most importantlypromoting increased fresh fruit andvegetable consumption is aworthygoalforpeopleofallincomelevels,andtheparticipationofdiversepeopleinthisprogramisamajorcomponentofitssuccess.

Balance revenue & subsidy to achieve financial sustainabilityIdeallyaGoodFoodBoxprogramwillbothimproveaccesstofreshproduceand

generate therevenuenecessary tocoverallcosts.This is rarelypossibleduetothefinanciallimitationsoflow-incomecommunities,thecostofsupportingvolunteersandlocalfarmersandthecostofcreatingeducationalmaterials.Acombinationofsubsidyandrevenuearelikelynecessary.

A week in the life of FoodShare’s Good Food Box Team

HereisadescriptionofatypicalweekhereatourFoodSharewarehouse.

The sun rises on a snowy and coldWednesdaymorning.TheGoodFoodBoxteamarrives, they exchange comments on theweather, fill the coffeemakerwithfreshgroundsandprepareforthebeginningoftheGoodFoodBoxcycle.Thefaxmachinechimeswithorders,inboxesarefilled,andthetelephoneringswithcustom-erscallingfromlivingroomsandoffices.Thedatabasequicklyfillswithorders,whiletheteammeetstoplanthecontentsforeachofoursevendifferentboxes.


Thursdayafewmorelateordersarrive,alongwithapologies.Thefinalnumberofboxesisprintedandthewarehousebeginstostir.OurgreenplasticGoodFoodBoxesarecounted,labeledandarrangedinpreparationasagroupofvolunteersfromtheCenterforAddictionandMentalHealtharrivestowashourusedboxes.Theequip-mentispolished,greased,andthepackingsuppliesarefullystocked.Theproducebuyercallsfarmersandstartstoaccumulateinformationonwhatisavailable,whatisinseason,andwhatisofexcellentvalue.Theemptyspacesinthenewsletterfillupwithrecipes,farmerprofiles,andarticlesoneatinghealthily,andfoodsecurity.

OnFriday,theproducebuyercallsfarmersandplacestheorders.Thenewsletterisfinishedandprintedout.

OnMonday,ataveryearlyhour,oneofourdriverspicksupourproducefromtheOntarioFoodTerminalandbringsthisproducebacktoourwarehouse.Thefarmersarriveallatonce,withoverloadedpick-upsandlargetrucks.Theemptywarehousefillswiththecolorandaromaofafarmer’sfield.Amomentlaterthewarehouseismostlyempty,thecoolernowfull.Theprices,quality,size,andoriginofthepro-duceisrecordedandusedtomakeanylastminuteadjustmentstothecontentsoftheboxes.

Tuesday morning the staff starts early in order to arrange produce into pack-ingassemblylinesandsetuppre-packagingstationsforlooseproducethatistobebagged.Thevolunteersarrivebetween9and9:30a.m.Thevolunteercoordinatorsignsinvolunteers,givesthemname-tagsandhelpsorientnewones.Thewarehouseassistantkeepsallproducewellstockedandmanagesthesupplyandflowofproducethroughouttheday.Volunteersaresetupinthepackingassemblylinesandareshownindetailhowtopacktheboxestopreventtheproducefromgettingdamagedandtomaketheboxeslookpresentable.Adriverarrivesatnoontostartdeliveringboxestocommunitydrop-offlocationsandpicksupthepreviousweek’semptyboxes.Pack-ingcontinuesuntilallboxesarepacked,usuallyabout3p.m,withahalf-hourbreakforlunchat12:30p.m.Volunteersaregivenalargeboxofproducetotakehomeasourtokenofappreciation.

Thevolunteerdrop-offcoordinatorsreceivethedeliveryofboxesfromthedriversonWednesday,ThursdayandFriday,whicharethenpickedupbymembersofhis/her community.The coordinator is responsible for collecting payments from cus-tomers,placingtheircollectiveorderandmakingsuretheypickuptheirboxes.Thedriversreturnfromtheirroutebetween3-7p.m.andunloadtheemptyGoodFoodBoxesdestinedtobewashedandrepackedfornextweek.Whiletheboxesarebeingdeliveredourofficestaffalsoanswerscallsfromcustomersanddriversifanyissuesarise.


Hereisachartsummarizingourworkrhythmsfortheweek.

Weekly Work Rhythms Chart(BasedonaGoodFoodBoxscheduleofonedeliveryperweek)

our Customers: who Are They and why do They Purchase a Box?

Ourexperience leadsus tobelieve thata typicalGoodFoodBoxcustomer isamiddleagedfemale,whotakesontheresponsibility forprovidingfoodforherselfandaspouseorfamily.TheyliveinTorontoandtheirfamilyearningsfallbeloworareatthemedianincome.Theyaremotivatedtoeathealthierandprovidehealthyfoodfortheirfamilies,areknowledgeableaboutthebenefitsofsupportinglocalagri-culture and demand a box that contains local and/or organic produce.They alsocomefromavarietyofculturalbackgroundsandareinterestedinitemstheycanuseintheirhome-cooking.TheyareinterestedintheGoodFoodBoxbecauseitoffersvalue,isconvenient,andgivesthemafeelingtheyaresupportingasharedvisionforfoodaccess.

InNovember2007,asurveywasdistributedtoGoodFoodBoxcustomersoveratwo-weekperiod.ItspurposewasbothtoinformthecontentoftheGoodFoodBoxManualandtohelpFoodSharebetterunderstandthedemographicsandopinionsof

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayStaff meeting •Receive pro-•duceProduce is •checked for quality and size to make sure there is enough for each uniform boxPreparation •of packing signs, printing of newsletters and content sheets

Prepare the pack-•ing assembly lines and pre-packaging stationsGreet volunteers•Pack boxes until •finishedDrivers deliver •boxes to coordina-torsClean up•Create truck •routes for the week

Drivers deliver •boxes to coor-dinatorsAll orders must •be in by 12 noon for the next weekFeature veg-•etable selected based on what is in season and local

Start calling •farmers to see what is available for what pricePlan and write •newsletterTake inventory •and restocking of packaging materials

Create box •contentsOrder produce•


GoodFoodBoxcustomers.354GoodFoodBoxhouseholdsreturnedthesurvey,or24%ofthosesurveyed.Hereareseveralofthequestionsandresponsesthatyoumayfindinteresting.

What are your main reasons for purchasing a Good Food Box?

Reason Responses PercentSupport local farmers 304 86%

Low cost 226 64%

Helping me eat better 211 60%

Freshness 209 59%

Convenience 194 55%

Quality 187 53%

Supporting organic farmers 153 43%

Connection to my community 134 38%

Other 50 14%

Total 1,668

ThisrevealsthatthetopthreereasonscustomerspurchasetheGoodFoodBoxarealsoFoodShare’stopthreeprogramgoals:tosupportlocalfarmers,makefoodmoreaffordableandpromotehealthyeatinghabits.Amongthereasonscited,therewasalsoahighappreciationofthebox’scontents;over50%ofthosewhorespondednotedthatquality,freshnessandconveniencewerereasonsforbuyingthebox.Reasonsinthe“Other”categoryincluded:wantingtofinanciallysupportFoodShare,wantingtoreducepackaging,thesurpriseandvarietyofthebox,beingforcedtocookmoreandsupportingnon-GMO(geneticallymodifiedorganism)products.

What is your favorite thing about the Good Food Box? Itislocalandorganic(commentfromcustomersoftheOrganicGoodFood•Box).Thecostislow.•Itkeepsmehealthybyforcingmetoeatmorevegetablesorcookmore.•Itteachesmychildrenaboutnutrition.•It’sconvenientandsavestime.•It’s delivered tomyhouse (in the case of some coordinators andMeals on•Wheelsparticipants).Thenewsletterandtherecipes,especially,areexcellent.•


Thevolunteerdrop-offcoordinatorisgreatandpickinguptheboxprovidesa•chancetovisit(onerespondentsaidthattheircoordinatororganizedweeklypotlucksforGoodFoodBoxcustomers).Thequalityoftheproduceishigh(somesaidhigherthanmoststores).•ItsupportsFoodShare.•Itmakesmefeelconnectedtomycommunity.•It’sanexcitingsurpriseeachtime.Manysaidit’s“likeChristmas.”•Thevarietyofthebox.•Itforcesmetotrynewthings.•

Good Food Markets, Another Produce distribution Choice

GoodFoodMarketssharethesamephilosophyandprincipalsastheGoodFoodBoxprogram.Themaindifferenceisthatinsteadofdistributingtheproduceinboxes,theproduceissoldtocommunityorganizationstoselltotheirneighborhoodsintheformofamarket.Manycommunitiesareinterestedinhavingmarketsbutmakinglinkageswithfarmerswhowouldfinditfinanciallyviabletoinvestinthestart-upofsmallmarketsisverychallenging.ForthisreasontheGoodFoodMarketshavetheabilitytofillthisneed.Overtimepatronageandpopularitywillincrease,thuscreat-ingapotentialsiteforafarmers’market.IfyouareinterestedinlearningmoreaboutGoodFoodMarketspleaseinquireaboutFoodShare’sGoodFoodMarketmanual.

OurresearchhasshownthataGoodFoodMarketcustomerspendsonaverage$7-10eachtimetheyshopattheGoodFoodMarket.SincetheGoodFoodBoxcostsbetween$12-32perbox,itmaybethattheGoodFoodMarketsareabettervehiclethan theGoodFoodBox for reaching lower incomecommunitymembers.GoodFoodMarkets are oftenmanaged and further subsidized by community partnerswhoalsochoosetheproducethatbestsuitstheirneighbourhood’sneeds.

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Choosing Goals for Your ProgramInthebeginningstagesofFoodShare’sGoodFoodBoxprogram,anadvisorycom-

mitteewasputtogetherwithrepresentativesfromdifferentsectorssuchaschurches,farmsandprivatebusinesses.Areallearningprocesstookplaceaseachsectorsharedtheir perspective.The farmers came to an understanding that the problem beingaddressed by the programwas not simply about food distribution but also abouthungeranditscomplexcauseslikethelackofincome,lackofaccesstostores,andculturalandindividualattitudesaboutfood.Atthesametime,therestofthecom-mitteelearnedaboutagriculturalissues:howweatheraffectscrops,howsystemsanddifferentlevelsofdistributionworkandhowfoodisgraded.

Asthegroupworkedtogether,itrealizedthatithadtomodifyitsgoals.Initially,theprimarypurposewas to setupamoredirectbuying relationshipbetween theurbanpoorandfarmers–toshortenthedistancebetweenfieldandtable.Therewasalsothehopethatsecondsandotherblemishedproducethatfarmerscouldnotsellinthemarketplacecouldbedistributedatreducedcoststolow-incomecommunities.Asitturnedout,theearlyorderswereontoosmallascaletomakeitworthwhileforfarmerstoparticipate.Aswell,focusgroupswithlow-incomecommunitymem-bersrevealedthatpeoplewerenotinterestedinproducethatdidnotlookasgoodaswhatwasavailableinstores.Therefore,ourapproachshiftedtopurchasingvegetablesandfruitsthatpeoplewantedtobuythroughtheOntarioFoodTerminalwiththefuturehopeofsupportinglocalfarmersoncetheGoodFoodBoxprogramgrew.Asweexpanded,wewereabletomakemoredirectrelationshipswithfarmers.In2006,withjustunder4,000boxespermonth,54%oftheproduceFoodSharepurchasedwaslocal,and20%waspurchaseddirectlyfromfarmers.

AstheGoodFoodBoxbecamemoreestablishedandstructured,theneedforanactiveAdvisoryCommitteedecreasedandFoodShare’sstaffandBoardofDirectorstookonthisfunction.However,wewouldsuggestfromourexperiencethatitisveryimportantthatyouestablishanAdvisoryCommitteewhenyoustarttheGoodFoodBox.TheCommitteecouldincluderepresentativesoflow-incomefamilies,farmers,agencysupporters, faith-basedorganizations, localpoliticians,business leadersandotherswhomightsupportthedevelopmentoftheGoodFoodBoxinyourcommun-ity.

Itisimportanttodecidewhatthegoalsofyourprogramwillbebeforeyoubegin.FoodSharehasbeenabletodeepenitsgoalsbecauseofthelargenumberofboxeswepack(purchasingdirectlyfromfarmershasbecomemorefeasible)andtheincreased

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number of different boxeswe offer (such as organic, pre-cut and portionedproduceandfruitboxes,whichbetterserveadiverseclientele).Westartedwitha focusonhealthy, affordable food thatwouldbeusedby thewidest rangeof cultural groups.We have since broadened our goals to include purchas-ingproducefromlocalfarmers,supportingsustainablefarmingpracticesandincreasingconvenientpreparedproduceforaging,ailingorbusyindividuals.Wewouldalsoeventuallyliketoworkwithlocalfarmerstogrowculturallyspecificcrops,likeokraandcalaloo,inordercreateboxesthatwouldappealtovariousculturalgroups.BelowisalistofgoalsyoumaywanttoconsiderwhenplanningyourGoodFoodBoxprogram.

Making fresh food affordable, especially for low-income communities

Tooffercompetitivelypricedproduce,youwilllikelyneedtosourceproducethroughhigh-volume,consolidatedsupply-chains,whichofferlowerpricesonproduce.Tomeet theneedsofyourconsumers,youmayalsowant tooffertypesofproducethatareusedbymostcustomersonaregularbasis,eveniftheyarenotseasonal.Notethatproducepurchaseddirectlyfromfarmerscan,insomecases,belessexpensivethanthroughaconsolidatedsupplychainandweatFoodSharearealwayslookingatthesedirectoptionswhenpossible.

Promoting healthy food Weofferaboxofqualityfruitsandvegetablesthatimprovesoverallhealth

byencouragingtheconsumptionofmoreservingsoffreshvegetablesandfruitseachday.Ahealthfocuscanbeenhancedifyouprovidenutritionalinforma-tionandrecipeswithyourboxes.Youmayalsowanttoincludeproducewithalowglycemicindexorprovideorganicproduceknowntohavelesschemicalresidues.

Supporting local farmersWedoourbesttoprioritizelocalproduce,puttingitintheboxwhenever

itisfeasible.Eveninthewinter,storedlocalitemssuchascarrots,onionsandapples are available. Since the varietyofproduceduring thewintermonthsis very limited and the local supply ofOntario fruits, even in the summermonths,islimited,FoodSharehasneverproduceda“LocalOnlyBox.”How-ever,becausethedemandforlocalproducehasincreased,wearediscussingtheideaofalocalboxasoneoftheoptionsforcustomers.Keepinmindthatfind-ingfarmerswillingtosupplyyouwithproducedependsonhoweconomicalitisforthemtotransportittoyou.Thelargertheboxprogramthelargeryourordersandthegreaterthelikelihoodthatlocalfarmerswillfinditfinanciallysustainabletodelivertoyou.

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Supporting organic agriculture Improving access to organic produce and supporting farmers who grow

organically is important for maintaining soil fertility and decreasing ourexposuretosyntheticfertilizersandpesticides.Organicproduce,however,canbeprohibitivelyexpensiveforlow-incomecommunitiesandthereforeyoumaynotbeabletoachieveyourgoalofimprovingtheaffordabilityofproduceifyouchoosetosourceorganic.FoodSharehasoptedtocreateaseparateorganicbox,whichhasdifferentaimsthanourregularGoodFoodBox.Thereare,however,timeswhenorganicproduceisavailableatacomparablepricetothatwhichisconventionallygrown.Inthesesituationswewouldchoosetheorganicproductovertheconventionalone.

Offering culturally specific fruits and vegetables Youmaywanttotargetcertainculturalgroupsbycreatingboxesthatcontain

culturallyspecificfruitsandvegetables,especiallyifthesegroupshavebarrierstoaccessingthistypeoffreshproduce.Workingwithfarmstogrowcultur-allyspecificfruitsandvegetables,withtheassistanceofsomeonewithgrowingknowledgeofthesecrops,canimproveaccesstoculturallyappropriateproduceandprovideemploymentandcommunitydevelopmentopportunities.

Increase convenience of eating healthily Pre-cutproduce,inportionsthataremeasuredbasedontheCanadianFood

Guiderequirements,canhelpmakeiteasierforseniorsorpeoplerecoveringfromchronicillnessestoeatmoreservingsoffreshfruitandvegetables.

Identifying Your Target Group and Making the Program Suit Their needsAlthoughaGoodFoodBoxprogramisbasedonuniversalaccesstofood,therealityisthatyouwillalsobeservingtheneedsofveryspecificgroups(i.e.low-incomefamilies,farmers,orbusyindividualswhowanttoeathealthier).Asuccessfulprogramnotonlyrequiresknowledgeofyourtargetgroupbutanunderstandingofwhatwouldappealtothem.Hereareofsomesugges-tionstohelpyoushapeyourprogramtomeettheneedsofyourcustomers:

Understandwhyindividualsinyourdesiredgroupwillusethepro-•gramandbeeffectiveatpromotingthesebenefits(i.e.mothersinter-estedinfeedingtheirfamilieshealthyfood,individualswithakeeninterestineatinghealthily).AtFoodShare,weknowthatalargenumberofourcustomersarelow-income,singlemothers.Thismeansweoftenincludeinformationonchildnutritionandrecipesforkid-friendlyfoods.

Barriers to accessing Good, Healthy Food

Insufficient •incomeAffordable •grocery retailers are inaccessible by affordable transportationNo access to •a kitchen to prepare foodInsufficient time •to prepare foodInsufficient skills •to prepare foodFood labels •are hard to understand and are missing information necessary to make good food choicesInsufficient •knowledge of nutrition, agriculture, etc, to make good food choices


Understandingtheexistingbarriersyourtargetgroupface(i.e.ifmanyindi-•vidualslivingonalow-incomefeelthattheylosetheirdignitybyusingpro-gramsspecificallygearedtowardslow-incomecommunities,youmaywanttoconsideraprogramthatisaccessibletoeveryone).

Partneringwithcommunityorprivateagencieswhohaveaccesstoand•knowledgeofthetargetgroupyouwishtoserve(i.e.churches,communitycenters,healthfoodstores,healthcenters)isextremelyhelpful.Theseagenciescanofferresources,adviceandsupport,tohelpyoureachouttonewcustom-ers.Buildingapartnershipwithalocalagencytofurthersubsidizethecostoftheboxcanhelpmaketheboxesmoreaccessibletothoselivingonverylowincomes.

Addingotherrelatedprogrammingatpick-uplocations,likesoupandmeal•programs,nutritionclassesorwiderhealtheducationcampaigns,canincreasetheappealofparticipatingintheGoodFoodBox.Ifyourprogramhastheresourcesyoucanalsoconsiderrunningtheseprogramsyourself.

The Fresh Produce distribution Industry

TheGoodFoodBox isanalternativewayofdistributing freshproduce.Under-standing the current trends that are affecting this industrywillhelpyoudesignaprogramthatachievesyourobjectiveswhilebeingcompetitive inthemarketplace.Belowaresomecurrenttrendsinthefreshproducedistributionindustry.

Consolidation of suppliers and distributorsInordertolowerthecostofproduceandmaintainacompetitiveadvantageover

othergroceryretailers,manygrocerystoresarereducingtheirnumberofsuppliers.Thesuppliersthattheychoosemustbeabletosupplyalargeramountofproduce,whichresultsinacheaperpriceperunit.Largesuppliersinregionswithlongergrow-ingseasonsareattractiveforgrocersandreducetheamountofstaffingthegrocerystoremustallocate topurchasingsincethereare lessaccounts totakecareof.Thedrawback is thatCanadian farmerswith smalleroperationshavedifficultygettingtheirproductsongrocerystoreshelves.

Thistypeofconsolidationhasresulted inamonopolized foodsystem,withfewownerswhoeachhaveagreatdealofcontroloverwhatissoldandproduced.Thecur-rentsituationisunfairtolocalfarmersandisoneofthereasonsthatnewcooperativemechanismsliketheGoodFoodBoxaresoimportanttofarmerssothattheyhavealternativevenuestoselltheirproduceoutsidethecurrentdistributionsystem.


ConvenienceCanadianshavelesstime,fewerdomesticskillsandlessofaninclinationtodevote

timetofoodrelatedchoresthanpreviousgenerations.Asaresultthereisanincreaseddemandforfoodsthatcanbepreparedinashortperiodoftime.Thisisnotanewconsumertrend,however, ithasevolvedovertime.Whenconveniencefoodswerefirstintroduced,consumerswerewillingtoacceptalowerqualityandpoorertastefortheabilitytoprepareamealinashortperiodoftime.Buttoday,consumersrequire-mentsforconveniencefoodsaremoresophisticatedthanthespeedofpreparation.Today, convenience foodsmustalsobeeasy topurchaseandcleanup,nutritious,flavorfulandofgoodvalue.

Direct marketing of local produceThedirectmarketingofproduce, a food systemwhere freshproduce isdirectly

distributedfromproducertoconsumer,canbeachievedthroughinitiativessuchasU-picks,foodboxprogramsandcommunitysharedagricultureprojects.ThegoodnewsisthatthesetypesofinitiativesareincreasinginnumberinNorthAmerica.Anincreaseinthenumberandpopularityoffarmers’marketsinCanadaisevidenceofthistrend.

Sustainable agricultureFarmingpracticesthatprotectnaturalresourcesandsupporttheagriculturalcom-

munityhavebecomeincreasinglyimportanttoproducersandconsumersinrecentyears,asconcernfortheenvironmentandsafeguardingourfoodsupplyrises.

Competitive AnalysisFoodSharemainlycompetesagainstaproducedistributionsystemthatrelieson

largescaleconsolidatedsupplychainsthatofferlowprices.Theproducefromthesesupplychainsoftenendsupinlargesupermarkets,whicharemostoftenaccessedby car or public transit.Anumber of theGoodFoodBoxdrop-off locations areinlow-incomeneighbourhoods,farawayfromanygrocerystores.Insomecases,aconveniencestoreistheclosestfoodoutlettoasocialhousingcomplexwherepeoplelive.TheGoodFoodBoxprogramtriesnottocompetewithfarmers’markets,farmerfoodboxprogramsorprivatesectororganichomedeliverycompaniesthatprovidespecialboxprogramstoindividualconsumers.

What advantages does the Good Food Box have over a large supermarket chain?

The Good Food Box offers: freshandhealthyfood•anoveralllowercostofproduce(seeTable1below)•


alargepercentageoflocalproduce,sometimesdirectlyfromfarmers•onlyhighqualityproduce•theconvenienceofdeliveryclosetohome•acommunityactivitythatcandecreasesocialisolation•aprogramthatcustomerscanfeelgoodaboutsupporting•newslettersandotherusefulresources•

Large Good Food Box item

Grocery store #1

Source/quality

Grocery store #2

Source/quality

Grocery store #3

Source/quality

6 Corn* $1.49 ON/ good $ 1.20 ON/ good $1.08 ON/ very poor

1 Bag Carrots* $1.99 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good 4 lbs Potatoes* $1.99 ON/ good $ 1.71 ON/ good $1.00 ON/ good

1 Bag Barlett Pears*

$3.99 ON/ good $ 4.99 ON/ good $3.99 ON/ good

1 Bag Apples* $3.99 ON/ good $3.49 ON/ good $1.99 Not local/ good

1 Cantaloupe $2.49 Not local/ good

$1.49 not local/ good

$1.49 not local/ poor

1 Pint Mushrooms* $1.99 ON/ good $1.99 ON/ good $1.49 ON/ good 1 lb Plum Tomatoes*

$0.99 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good $0.79 ON/ good

1 English Cucumber*

$1.49 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good

2 lbs Onion* $2.49 ON/ good $1.49 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good 1 Bunch Broccoli* $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ poor 1 Romaine Lettuce*

$0.99 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good $0.69 ON/ poor

1 Bunch Bananas $1.18 Not local/ good

$1.18 not local/ good

$0.99 Not local/ poor

Total $26.36 $23.39 $18.37 Savings/box $9.36 $6.39 $1.37

Savings/year (based on 2 boxes per month)

$224.64 $153.36 $ 32.88

Table 1. Comparison of the Large Good Food Box (cost: $17) to three grocery stores.This study was completed in August of 2007.

* Locally produced


What disadvantages are there to the Good Food Box compared to a large supermarket chain?

• TheGoodFoodBoxdoesn’tallowtheconsumertoselectthefruitsandvege-tablestheywanttobuy.TheGoodFoodBoxteamdecidesonthecontentsoftheboxbasedonourgoals,thebestpricesinanygivenweekandourknowledgeofourcustomers’preferences.

• TheGoodFoodBoxpricecanstillbe tooexpensive for somecommunitymembers.Familieswithalowincomemaynotbeabletoinvest$17foraGoodFoodBox andmayonlyhave$5-10of expendable incomeonhand at any time.TheseindividualswouldbenefitfromaGoodFoodMarketmorethanaGoodFoodBoxorfromaprogramthatissupportedbyalocalorganizationthatcanaddanotherlevelofsubsidy.Forexamplecustomerscouldpay$10andalocalchurchcouldmakeupforthe$7difference.

• Duetothedeliverysystem,theproducecan losesomefreshness intransitandmaycauseaconsumer,purchasingtheboxforfreshnessandquality,toreturntoanotherfoodretailer.

• TheGoodFoodBoxonlyoffersfreshproduce,thereforeaconsumerwillstillneedtomakethetriptothegrocerystoreforpackageditems,theproteinoftheirchoice,suchasmeat,cheese,fish,beansortofuandotheritemstofillouttheirdiet-aryrequirements.

Marketing Plan – The 5 P’sProduct

Theboxshouldsellitself.Priceandqualityarethetwobiggestsellingpointsofthebox,anditisimpossibletoprioritizeoneovertheotherbecausetheyaresocloselyintertwined.Atopqualityboxavoidsarousinganynegativefeelingsthatlow-incomecustomersmayhaveaboutreceivingsecond-rategoods.Thustheboxitselfisitsownbestadvertisement.Asidefromtheactualqualityandvalueofthebox,presentationiskeytoproducingaperceptionofvalue.Thismeansthattheboxmustbepackedcare-fully,withtheheaviestitemsonthebottomtoavoiddamage(andsubsequentspoil-age),andthatcontentsmustbearrangedattractively.Haveanarrayofcoloursvisible,placevegetableslikebroccolifaceupandensurethattheboxitselfiswellcleaned.Thiswillleadtopositiveword-of-mouthadvertising,whichisthebestkind.

PriceProducesalesareour largest sourceof incomefor theTorontoGoodFoodBox

–over$500,000peryear.Ofthisamount,aportionisthemargin.Itiscalculatedusingapercentageformulainordertodeterminethepercentageofprofit.

Margin = (Selling price – Cost price) / Selling price x 100


Ifyou’reafor-profitbusinessandenoughsalesaremade,themarginshouldcoverallexpensesandincludeaprofitforthecompany.Generallythehigherthemargin,thelessgoodsthathavetobesold.Sinceproduceisinexpensive,ahugevolumeofsalesmustbemadetobreakeven.

Attheretaillevel,amarginof33-100%isappliedtoproduce,dependingonwhatthemarketwillbear.Therearemanyplayersandstepsinvolvedintheproducesupplychainandeachsteprequiresfinancialinput.Afarmergrowsandharvestspotatoesbythetonandreceivesapproximately6.5centsperpound.Thepackinghousewashesandputsthepotatoesina10-poundbagandaddsanother15centsandsellsittoawholesalecompany.Thewholesalerthensellsthebagfor$1.15tothesupermarket,whointurnmarketsthatsamebagofpotatoesfor$1.99to$2.99.Eachsectortakestheirmargin.ThefoodsysteminCanadaisveryefficientandpowerisheavilycon-centratedattheretaillevelwherethelargestamountofmoneyismade.TheGoodFoodBoxandotherFoodShareentrepreneurialprogramscompeteinthissetting.

FoodShareaimsfora25%orgreatermargin,dependingonthebox.Themargincoversthecostofdelivery,aportionoftheoperatingcostandproduce.Grantsanddonationscoverallinfrastructurecostssuchasrentandequipment,includingsalar-ies.In2008,a$17GoodFoodBoxcontained$12.24worthofproduceatwholesaleprices.Thisincludestheproducebuyer’sfee.Another10centsisassignedtocoverthecostofreplacingtherecyclableboxesand10centsforthenewsletter.Theremainingfundscoverthecostofdelivery.

It is importanttocoverasmuchofourexpensesaspossible,yetstillhavegoodprices toattracta low-incomecustomer.TheGoodFoodBoxcosts$17buthasavalueofanywherefrom$18to$30inaretailstore.Thecustomersavesmoney,hastheboxdeliveredclose tohomeandhasbankedmoneybypaying inadvance. Inaddition,thefoodisofexcellentquality.Thesavingsareasignificantincentiveforpeopletocontinuebuyingfromtheprogram.Oneofthecentralchallengesistokeeppriceslowenoughthatyoucanselltheboxtopeoplewhohavelittlemoney.Itmustbeagoodenoughdeal–goodenoughtopersuadethemtospendscarcemoneyonfreshfruitsandvegetableswhentherearesomanyothercompetingneeds.

Inastrictlybusinesssituationallcostsincludingsalariesarecoveredbythesellingprice.Inourcase,themarginthatalow-incomecustomercanaffordtopaycannotcoverallthecostsinvolvedandso,theGoodFoodBoxprogram,despiteitsefficiency,requiresexternalfunding.Growthincustomernumberswillresultinabulkbuyingadvantageandaneconomyofscale,butthereisaplateaubeyondwhichitisverydif-ficulttoreducecosts.

ThescaleandcomplexityofaGoodFoodBoxprograminalargeurbancitylikeTorontorequiresbothareasonablemarginandsubsidiesinordertokeepgrowing.Whilevolunteersareacentralpartoftheproject,theycanonlyberesponsibleforso


much.Forexample,tousevolunteerstomakedeliveriescouldresultinbackinjuriesorlegalcomplicationsoverthelongterm.Realistically,thecoordina-tionof sucha largefleetofvolunteerswould itselfdemanda full timepos-ition.

Placement/Delivery areaDependingonyourtransportationandhumanresourcesyoumayneedto

restricttheareawhereyoucandelivertheGoodFoodBoxes.Targetinginsti-tutionswithhighertraffic,storagecapabilitiesandflexibledeliverytimeswillhelptomaximizethenumberofboxesandmakeiteasierfordelivery.Ifyouaremotivatedtomakehealthyfreshproduceavailableandaccessibletothoseoflow-income,determinetheareasinyourcityortownthathaveagreaterneedforthisprogram.WedecidedtofocusontheGreaterTorontoArea.

Promotion Flyers•

Materialsthatspecificallytargetlow-incomepeopleoftenscream“poverty,”becausenon-profitorganizationsoftenlacktheresourcestoproducepromo-tionalmaterials. Early research for theGood Food Box showed that whenpeople saw a rough, hand-drawn, photocopied flyer, they assumed that thequalityoftheproducewouldbeinferior.ThiscanpresentaproblemifGoodFoodBoxsupportersdecidethattheywanttohelppromotetheprogramintheirownbuildinganddrawuptheirownmaterials.Itisagoodideatopro-videpeoplewiththenecessarypromotionalmaterials,sothattheimageoftheprogramisconsistentandisassociatedwithquality.Asincorporateadvertis-ing,itisgenerallyagoodideatotrytokeepaconsistentlookinyouradvertis-inginordertobuilda“productimage.”Ifyouhavetochangeyourlogoorpamphlet,trytokeepasmanydesignelementsaspossiblethesame.

Signature boxes•Re-usableplasticboxescanbeprintedwiththeGoodFoodBoxlogoand

canactasadvertising.

Media•Pursuing the localmedia isanexcellentway togainpublicity.TheGood

FoodBoxhashadsomeexcellentcoveragebyreceptivejournalists;forexample,local television shows suchasCBC’sMarketplaceandonTVOntariohaveprovidedapublicstagetopromotetheprogram.Thistypeofadvertisingisfreeandhasproveneffective.

However,journalistsmaynotalwaysbecapableofseeingorportrayingmoresubtlemessages,andtheymaybemoreinclinedtoportraythepathosofpov-ertythancommunitydevelopmentorempoweringmessages.Anegativemes-

Why it’s important to brand your

Good Food Box:

Good Food Boxes with your group’s logo can:

Distinguish •your program from others.Be an •advertisement for quality.Protect your •customers and your group.Be used in •displays and to advertise your program.Be used to •market new products.


sageaboutpovertycanbecounterproductive,preventingnewpeoplefromsigningupandmakingexistingcustomersfeelbadabouttheirparticipation.However,onceyouareawareofthistendencytocreatea“charity”message,youcanmakesurethatyourinputtojournalistsisclearandrepresentstheprogramanditsparticipantsinadigni-fiedway.InToronto,generally,thestoriesthathaveproducedthebestresponsehavebeentheonesthatfocusonthefood,notonthepeopleinvolved(thelattertendingtoleadtopatronizingorembarrassing“characterstudies”).

Itistruethatoncethemediaisinvolvedwithyourprogram,youlosesomecontroloverthemessage.Atthesametime,evenifwhattheydowithyourmessageisnoteverythingyoumighthopefor,youmaystillderivebenefitfromthecoverage,simplybygettingyournameknownandtuckedawayinpeople’sheadsforlaterreawaken-ing.Repeatingthesamemessageoverandovereventuallygetsthemessageoutandmakesanimpressiononthepublic.

Beforetryingtoattractmediaattention,makesurethatyouhavethesystemsinplacetodealwiththeresponse,whichcanbeoverwhelming–createanintakeform,bepreparedtoanswerallcalls,knowhowtoconnectindividualstoexistingdrop-offs(ifyouintendtodothis).

Buying ads inmainstreampapers is usually too expensive.There is, however, amultitudeoflocalcommunitypapersandnewsletters(e.g.environmentalorganiza-tions,churches,serviceclubsandresidents’associations)thatwillprintasmallarticleforyouorincludeapamphletintheirmailings.

Community presentations•GoodFoodBoxstaffhavedonecountlesspresentationstocommunitygroupsthat

haveexpressedaninterestintheprogram.Nowthattheprogramisbetterknown,wearerespondingtopresentationrequestsmoreoften,ratherthanaskingcommunitiesifwecanpresenttothem.Acommunity,itseems,ismorelikelytohaveasuccessfulGoodFoodBoxdrop-offlocationwhentheyalreadyhaveaheightenedinterestandisreadytocommittimeandenergyintoimprovingfoodaccess.Outreachcanbealotofwork,butitisworthtalkingtoanygroupthatasks.Thoughitmaycometonothingintheshortterm,oftenthegroupwillreappearjustasyouareonthevergeofforgettingyouevertalkedtothem.

TogainacceptancefortheGoodFoodBox,itisoftenagoodideatopromoteitthroughanagencywhoisalreadyofferingprogramming–forexamplemumsandtotsgroupsora seniorscommunitycentre–and is therefore trustedbycommun-itymembers.InToronto,promotingtheprogramthroughwelfareworkershasnotworkedforus,perhapsbecausethispointofcontactissimplytoofarremovedfromtheactualorganizingprocessinthecommunityorperhapsbecauseofthenegativefeelingsassociatedwiththisparticularenvironment.


Ifyouhaveaboxready-made,youcantakeitalongandraffleitoffatthepresenta-tion.Creatingasamplebox,ifyoudon’thaveonearoundfromarecentdelivery,canbeproblematic.Itcostsalotofmoneytodoonaregularbasis,isdifficulttolugtothemeetingonpublictransitandcancreatetheexpectationthatpeoplewillgettheexactboxthattheysawatthemeeting.It’sbetterifpeoplemakealeapoffaithandarethenpleasantlysurprisedwhentheyseetheirfirstbox.

Social marketing and the 5th P

Socialmarketingisbasedonusingeitheraproductoradvertisementstoinfluencebehavioralchange.WhiletheGoodFoodBoxisaproduct,italsoembodiesthehopethatpeoplewillchangetheirattitudeandbehaviorwhenitcomestotheirrelation-shipwith food.TheGoodFoodBoxhas the ability to createbehavior change inseveralwaysbyencouragingtheparticipantstodothefollowing:

Toconsumeagreateramountoffreshfruitsandvegetables.•To spendmore time cooking at home and to use awider variety of produce•thankstoaddedrecipes.Tolearntouseandchooselocallygrownproduce.•Tolearnanduseorganicallygrownproduce.•Toengageindiscussionsaroundfoodrelatedissueswithcommunitymembers.•Toparticipateinfoodrelatedevents(e.g.pot-lucks)withotherGoodFood• Boxcustomers.

Policy

Anothercomponentofsocialmarketingistocreatebehaviouralchangebywork-ingwithvarious levelsofgovernment tocreatepolicies thatwillhelpyouachieveyourgoals.Forexample,givingafoodallowancetothecitizensofacity,provinceornationthatcouldonlybeusedatfarmers’marketsorregisteredprogramswouldpro-motedirectfarmtocustomertransactions.Thiswouldincreasetheincentivetopur-chaselocalproduce,therebyhelpingtorestoreaviablefarmingsectorandimprovetheavailabilityofproduceforlow-incomecommunities

Management StructureTheGoodFoodBoxneedsastrongnon-profitorganizationtooperatetheprogram

orneedsa strongorganization thatagrees tobe thecontractualpartnerandhost.Ahostorganizationcanhelpbyofferingin-kindstafftime,suchasfundraisingorbookkeepingsupportorbyprovidinginfrastructure(e.g.photocopier,faxmachine,space).


Currently,ourGoodFoodBoxprogramoperatesasonepartofalargerfreshpro-ducedistributionoperation,whichrunsthreeprograms:theGoodFoodBox,Freshproduce(deliverytoschoolsandotheragencies)andGoodFoodMarkets.Theman-agementstructureisasfollows.

Stages of expansionThefollowingisadescriptionofthestagesofexpansionthatFoodShare’sGood

FoodBoxwentthroughtogettoitscurrentsize.Anincreaseinhumanlabourandequipment were necessary at various key points in order to facilitate expansion.Ongoingevaluation,revisionandimprovementofsystemsapplythroughout.

40 boxes per month

Smallrentaltruckorequivalent•Computerandprinterforthenewsletter•Smalldonatedspace,boxespackedbystaffinthebasementofFoodSharein•bananaboxesinthethirdweekofthemonthProducepurchasedbyprofessionalproducebuyerattheOntarioFood•Terminal,pickedupandbroughttoFoodSharebyourdriverSimplenewsletter•Boxesdeliveredbystaffmemberinarentedtruck•Promotionalmaterialprepared•Nolunchprovidedforvolunteers•Presentationsweremadetosmallgroupsofinterestedpeople•

Good Food Program Manager

Good Food Program Coordinator

Fresh Produce Project Coordinator

Lead driver

Volunteer and Customer Service Coordinator

Warehouse Assistant

Volunteer Drop-off Coordinators Packing Day Volunteers Youth Interns

Drivers


200 boxes per month

PackedbystaffinawarehouseloanedbyNorthYorkHarvest(afoodbank)•Stafftimespentgettingenoughbananaboxesinwhichtopackproduce•ProducepurchasedbyprofessionalproducebuyerattheOntarioFoodTer-•minalProducedreceivedonaloadingdockandtransferredbyskidintotheware-•houseProducedeliveredbystaffmemberusingrentedvananddolly•Breadandcoldcutsforvolunteerlunches•Postcardsdesignedandusedforpromotion•Publicspeakingopportunitieswithsmallgroups•Financialbooksweredonebyvolunteer,fourdaysamonth•

600 boxes per month

MovedtowarehouseloanedtousbytheCityfortwodaysamonth•Customersaskedforasmallerbox,sothe$12smallGoodFoodBoxwascre-•atedPurchasedknivesanddigitalandhangingscales•Continuedbuildingaregularvolunteerworkforce,mixofincomesandlife-•stylesProducepurchased at theOntarioFood terminal andoccasionallydirectly•fromafarmerWoodenloadingdock,unevenfloors,greatfunkyatmosphere•Boxesmoveddownoldwoodentablesastheywerepacked•Beginningofcompostingfruitandvegetablewaste,separationofcardboard•fromotherrecyclablesCustomersaskedforre-usableboxes•Improvementofnewsletter•Moreforethoughtaboutlunchespreparedbystaffperson•Two trucks needed, a refrigerated 16-foot cube van – donated, and one•rentedDriverswerepaidcompensation•Purchasedpumptrucks,dolliesandaportablecomputer•

1,000 boxes per month

Moved topermanentwarehouseat200EasternAve.providedby theCity,•withthreephonelinesStaffpurchasedproduce,pickeditupanddeliveredittothewarehouse•Setuparollersystemtomakeboxpackingeasier•


Hadapackagingstationandcupboardfullofbagsandelastics•Installedrefrigerationforproduce•Formalizedrecyclingofallwaste•FinancialbooksdonebyFoodSharestaff•Set up a database usingMicrosoft Access program tomanage coordinator•dataSmallextendedcargovanpurchasedwithagrantfromtheCity•RegularvolunteerlunchesmadebythenewFieldtoTableCateringprogram•atFoodShare


Customersaskedusfordeliveriestwiceamonthbecauseofwelfarecuts•Tested several boxes: Caribbean, Basic and Mom-to-be (all later discon-•tinued)Full-timebookkeeperhiredforFoodShare,accountscreatedforeachdrop-off•siteNewtrainingprogramtookoverpreparationofvolunteerlunches•Twodriversonstaff,casualdriversandhelperspaid•SwitchedtoprofessionalbuyerattheOntarioFoodTerminal,producedeliv-•eredatnoextrachargeMoreproducepurchaseddirectlyfromlocalfarmsanddeliveredinbins•Unwrittenpoliciesdiscussedbystaffandwereformallyrecorded•Startedworkingonvolunteerdrop-offcoordinators’manual•Coordinators’meetingshelpedtoprovideinputforthemanual•


Steadygroupofvolunteerscameinonaregularbasis;notablechangeinvol-•unteermix,morelow-incomeindividualsparticipating,thatneededtheGoodFoodBoxgiventothemattheendofthedayPackingdoneeachweek•4fulltimedrivershired•EstablishedFreshProduceprogram,bulkproducedeliveredtoschoolsforstu-•dentnutritionprogramsGoodFoodMarketprogramstarted•Set up arrangement with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s•(CAMH)VocationalRehabilitationAssociationforweeklywashingofboxesExperimentedwithWellnessBox(stillbeingdistributed)andDryGoodsBox•(discontinued)


Wemovedintoalargerspace(anunder-utilizedhighschool,operatedbythe•TorontoDistrictSchoolBoard)Wepurchasedaforklift•CreatedadatabaseprogramfororderingusingMicrosoftAccess (improved•orderingaccuracyandourabilitytorecordthehistoryofproducesourcing)Increaseddirectfarmrelationshipsandproducesourcing•

Packing location

Havingaccesstoawarehousespacewheretheboxescanbepackedisnecessary.Thiscanbeintheformofachurchbasement,communitycentreroomoranypublicspacethatcanbedonatedforthispurpose.Astheprogramexpandstheamountofspaceandresourcesrequiredwillalsogrow.Currently,FoodShareoccupiesa7,000squarefeetwarehousewitha1,000squarefeetwalk-incoolerandtwoloadingbays,andusesaforklift.

Trucks and deliveries

Developinganeffectivedeliverysystemisimportanttomaximizeresources.Food-Share’sdrop-offlocationsareorganizedbasedonthreethings:thedaythecoordin-atorsreceivedeliveries,geographicalareasanddesiredtimesofdelivery(inourcasewetrytoonlyoffermorningorafternoondeliveriesalthoughtherearespecialcases).Adriverwhohasagoodknowledgeofyourcitywouldbeanidealcandidatetohelporganizetheroutes.

Re-usable boxes

ThesignaturegreenboxesthatFoodSharepacksitsproduceintohelptoreducewaste,maketheprogramlookmoreprofessionalandhelptoensurethatthereareboxesreadytouseeachpackingday(previously,itwaschallengingtofindenoughcardboardboxestopackwith).

Thedrawbackstousingtheboxesarethatcoordinatorsmustreturnthemtothedrivereachweekandthattheymustbewashedpriortoeveryuse.Becauseofthevolumeofboxeswecurrentlydistribute,aneffective inventorysystemneedstobeestablishedtohelpustrackdownmissingboxesandencouragethereturnoftheseboxes.Coupledwithdamageovertime,replacementboxesmustbepurchasedeveryfewyears.

Staff

StaffingcostsarethesinglegreatestexpenseofourGoodFoodBoxprogram;yet,theyareabsolutelyvitalforthisprogramtosucceed.WiththesizeoftheToronto


GoodFoodBoxprogram,itwouldbedifficulttofindvolunteerswithenoughtimeand incentive to do the work of distributing just under 4,000 boxes permonth.Anotherreasonisthatpaidstaffprovidegreatercontinuity.Fromthecustomer’spointofview,consistencyisimportantandgivesthemconfidenceintheprogram.Whenqualityofserviceisanimportantfocus,italsohelpstohavestaffaccountability.

Systems and software

AstheGoodFoodBoxincreasedinoperationsize, itbecameclearthatcustomsoftwarewasneeded tokeep trackof thedistributionandpayment system.BarryMacMaster, aGoodFoodBox drop-off coordinator,who is also a freelance pro-grammer,designedprogram-specificsoftwareforus.AfterconsultingwiththeGoodFoodBoxstaff,BarryproducedastandalonedatabaseapplicationbasedonMicrosoftAccess.

ThedatabasesolvedanumberofproblemsthattheGoodFoodBoxprogramhadbeenexperiencing.Asthenumberofcustomersgrew,itwasnolongerpossibletorec-ordordersandtabulatebillsonpaper,andstaffwerespendinganinordinateamountoftimetryingtokeeptrackofalltherecords.Furthermore,thesystemwasbecominglessintuitiveandreliedoncertainstaffmembers’memoryandspecialknowledgeoftheprocess.Thedatabasesupportedasystemthatcouldeasilybetaughttonewstaffandallowedthedatamanagementworkloadtobeshared.

Ultimately,thedatabaseprovidesthefollowingfunctions:

Itkeepstrackoftheaddressesandcontactinformationofvolunteerdrop-off•coordinators.Itallowseachordertobeentereddigitallyandcalculatesbillsforvolunteer•drop-off coordinators.Eachdrop-offhas an account andpayments canbeenteredastheyaresentin.Itgeneratespotentialroutesfordriversbygroupingtogethernearbydrop-off•locations.Itallowsdatatobeaccessedfromanumberofdifferentcomputerterminalsat•FoodShare,becauseitisrunontheorganization’sservernetwork.

Astheprogramevolves,Barrycontinuestoadaptthedatabasetoourneeds.WhileitmaynotbenecessaryforsmallGoodFoodBoxprogramstodevelopcustomsoft-ware,itislikelythatsomeformofadatabasebesetupforrecordkeeping.


Financial PlanAcombinationofsubsidyandrevenuearelikelytobenecessarytocoverallcosts

ofrunningaGoodFoodBoxprogram.Otherthanthehighcostofsalaries,non-traditionalcostsalsorequiresignificantstafftimeandresources.Someofthesenon-traditionalcostsarelistedbelow.

Volunteersupportanddevelopment:providinglunches,supportinggroupsas•theyformneighborhooddrop-offlocations,facilitatingvolunteertrainingandorganizingvolunteerappreciationactivitiesandevents.Disseminationofinformationtothecommunityandcustomers:writingand•distributingnewsletters,holdingeducationandtrainingworkshops.Environmentallysoundandsociallyjustpractices:reducingpackaging,com-•posting,buyinglocally,respectingboycottswhileensuringthatyouarenotburdeninglow-incomepeoplewithanuntenableleveloffinancialresponsibil-ityfortheseconcerns.Dissemination of information to other organizations: helping researchers,•addressing groups,writing educationalmaterial and sharing success storieswithothercommunities.Politicalaction:lobbyingpolicy-makers,supportingororganizingeventsthat•involveandeducatethepublicaroundhunger,poverty,theenvironmentandcollectiveaction.

Thesetypesofactivitiesareusuallynotreflectedinabusinessplan,buttheyarevitalforanoperationliketheGoodFoodBox.Collectivebulkbuyingpower,effi-ciencyandasmallmarginhavetakenuspartofthewaytofinancialsustainability,butforaprogramaimingtoreachlargenumbersoflow-incomepeople,fundraising,volunteersandagencypartnershipsarekeytocontinuedsurvival.

FoodShare’sGoodFoodBoxprogramhasdevelopedovertimesothatcustomerspayforthefoodthatgoesintothebox,theboxitselfandthedelivery.Theoverheadcostsarecoveredbyexternalfundingfromprivatedonations,grants,volunteersup-portandin-kinddonationsofstaffandmaterials.Diversifyingourfundingsourceshasmadetheprogramlessvulnerabletocutsorreductionsfromanyonesource.

Customersseemtoacceptthecommunity-businessdynamic.Theyfeelthattheycandemandacertainlevelofservice,whilestillunderstandingthatthereareotherelementstotheprogramthatmakeitunlikeaconventionalretailbusiness.Thecon-tentsoftheboxarethesameforeveryone.Thishelpscreateefficiencybyminimizingwasteandcreatinganeconomyofscale.Anordinarybusinessmightavoidlimitingconsumerchoiceoraskingconsumerstopayforaboxofunknowncontents.


Inoursituation,themarginthatalow-incomecustomercanaffordtopaycannotcoverallthecostsinvolvedinoperatingtheGoodFoodBox.

Funding and fundraising

Ifyouplantocoverwages,youhavetothinkaboutgettingnotjustfunding,butfundingthatisstableandongoing.TheGoodFoodBoxreceivesfundingfromFood-Share’sdirectmail campaigns (i.e. from individualdonors).Thiscanbeexpensiveinitiallybutmaybeafundraisingmethodworthexploring.You’llhavetotakeintoaccountthatdirectmailiscomplexandittakestimetogathermomentum.Food-SharesupportstheGoodFoodBoxprogramwithresourcessuchasanaccountantand lawyer, theorganization’s credit rating,money forcapitalpurposesandmanyothers.

FoodSharehasfoundthattheGoodFoodBoxisaprogramthatdonorsrespondtowell. Individualdonors,governmentandfoundationsrespondtothe innovativewaythattheGoodFoodBoxhelpsstrugglingfamiliesgetby,strengthenscommun-itiesandhelpspeopleaccesshealthyfood.Donorsarehappytoseemoneyusedforaveryconcrete,positiveandproactivesolutiontohunger.Thishasallowedustoraisemoneyspecificallyfortheprogram.

Evenstill,somedonorsmaybereluctanttosupportaprogramthatisnotexclusivelyforlow-incomegroups.Butourexperiencetellsusthatmanylow-incomecommun-itiesarediscouragedfromparticipatinginprogramsthatarestigmatizing;onewaytoensurethattheprogramisinclusiveistomakeituniversallyaccessible.Thismeansanyonecanparticipate,regardlessoftheirincomelevel.Thereareverystrongreasonsformaintainingtheprogram’suniversality.Thoughstudiesshowthathigherincomegroupstendtoeatmorehealthily,theystillfallwellshortoftherecommendedseventotenservingsoffruitandvegetablesperday.Also,mixedneighborhooddrop-offsitescanencouragebondsofcommunityacrossvariousincomelevels.

Governments, foundations and in-kind funding

Ouradviceistoseekfundingatalllevelsofgovernment,startingwiththelocalgovernment,movinguptotheprovinceandifpossible,thefederalgovernment.Tryforin-kindsupportfromthemwheneveryoucan.Thefoodindustryisalsoanaturalalliance,buttheirsupportwillmostlikelytaketheformoflettingyoubuywholesalefromthem,allowingyoutousetheirspaceforpackingorlettingyoureturnexcessproduce.Itisalsousefultobuildpartnershipswithlocalbusinesses,foundationsandindividualdonors.Aslongasyoudon’thavetocompromiseyourprogram,lookfur-therthanjustyourtraditionalpoliticalallies.


Whenmakingdecisions about allocating time and effort to fundraising,Food-Sharestaffkeepinmindthatitcanbealotoftroubletoraiseasmallamountofmoney(e.g.bakesales,specialeventssuchasconcertsordances,ortrackingdownsmallin-kinddonationsofequipment).Itisoftenmoreworthwhiletoputthetimeintoplanning strategically for largedonations, creating innovativepartnershipsorfindingvolunteerswhohavethetalenttohelp.

Private sector food retail funders

ManyoftheGoodFoodBoxprogramsoutsideofTorontohaveapproachedprivatesectorfoodretailersforsupport(e.g.wholesaleordering,space,etc.).Youmaywon-der,ortheymayask,whytheyshouldgiveyousupportwhenyouareonlygoingtoenterintocompetitionwiththem.Somewillsupporttheprojectoutofcommunity-mindednessandotherswillneedpersuasion.

Traditionally,retailershavehadlittleinterestinlow-incomeconsumers;consumerfocusgroupsexcludethosewhomakeunder$25,000peryear.Ademographicstudyofourcustomersin1995revealedthatalmostone-thirdofGoodFoodBoxcustom-ershaveahouseholdincomeofunder$15,000annually,andjustaroundhalfearnlessthan$20,000.

What you can tell them about the Good Food Box

Ittargetscustomerswithlow-incomes.•Itwillgenerallynotdetractfromsalestohigherincomegroupsbecausewhen•peoplehavemoneytheyexpectanddemandchoice.TheGoodFoodBoxhelpspeoplestretchtheirfoodbudget,butitisnottheir•onlysourceoffood.Itcapturesdollars,whichwerepreviouslynotbeingspentonfreshproduce.•TheGoodFoodBoxintroducesmanypeopletoanimproveddiet.•TheGoodFoodBoximprovespersonalnutritionandwillreducehealthcare•costsinthelongrun.

Proving the benefits to funders

Whenapplying for funding, there is aneed tooutline thepotential benefitsoftheprogram.ResearchcarriedoutbySmallerWorldCommunicationshasprovidedsomeevidencethatmaybeusefultonewGoodFoodBoxprojectsstartingup.TheresearchshowsthatGoodFoodBoxcustomersactuallydoincreasetheirintakeoffreshfruitandvegetables.Therefore,communitiesnotonlybenefitfromincreasedfoodaccess,butalsobenefitfromareductionindiseaseandlong-termhealthcosts,giventheevidenceofthehealthbenefitsfromincreasedfruitandvegetableconsump-tion.


Otherpotentialbenefitsoftheprograminclude:communitydevelopment,reducingsocial isolation,encouragingthe formationofmutual supportnetworks,providingpeaceofmindtocustomersconcernedaboutthesourceoftheirfood,andfoodandnutritionskilldevelopmentthroughnewslettersandseminars.GoodFoodBoxdrop-offsitescanalsobecomethebasisforotherfoodaccessprojectssuchascommunitykitchensorgardens.

Show them what the Good Food Box program can do!

Whenpresentingtofunders–currentorprospective–showthemabox.Ifpossible,evenbringonewithyoutoameeting.Beabittheatrical.Invitethemtoapackingdayandintroducethemtovolunteers.Whenfundersvisitoranytimeyouhaveapublicevent,servefoodthatreflectsyourphilosophyofhealthy,delicious,inexpensivehomecooking.Socializingwithpeopleoverfoodisapowerfulwaytobreakdownbarriersandmakepeoplefeelgood.Don’tbeafraidtospeakfromtheheartaboutwhatfoodmeanstoyouandwhattheprogrammeanstocustomers.

45

3Howyoumanageproducewillhaveahugeimpactonbothyourcustomers’satis-

factionandonyourproduceexpenses.Findingproducesourcesthatofferreliability,quality and thevarietyofproduceyoudemandwill alsobekey in enablingyourprogramtomeetitsobjectives.Whatyoupurchaseandwhoyoupurchaseitfromwilldevelopovertime.

Produce SourcingFoodShareusesavarietyofsourcesforfreshfruitsandvegetables:directlyfrom

farmers,cooperativesandwholesaledistributors.

WhenFoodShare’sGoodFoodBoxprogrambegan,thevisionwastosourcehighquality,unmarketableproducedirectlyfromfarmers.This,intheory,wouldhelptoincreasetheincomeoffarmersandmakeproducemoreaffordableforGoodFoodBoxrecipients.Therealitywasthatforavarietyofreasons,thiswaseasiersaidthandone.Firstly,mostfarmersareintegratedintolargeprocurementarrangementsmak-ingiteasiertoselltheirwholecroptoonesourcethanitisforthemtodobusinesswithanumberofsmalloperations.

Aswell,becausethenumberofGoodFoodBoxeswewerepackingin1994wasstillrelativelysmall,farmersfoundthatthetransportationcostnegatedanyprofitsthattheywouldearnbysellingtous.Transportationisahugeconsiderationinprod-uctsourcingandisoftenthelimitingfactortopurchasingdirectlyfromfarmers.Forasingledestinationtrip,mostfarmersneedtosellatleast$1,000worthofproducetomake their tripworthwhile.Farmerswhodeliver to anumberof customers inthesamegeneralareacanaffordtoprocesssmallerorders.Belowisalistofdifferentsourcingoptionsandtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofeach.

Direct from farmers: Advantages: • Fresh,local,nomiddledistributorallowingfarmerstoearnmoreperunitsold,lesspackaging.

Disadvantage: • Limitedvariety,mustorderenoughtomakeitprofitableforfarmertodeliver,non-localitemsunavailable,inefficientmodeoftransporta-tionviasmalltruck,car,etc.

Farmer links:• LocalFoodPlus(Ontario):www.localflavourplus.ca FoodLink(BritishColumbia):www.foodlinknanaimo.com FoodLink(Ontario):www.foodlink-waterlooregion.ca FoodLink(Ontario):www.kingstongreens.ca

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Wholesale produce distributors:Advantages: • Greatvariety,importedculturalfoods,lowprices,onestopshop-ping,competitivepricing.Disadvantages: • Localproductnotalwaysavailable,buyingproducecanbechallenging without a buyer who knows the distributors, large amounts ofpackaging.Wholesale Links: • OntarioFoodTerminal:www.oftb.com

Cooperative distributors:Advantages• :Fresh,local,oftenoffergreatervarietyofproducts,allowsfarmerstopoolresources(transportation,storage,etc.),decreasescompetitionamongstcoopmembers.Disadvantages: • Importeditemsnotavailable.Cooperative links: • CoopOntario:www.coopsontario.com

Produce auctions:Advantages: • Fresh,local,possibilityoflowprices,meetthefarmerswhogrowyourfood.Disadvantages: • Youmustfindtransportationfortheproduceyourself,pos-sibilityofhighpricesorunavailabilityofwhatyouneed.Auction links: • ElmiraProduceAuction(Ontario):

www.foodlink-waterlooregion.ca.

Buying PracticesOnceyouhavefoundsourcesforyourproduce,itisimportanttocreateabuying

strategytohelpyoumakeyourpurchasingdecisions.Forexample,ifalocalfarmerissellingspinachfordoublewhatyoucanpayforCaliforniaspinachfromawhole-salesource,whichdoyouchoose?BelowaretheorderingprioritiesthatFoodShareattemptstosatisfy.Ifwehadourwish,wewouldsatisfyalloftheseorderingpriorities.Ingeneral,webelievethatincreasinghealthyfoodaccess,bydistributinghighquality,affordableproduce,isourprimarygoal.Ourothergoalsincludesupportingalocalandsustainablefoodsystem,decreasingtransportation,choosingfairtradeproducts(whenwepurchaseimportedproduce)andreducingwaste.

Priorities (inorderofimportanceforourdesiredprogramgoals)

Quality•a)Acceptablesize,nodeteriorationofproduct(mold,softspots,rotting).b)Usedwithinappropriateshelf life(seeappendixforstorageguidelinesforpro-

duce).

47GuIde TO PROduCe sOuRCInG & ManaGeMenT

Value•a)Pricespaidforconventionalandorganicproducearelowerthancurrent

retailprices.b)Producepurchaseddirectlyfromfarmersshouldnotbemorethan10-15%

moreexpensivethanthepriceofferedbyawholesaler.c)Organicproduceshouldonlybeputintoconventionalboxesiftheorganic

produceisnotmorethan10-15%moreexpensivethanthepriceofferedbyaconventionalwholesalerorconventionalfarmer(whicheverislower).

Appropriateness•a) Fruits and vegetables are known and used by themajority of cultural

groups.b) Any unfamiliar fruits and vegetables are accompanied by recipes and

information.

Local and Seasonal•a)Supportlocalsupplyanddistributionnetworks–purchaseasmuchaspos-

sibleasclosetohomeaspossible–Ontariofirst,thenCanada.b)Featurein-seasonproduce.

Sustainable Growing Practices•a)Certifiedorganic(alwaysfororganicboxes).b)SupportLocalFoodPluscertifiedproducers(Ontario).c)Discouragegeneticallymodifiedseeds.d)Encourageheritagevarieties.

Packaging•a)Purchaseinbinsandbulktoreducepackaging,usepaperbagsoverplastic

whensuitable.b)Nowaxedproduce.

Fair trade•a)Purchasefairtradeproductsifavailable.Visitwww.transfair.caformoreinformationonFairtradeproducts

Forexample,ifwehadtomakeadecisionwhethertoputlocalbroccoliat$14.75percase,importedbroccoliat$15.75acase,orlocalorganicbroccoliat$25acaseinourlargeGoodFoodBox,wecoulduseourprioritylisttohelpusdecide.Wealsoknowfromexperiencethatthelocalfarmerwhoissellingbroccoliat$14.75oftensendsusspoiledproduce.Followingthepriorities,andassumingwehadnootheralternatives,wewouldchoosequalityoverlocallyproduced, and value over sustainable growing practices. In this particularscenario,localfarmerswouldnotbenefitdirectly.Maintainingaprogramthatofferscustomersvalueandqualitywillallowustothriveandgrow,andreach

Did you know:

About 11 percent of •the world’s surface is covered by arable land.

Canadians use 2.5 •times the amount of agricultural land per person than the world average, yet many Canadians go hungry.

The FAO believes •that, even in face of urbanization, there are sufficient under-utilized lands to meet our food production requirements.

Food and Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations, 1997


allofourgoals.Ifthefoodboxhadpoorqualityfoodorwastooexpensivethepro-grammightfailwhichdoesn’thelpanybody.

Box Contents and Produce MixStriveforamixtureofheavystaples,leafygreensandavarietyoffruits.Theweight

oftheboxcanbeanimportantindicatorofvaluetopeople,butatthesametimeyouneedavarietyoftastes,texturesandcolourstomaketheboxinterestingandnutri-tious.Reachingabalancebetweencultural,local,andpricepreferencesisdifficult.Agoodgeneralprincipleistorememberthatthefoodcannotappeartoofrivolousorchallenging,forexample,despitetheirnutritionalvalue,radishesandparsleyareperceivedbymanyasgarnishes,notfoodthatfillsyou.Sometimesyoumayfindthatlow-incomecustomersmaybeconcernedthatyouarewastingmoneyifyouincludeanitemthattheyordinarilyconsidertooexpensivetopurchase.Wediscoveredthisfrom themany telephone calls we received whenwe included beautiful boxes ofstrawberriesinaJanuaryGoodFoodBox.Asithappened,wehadgottenthemforagoodprice,butweneglectedtomentionthisinthenewsletter.Soifthere’saspecialreasonthatyou’reputtinginaparticularitem–becauseit’sinseasonor“onsale”–itisworthexplainingthistocustomers.

Wetrytoputinonespecialitemeachtimethatiseithernormallyaluxury(e.g.amangoorstrawberries)orisslightlychallenging(e.g.sproutsorrapini).Mostcustom-erslovethiselementofsurpriseeverytime;it’slikefindingalittlegiftintheirbox.Oneofthefrequentreservationswehearbeforepeopledecidetobuytheboxis“willitincludeonlylow-valueitemslikecarrots,onions,andpotatoes?”Toreassurepeopleaboutthevarietyandvalueofitscontents,ithelpstomakesamplelistsavailableaspartofthepromotionalmaterial(alwaysmakingclearthatthisisjustasample,andthatthecontentsvaryeverytime).Includinganitemthatmaybeconsidered“exotic”byanumberofyourcustomersalsorequiresthatyoueducateyourcustomersaboutthenutritionalvalueandpossibleusesinthenewsletter.Morethanonechallengingitemperboxisprobablytoomuch,sincetheymaydecidethattheydon’tlikeafoodorcan’tprepareit.

Taking ethnic diversity into account

Youneedtoknowtheethnicgroupstowhichyourcustomersandpotentialcus-tomersbelong,andlearnsomethingaboutthesegroups’eatingpatterns.Asidefromthefruitsandvegetablesthatarespecificallylinkedtooneculturalgroup,eachgroupmaypreferaparticularvarietyofafruitorhavedifferentcriteriaforquality.

Wehavediscoveredthatproducingethno-specificboxes isvery labour intensiveandtheyaredifficulttopromotewithoutstrongtiestothecommunityinquestion.


Inthisarea,ourexperiencewiththeCaribbeanFoodBoxcomparedtotheAfri-CanFoodBasket is illustrative.TheCaribbeanBoxwas introducedbyFoodShareasavariationoftheGoodFoodBoxfor$20,butneversoldverywell,despitethehighquality of produce.TheAfri-Can Food Basket organizers approached FoodShareaboutstartingtheirownboxasacommunitydevelopmentprojectfortheAfricanandCaribbean communities.They started a small office in the FoodShareware-house,taggedontothebuyingstructure,butdidalltheirownpackingandpromo-tion.Becauseoftheorganizers’tiesandconnectiontotheircommunity,theywereabletointegratetheAfri-CanFoodBasketmoresuccessfullyintotheircommunity.Ultimately,however,theAfri-CanFoodBasketorganizationbegantoshiftitsener-giesawayfromfoodboxesandtowardcommunitygardeningandsothatboxisnolongeravailableinToronto.

The importance of quality

Notonlymusttherebetheappearanceofqualityinthebox,accordingtovari-ablenotionsofvaluebutalsoactualquality.Buyingthehighestqualityproduceisnotmuchmoreexpensivethanbuyinginferiorqualitysecondsordiscards,thoughthegapincustomerappreciationbetweenthetwoishuge.Obviously,foodthatisspoiled,spoiling,orabouttospoilisalosstothecustomer.

Contrarytopopularopinion,produceisnotveryexpensive,especiallyinCanada,oneofthecountrieswherepeoplespendthe lowestpercentageoftheir incomeonfoodpurchases.ThestapleOntariocrops,likecarrots,onions,potatoes,apples,etc.,areavailablealmostallyearround,andtheircostisfairlystable(i.e.atwo-poundbagofcarrotscostsapproximately$0.66atanytimeoftheyear).Bigfluctuationsincostoccurwithimporteditems,dependingonothercountries’growingconditionsandlocalseasons,soitpaystolearnaboutagriculturalconditionsandseasonalvariationsinothercountriesinordertoknowroughlywhatyoushouldbepayingforitemsatvarioustimes.

Havingsomeoneinvolvedinyourprogram–abuyer,staffperson,wholesalerorexperiencedvolunteer–whoknowsabouttheagriculturalsystem,foodpricesandfoodstorageandhandling,isvitaltoensuringthatyouputoutaqualityproduct.

Whenwedoreceivecomplaintsaboutdamagedorspoileditems,ourpracticeistoofferacreditthatcanbeusedtowardsthecustomer’snextbox.Fromourpointofview,thisismorefeasiblethandrivingaroundthecityreplacingitems.However,wedohavetorememberthatalow-incomepersonmayneedthatfoodrightawayandwetrytorespondaccordingly.


In every Good Food Box we try to meet the following criteria:

a)Staplefoods(e.g.potatoes,carrots,onions,apples)b)Somethingnewordifferenttopushthefoodexperiencec)Luxuryitems(thatpeoplewouldnotbuythemselves)d)Saladitemse)Combinationofvegetablesthatworkwelltogetherinmanyrecipesf)Aselectionoffruits(threevarieties)g)Packedinclean,re-usableboxesandlidsh)Beautifulappearancei)Newsletterswithrecipesfeaturingalocalvegetableorfruitj)Contentsheetwithlocalproducemarkedwithanasterisk,alsonotingdifferentvarieties

Below is a chart that shows the types of produce most desired by customers of the FoodShare Toronto Good Food Box.

A Good Food Box Top Ten

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apples

bananas

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ordering Spreadsheets and TechniqueFoodShare’sGoodFoodBoxteamusesseveralMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetstocal-

culatethenumberofcasesofproducethatneedtobeorderedforpackingday.

Youwillfindacopyofoneofourspreadsheetsintheappendixforreference.

Presentation of BoxesBoxcontentsshouldbepresentedwiththecustomersinmind.Creatingaboxthatis

aestheticallyappealingandreducesspoilageorproductdamageisourgoal.Creatinganattractiveboxstartsattheorderingstage.Amixthatisverycolourfulwillnatur-allylookmoreexcitingandisoftenperceivedtohavevalueandbefresh.Puttinglabelsfacingupwardalsogivestheimpressionthattheboxwaspackedwithcare.Ifyouareusingcardboardboxestoholdtheproduce,payspecialattentiontothecleanlinessoftheboxes,thelabelsontheboxesthemselves,andtheircapacitytocarryweight.Weuseathreelayerapproachtoputtingfruitsandvegetablesinthebox.

Layer one:Rootvegetables,cabbage,squash,melons,celery,applesandpears.Placebagsflaton

thebottomwiththelabelpointingupwards.

Layer two:Tomatoes,cucumber,zucchini,peppers,mushrooms,broccoli,beans,bananas,and

grapes.Placeanysmalleritemsinabagtopreventthemfromrollingtothebottomandgettingdamagedwhentheyaremovedaroundondelivery.

Layer three:Lettuce,spinach,berries,andanyothergreens.Thelidoftheboxshouldbeputon

immediatelyafterthelastitemsareinserted.Thiswillreducethegreenleaves’exposuretoair,whichwilldrythemoutandcausethemtowilt.Agoodfittinglidwillhelppre-servetheseitems.Berriessuchasstrawberriesmustbecoveredsotheydonotrolloutoftheirboxandgetdamaged.


Sample box contentsAugust28th–August31st,2007*Ontarioproduce

LARGE Good Food Box Contents6Corn*1BunchCarrots*4lbs.Potatoes*1BagBartlettPears*1BagApples*1Cantaloupe1PintMushrooms*1lb.PlumTomatoes*1EnglishCucumber*2lbs.Onion*1BunchBroccoli*1RomaineLettuce*1BunchBananas

LARGE Organic Box Contents6Corn*1BunchKale*1BunchLeek*1SpringMix*3HotHouseTomatoes1SugarMelon*3lbs.Apples*5Peaches2½lbs.WhitePotatoes*

WELLNESS BOX Contents2Corn*1BagBroccoli*4Bananas1BagCelery*1BagSpringMix4Peaches*1RedOnion*4Potatoes*1PintCherryTomatoes1BagCarrots*


1PintMushrooms*½Cantaloupe4Oranges

SMALL Good Food Box Contents4Corn*1BunchCarrots*½BasketPeaches*½BasketTomatoes*1EnglishCucumber*2lbs.Onion*1BunchBroccoli*1RomaineLettuce*1BunchBananas

SMALL Organic Box Contents4Corn*1BunchKale*1BunchLeek*1SpringMix*2HotHouseTomatoes1SugarMelon*1½lbs.Apples*3Peaches

FRUIT Box Contents1BagApples*1BunchBanana1BagPears*1Cantaloupe1BasketPeaches*

Produce Management BasicsThereisasciencetoproperlystoringandkeepingproducefreshforthemaximum

amountoftime.Mostoftheproduceyouwillpurchasewillbestoredforonlyseveraldaysandthereforewillnotneedthekindofattentionandenvironmentalcontrolthatmanyproducedistributorsmustuse. It is still important tounderstand thebasicsbehindproperstorageofproducesoyoucanmaximizefreshnessbystoringproduce


inasclosetoidealconditionsaspossible.Herearesomeguidelinestohelpensureyouaredeliveringhighqualityproduce.

1. Deliveriesofproducetothewarehouseshouldbeascloseaspossibletothepack-ingdateoftheGoodFoodBoxes.Ourproduceisdeliveredonedaypriortopack-ing.

2. Checkthequalityofproducebeforeyoupurchasetheproduct(e.g.atanauc-tionorFoodTerminal)orcheckthequalityofproducebeforeyousignforthedelivery.Alsomakesurethatyourvolunteersorstaffwhoarepackingtheboxcheckthequalitybeforeputtingtheitemsintothebox.Oftentheplacewheretheproduceiscutfromthegrowingplantwillgiveyouagoodideaofitsfreshness.

3. Putallitemsintotherefrigeratorimmediately,exceptforpotatoes,onions,garlic,andbananas.Putpotatoes,garlicandonionsinacooldarkanddryspace(keeponionsandgarlicseparatefrompotatoes).Ifyoudonothaveacool,darkanddryspace,putthepotatoes,onionsandgarlicintotherefrigerator.Bananaswilldiscolor intherefrigerator if storedformorethana fewdays.Bewarnedthatbananas ripen very quicklywhen they arewarm and close together. Separateboxesofbananastopreventthemfromripeningtooquickly.Seetheguidelinesintheappendixformoredetailsonproperproducestorage.

4. Usethelistofproduceshelflifeintheappendixasaguideofwhenitisappropri-atetouseolderproducefromanearlierpackingday.

5. Keepallgreenscoveredatalltimes,especiallyoutsideoftherefrigerator.Theairwillpullthemoisturefromtheleavescausingthemtowiltandlookterrible.

6. Ifyourunshortofacertainproduceitemforyourboxes,substitutewithleftoveritemsthatwillnotlastuntilthenextpackingday.

7. Findausefortheleftoverproducethatwillnotlastuntilthenextpackingday.Sell,donateoroffertheseitemstoyourvolunteersortoalocalfoodbank.

8. Composttheitemsthatarespoiledandreturnthesenutrientsbackintothefoodsystemviacommunitygardensandfarmer’sfields.

organic Good Food BoxesOrganicproductionisasystemthatintegrates“cultural,biological,andmechan-

icalpracticesthatfostercyclingofresources,promoteecologicalbalance,andcon-servebiodiversity.”(Source:USDA,NationalOrganicProgram.)


ThemajorityofGoodFoodBoxes soldeachmonthcontainconventionalproducethatwepurchasedirectlyfromfarmsandtheOntarioFoodTerminal.However,wealsodistributetheorganicGoodFoodBoxinsmall($22)andlarge ($32) sizes. In an averagemonthwe sell 3,000 to 4,000Good FoodBoxes,about750oftheseareorganicor20percentofthetotal.TheprimarygoaloftheGoodFoodBoxistoensureaccesstogood,healthyproducewithafocusoncreatingaboxthatlow-incomecommunitiescanafford.

Ourexperienceisthatsomeofourconsumersfindorganicattractivebecausetheywant toknowwhereandhowtheir food isproduced,andbelieve thatorganicfoodishealthierforthemselvesandtheenvironment.Weagreethatwiththeintensityoftheenvironmentalcrisesfacingtheplanet,reducingpesti-cide use, decreasing fertile soil loss, decreasing transportation of food anddecreasingpackagingareallimportantgoals.

FoodSharesupportsthedistributionoforganicfoodbecausewebelievethattherearelong-termhealthproblemsassociatedwiththeoveruseofpesticidesandherbicides.Theproblemwithorganicfoodisthatit isstillprohibitivelyexpensiveforthemarginweneedtoworkinfortheGoodFoodBox.

Inthepastdecade,therehasbeentremendousgrowthininterestinorganicfood,andcorrespondinggrowthintheorganicfoodindustry.While“organic”wasrecentlyconsideredafringeinterest,itisnowahouseholdterm.However,organicproductsremainmoreexpensiveandarejustaslikelytobeimportedasconventionalproduce.

Thereasonthatorganicisgenerallymoreexpensiveisbecauseofthemorelabor-intensive nature of chemical-freemethods of production and the stillcomparativelysmallscaleoftheorganicmarket.Thismeansthathigherpricesaretheonlywaytomakeorganicagricultureviable.Manypeoplebelievethatasthemarketgrowsandtheorganicfoodsystembecomesmoreefficient,priceswilldecreaseandbecomemoreaccessibletolow-incomepeople.

In short,wehave learned tobepractical.Weknow thatwecan’t changetheagriculturalanddistributionsystem,supportlow-incomefarmersandlow-incomeconsumersallatthesametime.Fromwhatwehavelearnedfromourownexperience,wewouldsaythatsome,orall,ofthefollowingfactorsmayhelpgroupstoobtainorganicproduceinexpensivelyenoughtobeaccessibleforlow-incomeconsumers:

• Buildarelationshipwithanorganicfarmer(orfarmers)whobelievesintheconceptofalternativedistributionenough(andcanafford)tosupportyoubygivingyoulowerprices.

Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used.

Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term.

David Suzuki


• Makethecommitmenttoafarmertobuyapredeterminedamountoftheircropsinanupcomingseason,therebyloweringtheriskforthefarmerandincreasingtheirincentivetoofferyoualowerprice.

• Ageographicalsituationthatputsyouclosetoyoursources,and/oranabil-itytopickupproduce,therebyeliminatingcostlyanddifficultdeliveriestofar-offplaces.

• An order that is large enough to get you a price-break (assuming there isenoughsupplyavailable).

Wheneverorganicproducecanbepurchasedcheaplyenoughorwhenwehaveanexcessofacertainorganicitem,wewillputtheseitemsintotheconventionalbox.Thisway,customerswhocannotaffordtheorganicGoodFoodBoxcanatleastgetasampleofsomeofitsitems.

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VolunteersIfyoudecidetoincorporatevolunteersintoanyoftheessentialfunctionsofrun-

ningyourprogram,itisimportanttotakeyourtimeandtodosocarefully.Beforebuildingavolunteerteam,thinklongandhardabouttheinfrastructurethatisneces-sarytosupportthemandhoweachofthemcanhaverolesthatareeffectivelyalignedwiththeorganization’smission.

Volunteers are invaluable to growth and the sustainability of a program but itis important to recognize that creating andmaintaining a volunteerprogramcanbechallengingandrequiresenergy,timeandresources.Unpaidstaffareinherentlylessaccountablebecausegenerallyspeaking,volunteerswillcontributetheirleisuretime(i.e.theymayalsoworkanotherjoborgotoschool)andwillnothaveasmuchtrainingorexperienceasstaff.Volunteerswillrequiresupport,directionandman-agement.Arecruitmentprocessisalsonecessarytoensurethatweselectvolunteersthatwillprovidecommittedsupporttotheprogramandthatwillgainmeaningfulexperiencesfromworkingtogether.

StaffThough FoodShare’s Good Food Box program relies heavily on the work and

enthusiasmofvolunteers,fromcoordinatorstopeoplewhopacktheboxes,itssuccessalsorestsontheconsistencyanddedicationofitspaidstaff.FoodSharehasmanagedtocreateseveralstablejobs,butjobcreationhasneverbeenourmaingoal.Tocre-ateevenonejobisverydifficult.Thoughprovidingemploymentwouldbeaworthyproject in itself, theprimarygoal is to increase foodaccess forasmanypeopleaspossible.

Flexibilityisakeyattributeofourstaff:everyonehastobewillingtodoevery-thing,fromgoingouttospeaktogroupswhoareinterestedintheGoodFoodBoxtopackingboxes, to changing their roles as theprogramevolves.FoodShare staffarealsoflexibleintheirhoursofwork,stayinglateasneededtopackboxesormakepresentations,thentakingtimeoffinlieutomakeupforthis.Stresslevelscanalsobeveryhighduetothepressuresofmeetingdeadlinesanddealingwithproductordeliveryproblems.

FoodShare’spreferenceistohirestafffromthecommunitiesthatweserve(espe-ciallythosewhohaveshowntremendousdedicationandleadershipyethavebarriers

HuMAn ReSouRCeS & VolunTeeR CooRdInATIon

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toemployment).Thesecommunitymembershavetheadvantageoffirsthandknow-ledgeoffoodinsecurityandoftencanbetteridentifytheneedsofthecommunitiesthatweserve.Ifyoudecidetohirecommunitymemberswithgrowthpotential,andyouhavetheenergyandresourcestotrainthem,youmaychoosetogothisroute.Thismayplacealotofpressureonthemoreexperiencedmembersofthestaff,butitbringswelcomediversityandsensitivitytotheprogram.Ultimately,it’syourchoice.

Good Food Box drop-off Coordinators CommunitymemberscoordinateGoodFoodBoxdrop-offlocationsandarerespon-

sibleforplacingtheordersonbehalfoftheparticipantsintheirgroup.Coordinatorsmustalsocollectpayments,payFoodShare,andcoordinatethedistributionofthefullboxestotheparticipantswhentheyarrive.Communitycoordinatorsplayakeyroleinpromotingtheboxandsellingtheideatotheirneighbors.Ideally,volunteerdrop-offcoordinatorsarewell connectedandrespected in theircommunity, showstrongsupportoftheGoodFoodBoxconcept,andcanofferreassuranceofthequal-ityandvalueofthepre-paidproduce.

Volunteerdrop-offcoordinatorshavethesatisfactionofmeetingtheirneighboursandbringinggood,healthyfoodtotheirneighbourhood.AfreeGoodFoodBoxisalsoofferedforeverytenboxesthataredeliveredtotheirdrop-offasatypeofhonor-arium.FromthepointofviewoftheFoodSharestaff,costefficiencyisbestservedwhenalargenumberofboxesaredeliveredtoeachlocation.Itsimplycoststoomuchtomakedeliveriesof lessthantenboxes.Tosomeextent, freeboxincentiveshelpkeepordernumbersup,butwehavealsofoundthatfromanindividualoragencypointofview,numbersofnotmuchmorethantenboxesseemtobeoptimal.Ifadrop-offpointgetstoolargeforonepersontocoordinateeasily,agoodsolutionistodivideupintosmallergroupsoftenandrecruitmoredrop-offcoordinators.

Initially,coordinatorsusuallyphoneintoinquireabouttheGoodFoodBoxandhowtheycanbeinvolved.Theyareaskedtorecruittheirownfriendsorneighbourstomakeaminimumorderoffiveboxes.Afterthat,theyhavetheoptionofmakingtheirdrop-offlocation“open”or“closed”toreferrals.Ifthelocationisopen,wewilldirectinterestedpotentialcustomersintheneighbourhoodtoit.If it isclosed,weleaveituptothecoordinatortorecruitmoremembers.

Oneissuetobeawareofisthathandlingmoneycanpresentparticularproblemstolow-incomepeople.Keepingalotofcashinthehousecanbeworrisome,andforpeopleonsocialassistance,depositingitinabankaccountcanappearasthoughtheyarereceivingextraincome.Moneyordersandchequescostmoney.Onesolutiontothistypeofproblemisforaneighbourhoodagencytotakethecashandthenissueitsowncheques.

59HuMan ResOuRCes & vOlunTeeR COORdInaTIOn

Drop-off coordinator volunteer guide

Asageneralprinciple,itisgoodtoimplementproceduresfordrop-offcoordinatorsfromtheverybeginning.Thatbeingsaid,coordinatorsdoneedtofeelthattheyhavetheabilitytoruntheirdrop-offsinawaythatisappropriatetotheirpersonalandcommunitycircumstances,toallowforsomeflexibility.Ourtendencyhasbeentobeoverlyflexible(allowingcoordinatorstopaybalanceslater,allowingcustomerstotakethereusableboxeshome,deliveringamissingtomato,etc.).Whilethisflexibilityhasitsvirtues,itcanalsothreatentheveryexistenceoftheprogrambyincreasingadmin-istrativecosts,orattheveryleast,bycreatinganuncomfortablelevelofchaos.Seetheappendixforanexampleoftheinformationpackagewegivetonewcoordinators.

Host sites

HostsitesfortheGoodFoodBoxdrop-offsvaryfromfrontporches,toco-ops,socialhousingbuildings,daycares,churches,parent-childresourcecentresandcom-munitycentres.Itishelpfulwhenalocalagencycanmakeacommitmenttosupportthe drop-off, especially by helping to find a substitute coordinator if the originaloneleaves.Althoughreliableorderingandmoneymanagementarefunctionsoftenbestservedbylocalagencystaff,thereisoftenreluctancefromagenciesbecauseofstaffingshortages.Agencycoordinationcanalsounderminethecommunitydevelop-mentangleoftheproject.Thebestcombinationiswhenacommunityvolunteerandagencystaffpersonworktogether.Generally,itisnotagoodideatodistributetheGoodFoodBoxthroughprogramsthatattractpeoplefromalongdistance–theboxisheavy(itweighsupto50pounds)andmostclientsusepublictransit.Connectingpeopletoadrop-offneartheirhomeisabetteridea.

HostsitesoftenworktheGoodFoodBoxintootherprogramming,oruseitasa take-off point for other food related programs.AgincourtCommunity ServicesAssociationinScarboroughisagoodexampleofboth.Theystartedbyoperatingafoodbank,thenaddedaGoodFoodBoxdrop-offsite,communitykitchen,skillsexchangeprogramandcommunitygarden.Participantsareofteninvolvedinmorethanoneprogram.

Wehaveseveralagencystopsthathaveafoodbank.Ithasalwaysbeenourgoaltomake sure that every foodbankoffers theGoodFoodBoxasoneoption.Butalthoughthiscanbefruitful,itcanalsobeproblematicduetonegativeassociationsoffoodbanksasbeingplacesforfoodemergenciesandhandoutsandnotplacesyougotoforfreshproduce.

ThereisalsotheproblemofthecostoftheGoodFoodBox.AlthoughtheGoodFoodBoxcanhelpalow-incomefamilystretchamodestbudgetandincreaseaccess


toaffordable,healthyfood,theGoodFoodBoxdoescostbetween$12and$32andcanbetooexpensiveforverylow-incomecommunities.

Several churches inToronto that alsooperate foodbankshavedevelopedaninnovativewaytosupportlow-incomeaccesstotheGoodFoodBox.Onechurchinparticularincreasedthesubsidyandcoveredanadditional$5ofeach$12smallGoodFoodBox,askingthatcustomersonlypay$7,thusmakingitmoreaffordable.

Packing day VolunteersFoodSharereliesheavilyonvolunteerstopackandcleantheboxes,maintain

thewarehouseandmostrecently,tohelpwritethenewsletter.Eachweek,atleast20volunteerscometothewarehousetohelpwithpacking.Oncepeoplecomeafewtimesandfindoutthatit’sfun,theycomeregularlyandthewordbeginstospread.Wenowhavealargepoolofmorethan20volunteersandthereforehavecreatedavolunteerschedulethatensuresthattherearen’ttoomanyvolunteersonanygivendayandthatthereisenoughworktomaketheexperiencemeaningfulandengaging.

TheguidingprinciplesforGoodFoodBoxvolunteermanagementarethatvolunteersdeservetobetreatedwithrespect,andthatweshouldtrytounder-standandconsidertheirneeds.Observationandinteractionhasledstafftotheconclusionthatvolunteershelpoutforanumberofreasons.Itcouldbebecausetheywanttosupportaprogramtheybelievein,togetoutofthehouseandcountersocialisolation,togivestructuretotheirlivesorbecausetheyneedthefreeGoodFoodBoxthatisgiventothemascompensation.

Volunteer responsibilities and expected behavior

Alotisexpectedfromvolunteers,aswell.Theymustgothrougharecruit-mentprocess(nowadays,therearemorewillingvolunteersthanspaces),showupontimeandbepreparedtoworkfrom9:30a.m.to3:30p.m.Afairamountis needed from themphysically (althoughnot all volunteersmustdoheavylifting).

A staff personwith a strong personality and a loud voice is a great assetasapackingdaycoordinator.Itisimportantthatthecoordinatormaintainscontrolofthesituation,ensuresthatpeoplearerespectfultoeachother,thatall volunteers are treated the same, and that everyone follows proper safetyprocedures.Withgoodsystemsandequipment,FoodSharehasfoundthat30peoplecanpack1,000boxesinsixhours,withanhourforlunch.

Volunteers are seldom paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!

Anonymous

61HuMan ResOuRCes & vOlunTeeR COORdInaTIOn

Volunteer compensation

VolunteersreceiveaGoodFoodBoxforhelpingout,thoughsomegiveitawayordonateitbacktoFoodShare.Thissystemwasintroducednotsomuchasawaytoencouragevolunteeringthroughsomeformofpayment,as itwastorecognizetheeconomicrealityofthemanylow-incomevolunteerswhoareinvolved.Thefreeboxisan“honorarium,”atokenofthanksforvolunteers’highlyappreciatedandneces-sarycontribution.Adeliciousandnutritiouslunchisalsoservedtovolunteersduringtheirshift.

Coordinating a Packing dayOrganizationandstrategicplanningarekeyelementtoanenjoyableandproduct-

ivepackingday.Havingatleast3peopleper100GoodFoodBoxeswillallowyoutofinishpackinginabout4hours.Preparingandpostingonthewallpackingpost-ersthatoutlineexactlywhatgoesineachboxisgreatforaquickreference.Settinguppre-packagingstations,wherebulkfoodisdividedintotheappropriateportionsaheadoftimeisalsohelpful.Newslettersandcontentsheetsshouldbeprintedandsnacksandbeveragesprepared,priortoeachpackingday.

Ourpackingdaystartsat8a.m.Theproduceismovedbyskidandisplaced2-3feetawayfromtwo15-feetrollerracks.Oneithersideoftherollers,leavingroomtowalkinbetween,theskidsareplacedinorderofthedifferentlevelsofpacking(forexample: rootvegetablesat thebeginningof the line, tomatoes inthemiddleandlettuceattheend).

Whiletheassemblylinesofproduceandrollersarebeingsetup,volunteersstarttoarrivebetween9a.m.and9:30a.m.Theyarewelcomed,givennametagsandgivenamomenttohaveacoffeeortea,washtheirhandsandsayhellotoothervolunteers.Thevolunteers setupat thepre-packingstationswhere theystartpre-packing thebulkproduceintotheappropriateportions.WhenalltheitemsofaparticularGoodFoodBox(7differenttypes:Large,Small,Fruit,Wellness,LargeOrganicandSmallOrganic)areready,volunteersaresetupinassemblylinesandgivenanitemortwotoputintoeachbox.Specialattentionmustbemadetomakesurethateachvolunteerisgivenajobthatcorrespondstohis/herabilities,strengthandspeed.

Thestaffcoordinatorcallsouteachitemfromthepackingpostersandmakessurethatavolunteeraccountsforeachitem.Thestaffcoordinatorremindsthevolunteersthattheproducemustbehandledwithcareandtouchedonlybytheircleanhands.Thecoordinatoralsostressesthatanyproducethatisofpoorqualitydoesnotgointothebox.Theorganizerthenpacksthefirstboxontheline,explainingwhereeachoftheitemsgotomaximizespace,beautyandreducespoilageandproducedamage.


Twovolunteersareaskedtoputinnewslettersandtransfertheboxesoffthelineandontoaskid.

Therealtrickofapackingdayiskeepingalargegroupofvolunteersengagedandhappy.Thiscanbeachievedbyplanningahead.Decideontheorderyouwishtopackyourdifferenttypesofboxesandfocusonfinishingallthepre-packingrequiredforthoseboxesaccordingtothatschedule.Oncetheseitemsarepre-packedandthelineisstarted,anyadditionalvolunteerswhoarenotneededintheassemblylinecanpre-packforthenextbox.

Wegivevolunteersonefifteen-minutebreakandseveralshortbreaksasweorgan-izethenextlineorstations.Weprovidefreshfruit,coffee,teaandwaterthroughouttheday.

Volunteersaregivena“brief”or“peptalk”duringeachpackingday,whichorientsthemaboutsafetyandfoodhandlingissuesandremindsthemoftheimportanceoftheirwork.Italsohelpstogivethemagreaterunderstandingoftheprinciples,oper-ationandethicsoftheGoodFoodBox,byexplainingwherethefoodcomesfrom,whatthegooddealsareatthemomentandwhat’sinseason.Ifafarmerdropsby,she/hewilloftentakeamomenttochatwiththegroup.

Aroundnoon,volunteersareinvitedtojointhestaffforapreparedmeal.Themealincludestherecipesfromtheweek’snewsletterwiththefeaturevegetablehighlighted.Eatinglunchtogetherisoneoftheactivitiesthathelpcreatetheremarkabledegreeofcamaraderiethatreignsonpackingdays.Overtime,volunteershavecometoknoweachother,andthereisalotofjokingaround,singingandfun.Therearenowenoughregularvolunteersthattheyimpartasenseofcontinuityandcalmnesstotheproceed-ings.

FoodSharestafftrytocreateanatmospherewherethereisrespectforthefooditself–notallowingittobethrownaroundorhandledtooroughly.Thebeautyofthefood,andthesenseofbountycreatedbyawarehousefulloffoodcanactasahealinginflu-enceonpeoplewhoareundergoingalotofstressintheirlives.But,inthesamevein,itisimportantthatthevolunteersfeeltheycanparticipateinthisbounty,byhavingtheopportunitytoeatandtakefoodawaywiththem.

Whenalloftheboxesarepackedandputintotherefrigerator,thewarehouseiscleanedupandthevolunteersaregivenaGoodFoodBoxtotakehome.

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why Add a newsletter to the Good Food Box?ThenewsletterisaveryimportantpartoftheGoodFoodBox.Itallowscustomersto

understandmoreaboutourvisionandmission,andhelpscustomerstogettoknowthestaffwhoareputtingtheGoodFoodBoxtogetheronaregularbasis.Thenewslettercanbeaneffectivewaytoeducatecustomersaboutnutrition,localandsustainableagricul-ture.

Thenewsletteralsohelpsustocommunicatewithourcustomersaboutwhoisgrowingourfood,packingtheboxes,andhowwemakeourorderingdecisions.Herearesomebenefitsofincludinganewsletterinourboxes:• Recipesandinformationonhowtouseandstoreproduceallowustoincludealarger

varietyoffreshproduceintheboxesincludingmoreunusualvegetableslikerapiniorbeets.

• ArticlesoncurrentfoodissuesallowFoodSharetoeducatecustomersaboutthebene-fitsofhealthyeating,supportinglocalagriculture,andmakinghealthyfoodmoreaccessible.

writing a newsletter That Speaks to Your Customers

LikeallotherpartsoftheGoodFoodBoxprocess,thenewsletterisverydeliberatelyputtogether.Itspeaksinasimpleandeasytounderstandlanguagethoughitisoftenaboutcomplicatedissues.ThenewsletteriswritteninavoicethatisaccessibletoawidereadershipandcontainscontentthatisapplicableandusefultolivesoftheGoodFoodBoxcustomers.

Theamountof timeand resourceswillhaveaneffectonhowwell youare able tocapturetheattentionofreaders.Anewslettercanbeasbasicascuttingandpastingcitedarticles and recipes from the internet or as advanced aswriting articles yourself andincludingtriedandtestedrecipes.WepublishaGoodFoodBoxnewslettereveryotherweeksowehaveagenerousamountoftimetowritearticlesandtestrecipes.

Inourcase,itisalwaysonepage,double-sidedandincludes:Afeaturedvegetableorfruit,includingitshistoryandnutritionalanalysis.•Twotothreerecipes,usuallyincludingthefeaturedvegetableorfruit.•Anarticleaboutanupcomingeventoranemergingfoodpolicyorpoliticalissue.•Thedatesofthenextdeliveryandhowtocontactstaff.•Thenamesofthefarmswearebuyingproducefromthatweek.•

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newsletter ResourcesThenewsletter isagreatwaytoeducateyourcustomersabout the food in their

boxesandcurrentnewsandtrendsthataffectouraccesstofreshandhealthyfood.Hereareseveralsitesthatoffercurrentfoodsecuritynewsande-newsmailings.

www.foodshare.net•www.toronto.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm•www.gtalocalfood.c• a

does the newsletter Get Read?FoodShare conducted a survey inNovember of 2007.We askedparticipants to

answerseveralquestionsregardingtheusefulnessofthenewsletter.Herearetheques-tionsandresults.

1. Do you read the newsletter?Opinion Responses PercentYes 329 93%No 24 7%Noresponse 1 0%Total 354 100%

2. How do you feel about the newsletter?Opinion Responses PercentLiketherecipes 261 74%Likethevegetableprofile 242 68%Likethearticle 216 61%Ineverlookatit 12 3%Idon’tcareforit 5 1%Ifindittoohardtoread 0 0%Total 736

3. Do you use the recipes in the newsletter?Opinion Responses PercentIsometimestrytherecipes 235 66%Itrymostrecipes 57 16%Inevertrytherecipes 51 14%Itryalltherecipes 7 2%Noresponse 4 1%Total 354 100%

Thenewsletterremainsaverysuccessfulpartofthebox.Itisagoodwaytocom-municatewithcustomersandisconsideredavalue-addedcomponentofgettingthebox.ThequestionsaboverevealthatnearlyallGoodFoodBoxcustomersreadournewsletter.SeetheAppendixforseveralexamplesoftheTorontoGFBNewsletter.

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The Montreal Good Food Box:Name of program: BonneBoîteBonneBouffe/GoodFoodBoxLocation: Montreal,QuebecContact info: JamieMcDonald,regionalcoordinator(514)344-4494 [email protected] per month: approximately1,000Program start date: September11th,2007Area served: islandofMontrealPrice and type of boxes: Large$16 Medium$10 Small$7 Mixtureofvegetablesandfruit,conventionallygrownMargin on each box: ±22%

Price comparison to local retailers:Asavingsof20-30%onthepriceofthesmallbox,25-35%onthepriceofthe

mediumboxand35-50%onthepriceofthelargebox.

History: TheMontrealGoodFoodBoxisafoodsecurityprogramthathasbeenserving

theNotre-Dame-de-Grace community since September 2003 and expanded intoa regionalprogram inSeptember2007.The idea arose froma conferenceheld inMarch2002whereanumberofcommunitygroupsfromtheareaagreedthatacol-lectivefood-buyingprogramwouldbethenextlogicalsteptoaddressfoodsecurityandmakehealthyfoodmoreaccessibleinthearea.

Where do you get your produce? Fromafruitandveggiedistributor

How do you do your deliveries? WedivideMontrealintoEast,Central,South&Westzones.WedotheCentral

runs onTuesday afternoons, the South&West onWednesdays and theEast onThursdays.Fornow,wedeliveronceevery2weeks.Aswegetmoreorders,wewillstartdoingdeliverieseachweektoopenupdeliverytimefornewneighbourhoods.

PRoFIleS oF oTHeR Good Food Box PRoGRAMS

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6 How do you run your packing day? WereceiveourproduceonMondaysandpackonTuesdays.Ourtruckdriverstarts

toplacetheproducearoundthepackingtablesearlyonTuesdaymorning.Volun-teersstartcominginaround9:00a.m.andcontinueplacingtheproducearoundthetables.Onceeverythingisinplace,volunteerstaketheirplaces(approximately6-8peoplepertableandonetableforeachboxsize)anddeterminewhoisputtingwhatinthebox.Eachpersonisinstructedtomakesurethepersonbeforethemhasputtheiritemintheboxbeforeputtingtheirownandtodiscardanyproducethatisnotoftopqualityorisn’tfresh.Weusuallyfinishpackingaround12:00noon.TheboxesforTuesdaydeliveriesareimmediatelyloadedinthetruckastheyareproduced.

Partnerships We have an advisory committeemade up of various community organizations

working in food security thatmakevariousdecisions aboutwhere theprogram isgoingandhow.

How are you funded? Centraidefinancestheemployeesalary(regionalco-ordination);MoissonMont-

reallendsusaspaceforstoring,packing,andrefrigeratingtheboxes,anoffice,andatruckfordeliveries;andFonddebienfaisancedesemployésdeBombardierfinancesotheraspectsoftheprogram.Wearecurrentlyseekingotherfinancialpartnerstoexpandtheprogramfurther.

What are some success and challenges that you wish to share with other Good Food Box programs that are starting?

Successes:We’vebeenabletogofrom300boxesto1,000boxespermonthina6monthper-

iodusingverylittlepublicityotherthanwordofmouthandhavefoundthatseeingtheboxeswiththefreshproduceinsideispublicityenoughtogetpeopleinterestedinbuyingthebox.Partneringwithcommunityorganizationshasbeenagoodwayofimplementingtheprograminvariousneighbourhoods.We’vealsobeenabletoinvolvehealthorganizationsthatsubsidizeboxesforpregnantwomen.Manyvolun-teersalsodohomedeliveriesfortheelderlyorpeoplewithreducedmobility.

Challenges: Stabilizingourvolunteerforceandfindingareliabledeliverypersonhavebeensig-

nificantchallengestoovercome.Dealingwiththesporadicandfastdevelopmentoftheprogramhasalsobeenquiteachallenge.

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The Saskatoon Good Food BoxName of program: CHEP’sGoodFoodBoxLocation: Saskatoon,SKContact info: (306)655-5387or(306)655-5619or [email protected] per month: 1,200onaverageProgram start date: 1997Area served: SaskatoonandareaPrice and type of boxes: RegularFruitandVegetable-$17.00; SmallFruitandVegetable-$12.00; MiniFruitandVegetable-$8.00; LargeFruit-$20.00; SmallFruit-$12.00; OrganicFruitandVegetable-$30.00Margin on each box: approx25%

Price comparison to local retailers Asavingsofabout25%

History: Itstartedin1997withabout40boxesandhasgrownsincethen.

Where do you get your produce?Wepurchasefromlocalproducersasmuchaspossibleandawholesaler(TheGro-

ceryPeople)whenlocalproduceisn’tavailable.

How do you do your deliveries?Thedeliveriesaredoneontheafternoonofthepackingday.Dependingonthe

number of boxes being packedwe have one cube truck and a cargo van, or twocubetrucksandthevan(forwhenordersareover600boxes).ThecityisbrokenupintoWest,EastandNorthroutes,withtheNorthandWestroutescombinedwhenordersaresmaller.EachroutehasadriveranddriverhelperandtheyareeachpaidanhonorariumandgiftedaGoodFoodBoxfortheirwork,withtheexceptionofonedriverwhoisaCHEPstaffpersonandpaidasalary. Ifeverythinggoeswellthedeliveriestakeabout4hours.Werequestthatgroupshave10boxesorderedfordeliverybutweareflexible.

How do you run your packing day? Werentagymnasiuminalocalchurchfor2dayseachpackingweek.Tuesdayis

pre-packingdayandwehavevolunteerscometowashboxes(Rubbermaidtubs),packthepotatoesandmakesurethegymissetupforpackingday.Onpackingday(Wed-


nesday)theproducearrivesfromtheproducersandisunloadedbyvolunteers.Thegymissetupwithtwodifferentproductionlines,oneforthefruitandvegetableboxesandoneforthefruitboxes.Oneofthecoordinatorsdirectsthepeopleunloadingtheproducetothetablewhereitwillbesorted.Thetablesarelabeledwitheachdifferenttypeofproduceandtheamountthatgoesintoeachbox(e.g.thenumberofregularboxestobepackedtimestheamountofcarrotsthatgoesineachone).Thevolunteerssortandbagtheproduceifnecessaryandthenwebreakforsnack.Aftersnackeachvolunteertakesaplaceontheproductionlineandtheboxesarepackedandtakendirectlyouttothedeliverytrucks.Theremainingboxesarelinedupalongthewallforpickupsintheafternoon.Ifeverythinggoesasplannedtheboxesarepackedandonthetrucksbynoonandlunchisservedforallthevolunteers.

How are you funded? TheUnitedWayofSaskatoon

What are some successes and challenges that you wish to share with other Good Food Box programs that are starting?

Successes:Forvolunteerswehavearrangementswithaworkexperienceclassatalocalhigh

schoolandwithanadulteducationprogram.ThehighschoolclasscomestowashtheRubbermaidboxesandhelpsonpackingday.Theadulteducationstudentscomeonpackingdayandhelpwithpackingandoftenworkasdriverhelpersorcleanupthehall.ThesearrangementsprovidethestudentswithworkskillsandexperienceandprovideareliablesourceofvolunteersfortheGoodFoodBox.

Challenges: Wehavestruggledwithgettingtheproducefromthewarehousetoourpacking

site.Thedeliverytruckwasoftenlateortheproducewasn’treadyatthewarehousewhenthetruckarrived.Thisthrewoffourwholepackingdayandwasstressfulforthecoordinatorsandvolunteers.Werecentlyreceivedagranttopurchaseourownrefrigeratedcubetruckandnowwecanpickuptheproducethedaybeforepackingdayandkeepitrefrigeratedovernight.

The Innisfil Good Food Box: Name of program: TheInnisfilGoodFoodBoxLocation: InnisfilOntarioContact info: LoriNikkel(416)363-6441ex230Boxes per month: approximately100Area served: Innisfilarea

69PROfIles Of OTHeR GOOd fOOd bOx PROGRaMs

HistoryItbeganinnocentlyenough.Asalong-timeemployeeofFoodShareandManagerof

theStudentNutritionprograms,whichenablesstudentsacrossTorontotoaccesshealthyfoodatschool,IhavealwayslovedtheGoodFoodBoxandknownhowimportantaprogramitisforsomanyreasons.SchoolsIworkwithloveorderingproducethroughtheFreshProduceprogramanditreallyhelpschildreneatmorefreshvegetablesandproduce.

One day while reading the local Innisfil paper, I came across an advertisementrequestingparticipationinthedevelopmentofaGoodFoodBoxprograminInnisfil.Thefirstmeetingwasheldatthelocallibraryandhadagreatturnout,eventheDeputyMayorandajournalistfromthelocalpaperturnedup.Moreimportantlywehadagreatcross-sectionofourcommunityandeveryonewaseagertogetstarted.

Initiallywewentaroundthegroupandidentifiedwhatbroughteverybodyouttothismeeting. The reasons varied fromhelping low income individuals, supporting localfarmers,gettingmoreinvolvedincommunitydevelopmentinitiatives,andimprovingcommunityhealthbypromotingadietwithabundantfruitsandvegetables.

Ourmembership includedamember fromtheBarrieCommunityHealthCentre,

aresidentschoolexpert,aBarrieGoodFoodBoxvolunteer,arecipeguru,aDoctor,aYouthcoordinator,avolunteerrecruiter,andtwoindividualswhoreallywantedtostarta farmers’marketbutthoughtaGoodFoodBoxprogramwouldbeagoodplacetostart.

Finding Produce sourcesIguessthemostimportantquestionwaswhowasgoingtosupplyuswiththebest

quality fruits andvegetables thatwewanted toput in thebox. Weknew someofthesuppliersthatotherGoodFoodBoxeswereusingandweknewsomelocalfarm-ers.Thus,westruckacommitteetoinvestigatethebestpossiblesourceforthebulkoftheproduce. Thecommitteealsoresearchedsmallerproviders thatwouldbeabletosupplementtheboxwithlocalproduce.Afterthoroughinvestigation,wefoundagreatproviderforallourfruitsandvegetableswhoreallybelievedinlocalfoodandagreedtosourcefromsmallergrowersasmuchaspossibleineachseason.

Creating education materials for the boxInadditiontothegreatproduce,wewantedtoincludesomeeducationintothebox.

Aswehadacoupleofdoctorsonthecommittee,wedevelopeda“Doctor’sCorner”sectionofthenewslettertoeducateusaboutthenutritionalimportanceofthefoodinthebox.Wealsohadseveralwonderfulhomechefswhoprovidedthenewsletterswithfamilyrecipes,andanothermemberwhowouldusethenewslettertolinkcurrentmediastoriestothebox.


Finding a location to pack the boxesAnotherveryimportantcomponentofourendeavorwasfindingalocationtopack

theGoodFoodBox.Weknewafewthings.1. Thelocationhadtobefree.2. Thelocationhadtobecentraltothepopulation.3. Ithadtobebigenoughtopackupto100boxes.4. Thelocationhadtobeinsured.

Aftermuch discussion about schools, town space and churches we agreed thatthelocalLionsHallwouldbethemostsuitableplace.Nowthatwehadchosenthislocation,weneededtomakesuretheywouldchooseus.SoweaskedtobeinvitedtothenextLionsDinnertoexplainwhattheGoodFoodBoxwasandhowimport-antpartneringwiththemwasforus.Asyoucanimaginetherewereafewquestionsbecausemanyresidentsusethehallformanythings.Butafterweansweredallthequestions,weweredelightedtoheartheLionsroar(indicatingtheiracceptanceofususingthespace).

Setting up an ordering systemHowwouldpeopleplacetheirorders?Withonlyvolunteers,mostofwhomworked

allday,itwasdifficulttoidentifyoneplacefortheorderstobedroppedoff.Andthenitcametous.Wecouldn’ttaketheorders,butthelocalbusinessescould.Theywere at theirworkplaces all day.We calledup the localBusinessAssociation andspokewiththePresidentrequestingsometimetospeakatthenextmeeting.Wewerealittlenervous.Whywouldabusinesswanttotakeonmorework?Thelocalbusi-nessimmediatelyrealizedhowimportantthiswouldbeforthecommunityandwereopeningtheirdoorstoincludeus.Notonlyweretheymorethanhappytobeanorderandcollectionsitetheyweresoonaskingushowtodonate.

Finding and managing volunteersOneofthemembersofthecommitteevolunteeredtobethevolunteercoordinator.

Sheknewhowandwheretogetpeople(thisincludedalocalvolunteerweb-sitethatwewereabletopostonandadvertisetohighschoolstudents).

Boxes or bags?Wedecidedtouseclothbagsinsteadofboxestofillaswefoundthebagsalittleless

cumbersomeforthepeopletocarry,andwedidn’thavethefacilitiestowashboxes.Thus,everyonereceives4bags.Thebagshavetheirnamesonthemandeveryoneisrequiredtodropoff2emptybagseachtimetheyleavewith2fullbags.Additionalbagscostextra.

What I learned?Ilearnedthatthereisnothingacommittedgroupofcitizenscan’taccomplish.

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The origins of the Good Food Box programIn1991,theTorontoFoodPolicyCouncil(TFPC)hiredMaryLouMorganand

UrsulaLipskitocarryoutafeasibilitystudytodevelopaprojectthatwouldbringtogetherfarmersandinnercitydwellers.TheTorontoFoodPolicyCouncilisacit-izensub-committeeoftheTorontoBoardofHealth,madeupofrepresentativesfromdifferent sectors, including farmers, anti-hunger activists and representatives fromthefoodindustry.Theybelievedthattherewereflawsinthewaythatthelocalfoodsystemconnectedcitybuyerswithruralfarmers.Thecomplexnatureoftheeconomicrelationshipmeantthatlow-incomepeopleinthecitycouldgohungrywhilefoodrottedinthefields.Therewasalsoahugegapinunderstandingbetweenthefarmerandthecity-dweller.TheaveragecitizenindowntownTorontohadlittleideawhatfoodswereinseasonorwhetherornottherehadbeenafloodordrought.TheywerealsounawareofthetypeofpressuresbeingexertedonCanadianfarmers,includingtheglobalizationofagriculture,corporateconcentrationandsuburbanland-usepat-terns.Manyfarmersweredeeplymovedbyurbanhungerandwantedtodosome-thing about it.The ideaofmoredirect farm to consumermarketing,which laterbecameknownasFieldtoTable,wasfirstconceivedbyNanHudsonandfarmersJeffWilson,andTerryDaynard.Theywantedtocreateapracticalwayofhelpingsolvesomeoftheproblemsfacedbyfarmersandlow-incomepeoplewithinadequatefoodaccess.

MaryLouhadworkedinmanysectorsofthefoodindustry-fromrunningherownmarketgarden,tofoodwholesalingandco-foundingthesuccessfulTorontoworkerco-opnaturalfoodstore,TheBigCarrot.Ursula’sbackgroundwasinthecommun-itysectorasananti-povertyandfoodaccessactivist.TheTFPChiredbothofthemforthedirectfarmtoconsumerproject,bringingtogethertheirbusiness,communitydevelopmentandalternativefoodsystemsknowledge.WithmoneyfromtheirbudgetandfromaUnitedChurchproject,thetwowomencarriedoutadetailedfeasibilitystudy, involving discussionswith community agencies, potential customers of theprojectandOntariofarmorganizations.

MaryLouandUrsulareadnotesfromatripthatRodMacRaeandseveralotherpublichealthcolleagueshadtakentoSaoPaulo,Brazil,theyearearlier.ThePT(Par-tidodosTrabalhadoresorTheWorkers’PartyofBrazil),theninpoweratthemuni-cipallevelinSaoPaulo,hadimplementedawiderangeofinnovativesubsidizedfoodprograms includingSacalaomarkets,whichprovidedhighqualityproduceathalftheirretailcostinlow-incomeneighbourhoods.TheBrazilianmodelinfluencedtheFieldtoTabletravellingfoodtruckthatwasatthecentreofMaryLouandUrsula’sfeasibilitystudy.

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7Thefeasibility study showed thatField toTablewas a viableoption.Given the

TFPC’s catalytic and facilitating role in project development, itmade sense for acommunity agency to take on the role of overseeing day-to-day implementation.TheFoodShareBoard invited theField toTableproject tooperateunder theaus-picesofFoodShare,andfollowingextensivediscussionofthestructureofsuchanarrangement,FoodSharetookoverday-to-dayoperations,withanadvisorycommit-teechairedbyaTFPCmembertoprovideoveralldirection.FoodShareparticipatedinsettingthedirectionoftheproject,paidthetwosalariesandofferedthenecessaryinfrastructureofofficeandaccounting.

Ataboutthesametime,DebbieFieldbecametheExecutiveDirectorofFoodShareToronto.Debbiehadabackgroundincommunityactivism,aswellasahistoryinmunicipalpolitics.HerpoliticalconnectionshavesubsequentlyhelpedFoodSharetoobtainvaluablepoliticalandin-kindsupportfromtheCityofToronto.

Poverty, emergency relief and the search for alternatives

FoodSharehadoriginallybeensetupbyformerTorontoMayorArtEggletonin1985asaresponsetotherecessionoftheearly1980’sandtheresultingriseinfoodbankuse.Themandatehadinitiallybeen“toendhungerinMetroToronto”andactivitiescenteredonsolvingthehungercrisisthroughadvocacyforbetterwelfareratesandahigherminimumwage.Thevolunteer-runHungerHotline,afoodbankreferralservice,wassetuptodispenseemergencyfoodadvice.Butastimewentonandfoodbanksbecameafixture, therewasarealizationthat social justicewouldnotbeachievedquicklyenoughtodealwiththeproblemofhunger.Lackofincomemightbethemostimportantfactorincausinghunger,butitwasnotthesinglecauseoffoodinsecurity.

In the late80’s andearly90’s,FoodSharebegan todevelopprogramsbasedonthelongtermfoodsecuritymodelratherthanontheemergencyfoodreliefmodel.Therewerecommunitykitchens,communitygardensandbuyingclubs,allmodeledonsimilarprogramsinthedevelopingworldandgearedtowardensuringthatpeoplehaddignifiedaccesstohealthyfoodatalltimes.Theseprojectslookedtolong-termsolutions,buttheirimpactonpeople’sshort-termhouseholdfoodsecuritywaslim-ited.Themajordifficultywasgettinglargenumbersofpeopletobuyintothechal-lengingnotionofcollectiveaction.WhentheFieldtoTableprojectbegan,theFood-Shareboardandstaffsawtheprojectasadirectandpracticalwaytohelpimproveindividualfamilies’short-termhouseholdfoodsecurityproblems,whilealsoworkingonthelonger-termgoalofbuildingahealthier,people-basedfoodsystem.

ItisnotthebelieforintentionofFoodSharethatprogressivefoodprogramscanreplaceemergencyaidprogramsintheshortterm(oratleast,notwithoutamassive

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infusionofcommunityandinstitutionalsupport);norcantheyreplacewelfarereformortheneedforamoreequitablesocioeconomicsystem.SoFoodSharehascontinuedtomaintaintheHungerHotline(nowcalledFoodLink)andtoworkonadvocacythroughallianceswithorganizationsthatworktowardseradicatingpoverty.

Markets, buying clubs – and a new idea

ThefirstproducedistributionprojectestablishedbyFoodShareandtheFieldtoTableprojectwasatravellingcommunitymarket.MaryLouandUrsularan20mar-ketsperweekoutofatruck,allinlow-incomeneighbourhoods,manyintheparkinglotsofsocialhousingbuildingsinthenorthernpartsofToronto,wherefoodaccesswasaproblemandgrocerystoreswerefewandfarbetween.Inthewintersomeofthehostbuildingsaskedthatstaffcreateamarketinthelobbyofthelow-incomebuild-ing.Wealsosuppliedpre-orderbuyingclubsandschoolfoodprogramswithfreshfruitandvegetables.

Theflaws in themarket and buying clubs projects soon became apparent.Thecommunitymarketswereverylabourintensive,expensivetorunandasaresult,dif-ficulttoofferonanylargescale.Thebuyingclubsalsorequiredalotoflabour,inthiscasefromthevolunteerswhoranthem.Theyhadtoputtogethercomplicatedorders,divideupcasesbetweenparticipants,organizepre-paymentandworrywhetherpar-ticipantswere actually savingmoney, compared tobuying “specials” at the super-market.Buyerswouldsometimesbeshockedtodiscoverthatthebananastheyhadboughtthroughtheirbuyingclubturnedouttobemoreexpensivethanthoseofferedattheirlocalsupermarket.Whatparticipantslearnedisthatgrocerystoresuse“lossleaders”(belowcostprices)onfreshproduce,tolureincustomers.Anotherproblemwiththebuyingclubswasthatcaseswereonlysoldinfull,andoftenthiswasmorethanacommunitycoulduseorafford.

FoodSharestaffbecamecommittedtoevaluatingtheimpactthattheprojectwashavingonthecommunity.Theysoonbegantofeelfrustratedatthelimitationstheywerediscovering.Buttheirexperiencewithmarketsandbuyingclubshadgiventhemthebenefitof learningfirsthandabout someof theways inwhichpoverty affectsfoodsecurity.FoodShareobservedthecycleofdwindlingfundsandfoodfrommid-monthtomonth-endforpeopleonwelfare;andthedemoralizationcausedbyhavingtorelyonfoodbanks.Forlow-incomepeople,foodwasoftennotasourceofpleasureandcomfort,butofworryandstress.

Inthemeantime,staffhadheardaboutaCalifornia-basedprogramcalled“Share”,whichwasrunningin22statesandservingover11millionlow-incomepeople.Theybegantoconsiderthepossibilitiesthismodelsuggested.Sharewouldhelpnewtownsandcities setupa“franchise”of theirprogram.ThedisadvantagesofbecomingafranchiseetoSharewerethatgroupshadtobuyallproducethroughthem(i.e.mostly


U.S.grownproduce)andtheytookadollarperboxthemselvestocoveroverheadcosts.Theselectionofthefoodintheboxwasalsobasedonanattempttoprovidethematerialsforwholemeals,andoftenincludedmeatandprocessedfoods.FoodSharedecidedtomakesomechangesintheoperationofthetravellingfoodtruck.Theywouldfocusonlocal,freshandunprocessedfoodsforbothnutritionandenviron-mentalreasonsandalsobecausemeatismoreexpensiveinCanadaandrequiresstricttemperaturecontrol.Theywouldcalltheirprogramthe“GoodFoodBox”.

InFebruaryof1994,thefirst40GoodFoodBoxeswerepackedbystaffintheboardroomofFoodShare.Ittookanentiredaytoassembletheboxes!Astheprojecthasgrown,observation, experience and formal evaluationhavecontributed to theevolutionofsomefundamentalprinciplesonwhichtheGoodFoodBoxisbased.Yetthebasicsystemremains:peoplepre-paybetween$12and$32totheircoordinatorandthenoneweeklaterreceiveaboxoffreshfruitandvegetablesatalowerpricethaniftheyweretopurchasethematthesupermarket.Theboxisdeliveredtopre-arrangedcommunitydrop-offpoints.Volunteers,wholivewithinthecommunity,receivetheproduceatthesedrop-offpoints,andalsoco-ordinatemoneycollectionandorganizetheorders.

The Good Food Box helps other FoodShare programs grow

TheGoodFoodBoxhasalsodevelopedanumberofspin-offprojects,includingtheFocusonFoodYouthprogram,theFreshProduceprogramforschoolsandagen-cies,FieldtoTableCatering,theTorontoKitchenIncubator,andmostrecentlytheGoodFoodMarkets,whichareaversionofthepreviousproducemarketsthatoper-atedintheearlyyearsoftheFieldtoTableproject.

Todayin2008,aswepublishthissecondeditionoftheGoodFoodBoxGuide,annualsalesoftheFreshProduceprogramforschoolsandagenciesamounttoover$500,000ayear,almostthesameannualsalesoftheGoodFoodBox.

TherearenowelevenGoodFoodMarketsoperating,ofteninthesamecommun-itieswheretheFieldtoTabletravellingtrucksoldproduce16yearsago.In2007,salesfromGoodFoodMarketswereover$60,000,upfrom$20,000in2006.

Havingawarehouse,experienceddedicatedstaff,relationshipswithfarmers,andanaccountattheOntarioFoodTerminalallowsFoodSharetodevelopavarietyofproducedistributionoptionsofwhichtheGoodFoodBoxisone.FoodShare’sgoalsremainthesame:toimproveaccesstohealthy,affordable,culturallyappropriateandsustainablefood.Wehaveavarietyofprogramsthatallworktowardthisgoalusingavarietyofdistributionmechanisms.


FoodShare Programs 2008:

Student Programs FoodSharehasbeenaddressing the issuesofStudentNutritionforanumberof

years.Webelievethatfoodeducationandaccessarecriticaltothehealthofallchil-drenandyouthandsupportthisinthefollowingways:

Field to Table Schools FoodSharebelievesthatallchildrenandyouthshouldlearntogrowandcookhealthyfood.ThroughtheFieldtoTableSchoolsprogramthefoodsystemisbroughttolifewithhandsonactivitiesandworkshops.StudentsfromJKtoGrade12learnaboutcomposting, school foodgardens,nutrition,basic cooking skills, local andglobalfoodsystemsandmore.Teachers can arrange in-class presentations, access resources and activity ideasthroughmonthlyteachertrainingworkshopsorbookafieldtriptotheFoodShareCentre.WhenbookingafieldtriptoFoodShare,teacherscanchoosefromamenuofactivitiesrootedinthecurriculumandworkshops,ensuringanappropriateandmeaningfulexperience.TheLearningCentreprovidesstudentsandteacherswithhandsontraininginourkitchen,compostoperation,GoodFoodBoxwarehouseandurbanagriculturepro-gramwhileacquaintingthemwiththebehindthescenesactivityofoneofNorthAmerica’slargestfoodsecurityorganizations.

[email protected] / 416-363-6441 ext. 240

Student Nutrition ProgramsFoodShareworkswiththeTorontoPartnersforStudentNutritiontosupportover500localStudentNutritionPrograms.FoodSharehelpstoensurethat84,000chil-drenandyouthintheCityofTorontohaveaccesstohealthy,culturallyappropriatebreakfast,snacksandlunchesintheirschoolorlocalcommunitysite.Webelievethatallchildrenandyouthrequirehealthyfoodtomaintainsoundbodiesandalertminds.UniversalStudentNutritionProgramsallowchildrenaccesstohealthyfoods,helptodeveloplife-longhealthyeatingpatternsandreducetheincidenceofsocialisolationwithin a community. FoodShare assistsparents andvolunteers runningtheseprogramsbybuildingcommunitycapacitythroughworkshopsandtrainingsessionsgivingthemthetoolstoachievelong-termsustainabilityfortheprograms.


Fresh Produce program TheFreshProduceprogramhelpstomakeproduceaffordableandaccessiblefor

studentnutritionprogramsinToronto’selementaryandsecondaryschools.Although


FoodSharefeelsitisalwaysbesttopurchasefromalocalproviderforhighquality,localproduce(likeafarmers’market)thisisnotalwayspossibleasaschool’sneedmaybetoolargeandtransportationisoftenachallenge. ThroughtheFreshPro-duceProgramFoodSharecanorderproducedirectlyfromlocalfarmersandfromtheOntarioFoodTerminalanddistributethisproducetoschoolsalloverthecity.Ourknowledgeablestaffworkdirectlywithorganizerstodeterminethebestproductsthatwillensuretheirprogramscanrunefficientlyandsuccessfully.


Community Food Programs“GoodHealthyFoodforAll”isvitaltoacommunity’swellbeing.Nomatterwhatsocio-economic status, background, ormeans,we believe that all individuals andfamilies should have access to healthy food though purchasing and/or developingtheirownsustainablemeans.

The Good Food Box program TheGoodFoodBoxisanalternativedistributionsystemthatmakessustainable,

local,andaffordableproducemoreaccessibletoToronto’scommunities.Professionalevaluation of theGood Food Box shows that participating in the program helpspeopleaccessamorenutritiousdiet.

TheGoodFoodBoxmakes top-quality, fresh foodavailable ina respectfulanddignifiedway, fosters communitydevelopment andpromoteshealthy eating.Cus-tomerspaythecostofthefooditself,whiledistributionoverheadsaresubsidized.Forexample,ourfamilysizedGoodFoodBox,pricedat$17,savesourcustomers$5-$10offtheretailcostofqualityproduce.Thecostsavingcomesfrompurchasinglargequantities of produce fromwholesalers, directly from farmers, by using dedicatedvolunteerstohelppackboxesandcoordinatedrop-offlocationsandbysubsidizingthecostoftheGoodFoodBox.

Supporting local and sustainable agriculture is also an important considerationforthecontentsofourboxes.In2007,ourboxescontainedbetween20-90%localproduce,dependingontheseason.Wealsosupportlocalorganicfarmersbyofferingorganicboxes.Thankstoourdedicatedteamofvolunteersandstaffwearecurrentlydistributingabout4000boxespermonthtoabout200neighbourhood-baseddrop-offs.


Community Gardening and Urban AgricultureGrowingfoodinurbancentres isan ideawhosetimehascome.FoodSharehas

severalprogramstosupportindividualsandgroupstogrowfoodinthecity.


FoodShareworkswithcommunitygroupstoassisttheminacquiringtheknow-ledge,expertiseandresourcesnecessary to startupacommunitygarden.Torontonowhasapproximately120communitygardenslocatedeverywherefromcityparksto abandoned lots. In these garden plots gardeners grow food for their families,beautifytheirneighbourhoodsandgetintouchwithnature’scycles.

FoodSharehasasproutingoperationandbeehives,usingappropriatetechnologymethodsandrecycledmaterialstoproduceorganicfoodandseedlingsforsale.Thisprogram also allows us to teach others about sustainable food growingmethods.In2008webuilton-sitedemonstrationgardensandanewgreenhouseproducingorganicseedlingsandsprouts.

Off-site,FoodSharepartnerswith theCentre forAddictionandMentalHealth(CAMH)torunTheSunshineGarden,amarketgardenattheCAMHQueenStreetsite.Twiceweekly,frommid-JunetoOctober,weselljust-harvestedvegetablesatourfarmstand.Inthewinter,weproduceover200kilogramsofediblepeaandsunflowersproutsinthegreenhouseattheQueenStreetSitethataredistributedtoGoodFoodBoxcustomers.


Toronto Community Food AnimatorsTheAnimatorsproject engages individuals andcommunities inbringing to life

food-focusedprojects,suchascommunitygardens,freshproducemarketsandcom-munitykitchens.TheprojectisapartnershipbetweenTheStopCommunityFoodCentre,theAfri-CanFoodBasket,andFoodShare,theprojectleader.FoodAnima-torsworkcloselywithlocalleadersandcommunityagenciesinToronto’slow-income,highpriorityneighbourhoodssuchasinNorthYork,Scarborough,andEtobicoke.

InthethreeyearsthattheAnimatorshavebeenengagingcommunityresidents,therehavebeenover twenty-oneprojects initiated,with forty local partners. Weareworkingtogethertobuildlocalfoodsecurity,increaseleadershipandcapacityofindividualsandcommunitiesandcreatevibrantpublicspaces.


Good Food MarketsNeighbourhoodbasedGoodFoodMarketsareone-standoutdoormarkets that

sellhigh-quality andaffordable fruits andvegetables.Theyare located in areasofthecitywherefarmers’marketsarenotyetprofitable,butaredesperatelyneededtoimprovefoodaccess.Thesemarketstandsnotonlyimprovefoodaccessandsupportlocalfarmers,buttheyalsohavethepotentialtocreatevibrantcommunityspaces.

FoodShareworksinpartnershipwithcommunityorganizationstorunthemar-kets.WepurchasefreshproducefromlocalfarmersandfromtheOntarioFoodTer-


minalanddeliverittocommunityorganizationswhorunthemarkets.Themarketsfeatureseasonalandlocalproduceinordertoofferthegreatestqualityandvaluetocommunities.


Community education and Information ResourcesEducation isvital toourability totakeresponsibilities forourwell-beingandourfamily’swell-being.Theeducationandinformationresourceprojectshelpcommun-itymembersaccessresourcesandservicesdesignedtoimprovetheirphysical,mental,andfinancialhealthwellintothefuture.

Healthy Babies Eat Homecooked FoodMakingyourownbaby food is easy andaffordable.Thebest thing is that you

knowexactlywhat’sinit!FoodSharemaintainsateamofpeertrainerswhospeakavarietyof languagesandwhogoout tocommunitygroups to teachBabyFoodBasics.Topicscoveredincludehowtoprepareandstoreyourownbabyfood,whentointroducevariousfoodsandthebasicsofbabynutrition.


FoodLink Hotline FoodLink,apartnershipwithCommunityInformationToronto(CIT),answers

callsfrompeoplelookingforfoodprogramsinToronto.Referencingadatabaseofover1,400records,CITcounselorsandFoodLinkvolunteerscanrefer to the fullspectrumoffoodprograms,fromemergencyfoodprogramssuchasfoodbanksandlow-costmealstocommunitydevelopmentprogramssuchascommunitygardens,seniorscongregatediningandperi-natalprograms.


Focus on Food Youth Intern Project FocusonFoodisaprogramforyouth,betweentheagesof15to30,whoarefacing

barrierstoemployment.Thisprogramsupportstheparticipantstogainthejobandlifeskillsnecessaryforthemtomakethetransitiontoschoolorwork.

Participating youth are paid an hourlywage towork in several of FoodShare’sprograms: theGood Food Box program, Field to Table catering, Administrationservicesandtheurbanagricultureprogram.Theparticipantsarealsotaughtskillsinfinance,computers,nutrition,diversityandconflict-resolutionwhichtheycancarrywiththemintotheirprofessionalandpersonallives.



Field to Table CateringFieldtoTableCateringoffersaneclecticmenuoffresh,affordableandseasonal

foodsforsaletocommunityorganizationsandothersseekingcateringforeventsofanysize.

Revenuesgeneratedfromsalessupportthedeliveryofnutritioussoupsandmealstoorganizationsservingthehomelessandunder-housed,aswellascookingtrainingaimedatyouthparticipatinginFoodShareprojectsandpeoplelivinginsupportivehousing.


Toronto Kitchen IncubatorTheTorontoKitchenIncubatorisafullyequippedindustrialkitchenmadeavail-

ableforusebyentrepreneurs,smallbusinessesandcommunitygroups.StartedwithfundingfromtheTorontoEconomicDevelopmentCorporation,TKIisavailableforalowhourlyratetomemberswhowouldotherwisehavetomakealargeinvestmentintheirownfacilities.Asbusinessesgrow,theymoveonandmakespaceforotherstomovein.



APPendICeSGood food box Coordinator Package• ..........................................................81

sample Ordering spreadsheet• ..................................................................... 84

frequently asked Questions• ........................................................................ 85

Produce Buying Policy• .................................................................................87

Good food box Order form• ....................................................................... 89

Produce Storage Guidelines• ........................................................................ 90

Good Food Box Sales Figures• .......................................................................91

Local Produce Statistics• ................................................................................93

Good food box Yearly sales Trends• .............................................................97

Good food box newsletter• ........................................................................101

Good Food Box Flyer• .................................................................................105

Annual Good Food Box Farmers Meeting Flyer• ..........................................107

81

APPENDIX:

Thank you for inquiring about becoming a Good Food Box Drop-off Coordinator. WithrequestsforGoodFoodBoxessky-rocketing,weneedpeoplelikeyoutohostdrop-offsitesinToronto.

TheGoodFoodBoxprogramisanalternativefooddistributionsystem.InformationabouttheprogramandbecomingacoordinatorisincludedhereinyourCoordinator Start-Up Kit.Itcon-tains:

• FoodShareFlyers• ACoordinator’sCustomerMasterList• GoodFoodBoxOrderForms• FoodShare’sProgramOverview• Contactinformation

The Good Food Box ProgramTheGoodFoodBoxprogramisacommunity-basedfooddistributionsystem.WebuyfoodatwholesalepricesdirectlyfromlocalfarmersandtheOntarioFoodTerminalandourcustomerspre-ordertheboxwiththeirlocaldrop-offcoordinator.Volunteerspacktheproduceintoindivid-ualboxes,andtheboxesarethendeliveredthroughaneighborhooddrop-offsystem.

Theprinciplesbehindtheprograminclude:• healthpromotionandfoodskillseducation• supportinglocalfarmersandeconomy• makingtheprogramaccessibletoanyonewithoutrestrictions• sellingonlyhighqualityproduce• promotingseasonalbuyingandeating• communitydevelopmentandvolunteersupportanddevelopment• environmentallyresponsiblemanagementofourfoodprogram.

Althoughweareanon-profitorganization,theGoodFoodBoxisnotfree.Customerspayfortheirproducetherebyallowingthemthepowertocontroltheirownfoodneeds.Itisauniversalprograminwhichanyoneiswelcometopurchaseabox.

Coordinator ResponsibilitiesAsGoodFoodBoxDrop-offCoordinatoryou:

• keepacustomermasterlistthatincludesname,mailingaddress,phonenumberandfor-wardacopytoFoodShare(firstreceivingconsentfromyourcustomers);

• establishguidelinesforyourgroup;

InFoRMATIon FoR Good Food Box dRoP-oFF CooRdInAToRS

InfORMaTIOn fOR GOOd fOOd bOx dROP-Off COORdInaTORs


• Grouporderandpayment–collectcashorchequesfromyourcustomers,placeyourgroup’sorder,andforwardthepaymenttoFoodShare;

.• Pick-up–determineadeliverytimewithFoodShare,receivetheboxesatapre-arrangedloca-tion,managecustomerpick-up,storeemptycontainers,andensureemptyboxesarereturnedtoFoodShare.

deliveriesTheGoodFoodBoxisdeliveredonaweeklybasis,butastheCoordinator,youwilldeterminehowoftenyouwouldliketoreceivedeliveries.Mostgroupsordereverytwoweeks,althoughtherearesomethatorderweeklyandotherswhoorderonceamonth.

Tostartyourowngroup,youmustorderaminimumof5GoodFoodBoxesperdelivery.Ifyouorder10ormoreboxesatatime,youreceiveacomplimentaryGoodFoodBoxforyouraddedefforts.

Good Food Box TypesFoodShareoffers6differenttypesofproduceboxes.Wearedelightedtobringyou:

ThecontentsoftheGoodFoodBoxareselectedbasedonvariousprinciples:nutrition,value,afford-ability,cultural-appropriateness,andwhethertheylocal,seasonalandorganic.Wheneverpossible,webuyfromOntariofarmerstosupportthelocaleconomyandthecontentsoftheboxchangeeachweek.Belowisasamplelistofwhatyoumightreceiveinabox.

ThecontentsoftheGoodFoodBoxareselectedbasedonvariousprinciples:nutritionvalue,afford-ability, cultural-appropriateness, local, seasonal and organic. Whenever possible, we buy fromOntariofarmerstosupportthelocaleconomyandthecontentsoftheboxchangeeachweek.Belowisasamplelistofwhatyoumightreceiveinabox.

Type of Box Description Price

Large Good Food Box (conven-tional)

-contains conventional produce-size suitable for families

$17.00

Small Good Food Box -contains conventional produce-suitable for 1-2 people

$12.00

Large Organic Good Food Box -contains certified organic produce-size suitable for families

$32.00

Small Organic Good Food Box -contains certified organic produce -suitable for 1-2 people

$22.00

Wellness Box -contains conventional produce- pre-cut and washed

$12.00

Fruit Basket -contains only fruit (conventional) $12.00

83

APPENDIX:

InFoRMATIon FoR Good Food Box dRoP-oFF CooRdInAToRS

Contents for the various Good Food Boxes:week of September 4-7, 2007 *OntarioGrown

Ifyouneedhelprecruitingcustomers,wewouldbehappytogiveaGoodFoodBoxpresentation.Whynotbeapartofawonderfulmovementtoensurefoodaccessforall?CallDelsieHyattat416-363-6441ext.234tostartyourGoodFoodBoxgrouptoday!

Large Good Food Box

Small Good Food Box

Fruit Basket Wellness Large Organic

Small Organic

2 green peppers * 1 green pepper* 3lb bag pears* 1 green pepper* 1 red pepper* 1 red pepper*

4 lbs white potatoes*

2 lbs white potatoes*

1 bunch bananas 4 white potatoes* 2 green peppers* 1 green pepper*

1 red pepper* 1 red pepper* 1 cantaloupe* 2 red peppers* ½ lb sweet colour pepper*

1/4 lb sweet colour pepper*

3lb bag of apples*

1.5lb bag of apples*

3lb bag apples* 4 bananas* 1 green zucchini* 1 spanish onion*

1 head romaine lettuce*

1 head romaine lettuce*

1 basket peaches*

1 pint mushrooms*

1 spanish onion* 1 bunch beets*

2lb bag onions* 2lb bag onions* 2 mangoes 2 yellow onions* 1 bunch beets* 1 bulb garlic*

1 bunch broccoli* 1 bunch broccoli* 1 pint strawberries

2 bulbs garlic* 1 bunch basil*

3lb bag pears* 1.5lb bag pears* 4 apples* 1 bunch basil* 1 bunch parsley*

1 bulb organic garlic*

1 bunch bananas 1 bag cut carrots* 1 bunch parsley* 2 tomatoes*

1 bunch bananas ½ basket peaches*

0.33 lbs spring salad mix

3 tomatoes* 1 Sugar Baby melon*

½ basket peaches*

½ basket field tomatoes*

1 bag cut celery* 1 Sugar Baby melon*

1.5 lbs apples*

½ basket field tomatoes*

1 pint cherry tomatoes*

3 lbs apples* 2lbs red potatoes*

1 bag cut broccoli*

3lbs red Potatoes*

1 bunch bananas*

InfORMaTIOn fOR GOOd fOOd bOx dROP-Off COORdInaTORs


APPENDIX:

GO

OD

FO

OD

BO

X c

onve

ntio

nal p

rodu

ce4-

Sep

-07

LA

RG

E

SMAL

L

# in

cas

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ase

Cos

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urce

Item

Uni

t Cos

t#

to p

ack

Amt i

n bo

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ost i

n bo

xO

rder

# to

pa

ckAm

t in

box

Cos

t in

box

Ord

erSu

b To

tal

inve

nto

rySe

lect

OR

DE

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25$7

.75

ON

Gre

en P

eppe

r$0

.31

118

2.00

$0.6

29.

4413

21.

00$0

.31

5.28

14.7

21.

5013

.22

14.0

0

25$2

2.75

ON

Red

Pep

per

$0.9

111

81.

00$0

.91

4.72

132

1.00

$0.9

15.

2810

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0.50

9.50

10.0

0

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Pota

toes

$0.2

511

84.

00$1

.00

47.2

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22.

00$0

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26.4

073

.60

2.00

71.6

072

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1$1

.75

ON

Pear

s Ba

rlette

$1

.75

118

1.00

$1.7

511

8.00

132

0.50

$0.8

866

.00

184.

0018

4.00

184.

00

1$1

.45

ON

Appl

es$1

.45

118

1.00

$1.4

511

8.00

132

0.50

$0.7

366

.00

184.

0018

4.00

184.

00

6$2

0.75

ON

Peac

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6/3

$3.4

611

80.

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9.83

132

0.50

$1.7

311

.00

20.8

320

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21.0

0

4$9

.75

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Tom

atoe

s Lo

cal4

/3$2

.44

118

0.50

$1.2

214

.75

132

0.50

$1.2

216

.50

31.2

531

.25

32.0

0

1$3

.50

ON

Gar

lic O

rgan

ic$3

.50

118

0.17

$0.6

020

.06

132

0.00

$0.0

00.

0020

.06

20.0

621

.00

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1.75

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Oni

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$0.4

911

81.

00$0

.49

4.92

132

1.00

$0.4

95.

5010

.42

3.50

6.92

7.00

18$1

4.75

ON

Broc

coli

$0.8

211

81.

00$0

.82

6.56

132

1.00

$0.8

27.

3313

.89

13.8

914

.00

24$1

2.75

Cal

Rom

aine

Let

tuce

$0.5

311

81.

00$0

.53

4.92

132

1.00

$0.5

35.

5010

.42

10.4

211

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18$1

3.75

Equ

Bana

nas

$0.7

611

81.

00$0

.76

6.56

132

1.00

$0.7

67.

3313

.89

13.8

914

.00

$0.1

0ne

wsl

ette

r$0

.10

new

slet

ter

$0.0

0bo

x w

ash

$0.0

0bo

x w

ash

$0.1

0pa

ckag

ing

$0.1

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ckag

ing

$12.

08Ac

tual

$9.0

7Ac

tual

$12.

24Ta

rget

$8.6

4go

al

29%

mar

gin

24%

Mar

gin

conv

entio

nal p

rodu

ce u

nles

s m

arke

d

SUM

(B15

/A15

)SU

M(E

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=SU

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7=S

UM

(17*

0.72

)

SUM

(F15

*G15

)/A15

SUM

(H4:

H18

)

SUM

(I15+

M15

+N15

+O15

+P15

+Q15

+R15

+S15

)

SUM

(T15

-U

15)

SAMPle oRdeRInG SPReAdSHeeT: week oF SePTeMBeR 4-7, 2007

85

APPENDIX:

FRequenTlY ASked queSTIonS

Customer questionsCan I choose what I want in my box?

Theboxesarenotcustomizedandmostcustomerslikeitthisway.Wegetalotofcommentslike“theboxesarelikeChristmaspresents,eachboxisasurprise.”BecauseFoodSharede-cideswhattoputintheboxes,weareabletoreducetheoverallcostofourboxes,maximizefreshness,andsupportlocalandsustainableagriculture.Ourboxesalsohelptoeducatepeopleaboutthedifferentkindsoffruitsandvegetablesavailablebyincludingnewsletterswithreci-pesandinformationabouthowtousetheproduce.

If there is a food recall, what do you do?

Ourimmediateresponsetoafoodrecall,issuedfromtheCanadianFoodInspectionagency,istodeterminetheexactitembeingrecalled.Wewillidentifythebrand,thevariety,andthesize,andthencomparethiswiththeproduceweobtained.Ifweidentifythatwehavepurchasedtherecalleditem,allpossiblecustomersmustbecalledimmediatelywithinformationontherisksandhandlingproceduresoutlinedbytheCanadianFoodInspectionagency.Evenifwedonotfindanyrecalleditem(s),contactingthecustomerstoletthemknowthattheproductstheyreceivedwerenotrecalledwillhelpalleviatetheirworries.

Is the produce fresh? Or is it seconds?

Produceisofthehighestquality.Wedonotputsecondsintoourboxes.

Do I have to order a box every week?

No.Youcanorderasfrequentlyassuitsyou,withamaximumofonceaweek.

Coordinator questionsIs the program just for low-income individuals?

FoodSharebelievesthateveryonecouldeatbetter.Wealsobelievethatauniversalprogramencouragesmorepeopletoparticipatebecauseitdoesnotdiscriminate.Wedo,however,targetcommunitiesthathavethegreatestbarrierstoaccessinggoodhealthyproduce.Wetargetthesecommunitiesbyofferingpresentationsandpromotionalmaterialstotheirlocalagencies.

fReQuenTlY asked QuesTIOns


Do you deliver on the week-ends?

OurdeliveryhoursarefromTuesdaytoFriday,9a.m.to5p.m.

Do you deliver out of the Metro Toronto area?

AtPresentwehavetwostopsinMississaugaandtwoinPickering.ThisisthefarthestEastandWestofthecityweareabletogo.WealsodonotgonorthofSteelesAvenue.StopsoutsideoftheMetroTorontoareamustbecosteffectiveforustodeliver.Groupsmustorderasufficientnumberofboxestomakethecostoftransportationworthwhile.

How much work is it to be a coordinator? Do I get anything for volunteering?

Typicallyacoordinatorspendsabout3-4hrseachdeliveryweek(somecoordinatorshavebox-esdeliveredweekly,somebiweekly,andsomeonceamonth).Acoordinatorisresponsibleforfindingcustomers,remindingcustomerstoorderandpick-uptheirbox,providingatimeandplaceforcustomerstopickuptheirbox,andcollectingpaymentsfromcustomers.Foreverytenboxesordered,acoordinatorwillreceiveafreelargeboxoraproducecreditworth$17.

87

APPENDIX:

1. Qualitya. Greattasteb. Acceptablesize,goodpresentation,nodeteriorationofproduct(mold,softspots,rotting)c. Usedwithinappropriateshelflife

2. Safety and Sanitationa. Cleanboxesandlids(boxwashersareshownhowtowashandputthecleanboxesonthefloor)b. Properpackagingandcuttingc. Allproducehastobeonskids(nofruitorvegetableboxesonthefloor)d. Trainedvolunteersandstaff

3. Good Valuea. Feelingofabundance,weight,colourb. Practicalformakingsupperc. Favourablepricecomparisonwiththemarketplace

4. Varietya. Staplefoods(e.g.potatoes,carrots,onions,apples)b. Somethingnewordifferenttopushthefoodexperiencec. Luxuryitems(thatpeoplewouldnotbuythemselves)d. Saladitemse. Aselectionoffruits(minimumthreevarieties/box)

5. Suitabilitya. ItemsinWellnessBoxshouldreflectparticipants’dietaryneeds(i.e.fourcutitems,smallservings,

limitedcitrus,amaximumof40servingperweek)b. ItemsinTorontoHealthyDietStudyBoxshouldreflectparticipants’dietaryneeds(e.g.berries,

darkgreenvegetables,okra,eggplants,fruitsandvegetableslowinGlycemicIndex;nopotatoesorbananas)

6. Purchase local producea. Supportlocalsupplyanddistributionnetworks—purchaseasmuchaspossibleasclosetohomeas

possible—Ontariofirst,thenCanadab. Workwithfarmerstogrowproductsforus

7. Seasonala. Featurein-seasonproduceb. Think about thewhole year andhow to avoidpurchasing out to season (i.e. only buyOntario

asparagus;andtrytobuycranberriesfromCanada)

PRoduCe BuYInG PolICY (Good Food Box ToronTo)

PROduCe buYInG POlICY (GOOd fOOd bOx TOROnTO)


8. Educationa. Newslettersb. Recipesc. Contentsheetwithlocalproducemarkedwithanasterisk,alsonotingdifferentvar-

ietiesd. Farmerinformation

9. Growing Practicesa. Certifiedorganic/growingorganicallyfororganicboxesb. Transitionalandconventionalacceptedforotherboxesc. EncourageIntegratedPestManagement,avoidanceofpesticides,fungicides,etc.d. Discouragegeneticallymodifiedseedse. Nowaxedproducef. Encourageheritagevarieties

10. Packing

a. Productsmustbepresentable(bunched,baggedandclean)b. Product-particularboxesshouldbeused(waxed,unwaxed,suitabledepth)c. Ifpossible,avoidindividualizedstickersd. Productlabelingmustbeculturallysensitivetoourcustomers(e.g.bloodoranges)e. Ifpossible,purchaseinbulkreturnablebinstoavoidcardboardpackagingf. Ifrepackaging,usepaperorplasticbagsdependingonproduct

11. Fair Tradea. Fairwagepoliciesb. Environmentallysensitivepractices

89

APPENDIX:

GOOd fOOd bOx ORdeR fORM

Good Food Box oRdeR FoRM


APPENDIX:

Table 1. Fruits & Vegetables that require cold, moist conditions

Vegetable Temperature (oF) Relative Humidity (%) Length of Storage

Asparagus 32-36 95 2-3 weeks Apples 32 90 2-6 months Beets 32 95 3-5 months Broccoli 32 95 10-14 daysBrussels Sprouts 32 95 3-5 weeks Cabbage, Early 32 95 3-6 weeks Cabbage, Late 32 95 3-4 months Cabbage, Chinese 32 95 1-2 months Carrots, mature 32 95 4-5 months Carrots, immature 32 95 4-6 weeks Cauliflower 32 95 2-4 weeks Celeriac 32 95 3-4 months Celery 32 95 2-3 months Collards 32 95 10-14 daysCorn, sweet 32 95 4-8 days Endive, Escarole 32 95 2-3 weeks Grapes 32 90 4-6 weeks Kale 32 95 10-14 daysLeeks, green 32 95 1-3 months Lettuce 32 95 2-3 weeks Parsley 32 95 1-2 months Parsnips 32 95 2-6 months Pears 32 95 2-7 months Peas, green 32 95 1-3 weeks Potatoes, early 50 90 1-3 weeks Potatoes, late 39 90 4-9 months Radishes, spring 32 95 3-4 weeks Radishes, winter 32 95 2-4 months Rhubarb 32 95 2-4 weeks Rutabagas 32 95 2-4 months Spinach 32 95 10-14 days

Table 2. Vegetables that require cool, moist conditions


Beans, snap 40-50 95 7-10 days Cucumbers 45-50 95 10-14 daysEggplant 45-50 90 1 week Cantaloupe 40 90 15 daysWatermelon 40-50 80-85 2-3 weeks Peppers, sweet 45-50 95 2-3 weeks Potatoes, early 50 90 1-3 weeks Potatoes, late 40 90 4-9 months Tomatoes, green 50-70 90 1-3 weeks Tomatoes, ripe 45-50 90 4-7 days

Table 3. Vegetables that require cool dry conditions.


Garlic 32 65-70 6-7 months Onions 32 65-70 6-7 months

Table 4. Vegetables that require warm dry conditions.


Peppers, hot 50 60-65 6 months Pumpkins 50-55 70-75 2-3 months Squash, winter 50-55 50-60 2-6 months Sweet Potato 55-60 80-85 4-6 months

PRoduCe SToRAGe GuIdelIneS

91

APPENDIX:

Good Food Box Sales by box 2007

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Jan

1

Jan

14

Jan

28

Feb 1

2

Mar

2

Mar

12

Mar

26

Apr

9

Apr

23

May

7

May

21

June

4

Jun

e 18

July 2

July 1

6

July 3

0

Aug

13

Aug

27

Sep

t 10

Sep

t 24

Oct 8

Oct 2

2

Nov

5

Nov

19

Dec

3

Dec

17Date

Bo

xe

s

Good Food Box Small box Small organic box Large organic fruit wellness

Good Food Box SAleS FIGuReS

GOOd fOOd bOx sales fIGuRes


Average increase in sales by box 2003-2007

$(20,000.00)

$-

$20,000.00

$40,000.00

$60,000.00

$80,000.00

$100,000.00

$120,000.00

$140,000.00

Good FoodBox

Schoolsales

Other Market THDSB Parenting Wellness Total sales

Good Food Box School sales Other Market

THDSB Parenting Wellness Total sales

93

APPENDIX:

loCAl PRoduCe STATISTICS

Local vs Imported produce sales 2006

8%

34%

7%

12%

39%

Imported

conventional

Imported

organic Local conventional

Local

conventional

direct sale

Local organic

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lOCal PROduCe sTaTIsTICs


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97

APPENDIX:

Produce sales

$-

$200,000.00

$400,000.00

$600,000.00

$800,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$1,200,000.00

$1,400,000.00

Goo

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ting

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s

Tota

l sales

2003 actual 2004 actual 2005 actual

2006 actual projected 2007

Good Food Box YeARlY SAleS TRendS

GOOd fOOd bOx sales TRends


2003 Actual Produce Sales

66%

25%

7%

0%

0%

1%

1%

Good Food Box School sales Other

Market THDSB Parenting

Wellness


60%

6%

0%

0%

1%

1%

32%



Wellness

99GOOd fOOd bOx sales TRends


51%

36%

10%

1%

0%

1%

1%



Wellness


51%

34%

9%

2%2%

2%

0%



Wellness


Projected 2007 Produce Sales

42%

40%

9%

3%

4%

2%0%



Wellness

101

APPENDIX:

Field to Table Centre 90 Croatia St. Toronto, ON M6H 1K9 t: 416. 363. 6441 xt 221 f: 416. 363 0474 e: [email protected] www.foodshare.net

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working with communities to improve access to affordable and healthy food - from field to table

Vol.11 No. 17 weeks of August 21 and 28, 2007The bi-weekly newsletter of FoodShare Toronto’s Good Food Box

At the Mercy of Mother Nature: a story about the gambles of farming

by Mark-Jan Daalderop

Help us Replant ourselves!

As of July 31st the Good Food Box is being packed at 90 Croatia St!

When I spoke with one of our farmers on the phone recently, he sadly told me that they had not received rain in 5 weeks. I remember my own experience of drought and felt sympathy for all the farmers who face such uncertainty each and every day. Here is my story.

Two years ago I stood in a field of a small farm in Southern Ontario with a garden hose in my hand. I was trying to save a row of cabbages that were hang-ing limp and desperate for even a drop of water. My body was tired from the constant pounding of the af-ternoon sun and my throat burned from the dust col-lected inside. This particular year we were praying for rain, praying each day that the clouds would cover the molten fireball that burned our skin and made the soil so hot it burned our feet. We had not received a drop of rain for more than 5 weeks and with the intensity of the sun our plants were holding on for dear life.

The summer of 2004, the year before, had been perfect, just the right mixture of rain and sunshine. The crops thrived and our market and food boxes were bountiful. This year we were already getting complaints from our food box recipients, and the organization was getting upset that we weren’t growing food. The tension in the air was thick making everyone irritable and fear-ful of the worst: losing our crops and losing our jobs. “This is ridiculous, when is it ever going to rain?” I said frustrated, my friend and coworker responded by saying “ Welcome to the life of a farmer”.

At the end of the fifth week of no rain, while watering the tomatoes, the clouds began to form and the sky be-came dark. We held our breath. This would not be the first time the sky would tease us with the possibility of rain. The plants started to sway in the warm breeze, the light faded, and a sweet smell of a storm filled my senses. A raindrop fell, hitting the dry soil and created

a small crater and dust plume. We all stopped working and stood frozen, trying not to make any motion in fear that the clouds would see us and move on.

The rain thundered down in great streams from the sky and created rivers between the rows, creating deep cuts in the fields and flooding in some areas. We were elated, almost to tears of joy. I understood, then, why cultures have celebrated the harvest: because there is no guarantee that it will come.

We now rely on the global food system, where droughts, floods, and major crop losses go almost un-noticed, except maybe in the cost of our food. When the dry weather caused a decline in Ontario straw-berry production we bought from California…no big deal. This ability to tap into the global food system has in some ways increased our food security yet at the same time has changed the way we value food and celebrate it.

What’s local in your GFB this week and the farmers who grew it: In the conventional boxes: from a variety of Ontario farmers, through the Ontario Food Terminal:corn, carrots, peaches, field tomatoes, cucumber, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, and potatoes

In the organic boxes:Pfennings: Corn, Leeks, EggplantMike Lanigan: KaleLena Horst: GarlicHope Organics: Tomatoes, Orange Honeydew melons, Potatoes

GOOd fOOd bOx neWsleTTeR

Good Food Box newSleTTeR


recipes featured this week:

DELIVERIESfor the week of: August 28orders are due 5 pm Tues. August 21

for the week of Sept.4orders are due 5pm Tues. August 28

tel 416. 363. 6441 ext234 fax 416. 363 0474 e. [email protected]

CORNMaize (Zea mays), also known as corn, is a cereal grain that was first domesticated from 7,500 to 12,000 years ago in central Mex-ico though that plant was very different from what we now know

as corn. Perhaps as early as 1500 BC, maize began to spread widely and rapidly and was the staple food, or

a major staple, of most the pre-Columbian North American, Mesoamerican, South American,

and Caribbean cultures. It spread to the rest of the world after European contact with the Americas in the late 15th century and early 16th century.

The ears are actually female flowers and the corn silks are the stigmas --the fe-male plant part that gets pollinated by

pollen from the male tassels. For each silk on which pollen from the tassel lands, one kernel of corn is pro-duced.

Corn is a good source of many nutrients including thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorous and man-ganese. Since heat rapidly converts the sugar in corn to starch, it is very important to keep corn refrigerated as soon as it is picked. Look for corn whose husks are fresh and

green and not dried out. They should envelope the ear and not fit too loosely around it. To examine the kernels,

pull back part of the husk. The kernels should be plump and tightly arranged in rows. You can test for the juiciness of the

corn by taking your fingernail and pressing on a kernel. Corn that is fresh will exude a white milky substance.

Store corn in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Do not remove its husk since this will protect its flavor. To enjoy its optimal sweet-ness, corn should be eaten as soon as possible.

Fresh corn freezes well if placed in heavy-duty freezer bags. To prepare whole ears for freezing, blanch them first for seven to eleven minutes depending upon their size (larger ears take a lon-ger time to blanch than smaller ones). If you just want to freeze the kernels, first blanch the ears for about five minutes and then cut the kernels off the cob at about three-quarters of their depths. Whole corn on the cob will keep for up to one year, while the kernels can be frozen for two to three months.

Corn Pancakes1-1/4 cups flour1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt2 eggs beaten1 cup milk2 TBS vegetable oil2 cups whole-kernel corn, cooked & cut off the cob

Sift the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl com-bine the eggs, milk and oil, then mix together with the dry ingredients. Stir in the corn. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into a preheated, lightly greased griddle or frying pan. Makes 12 medium pancakes.

Serving suggestions: Serve the pancakes with honey or maple syrup.Or: Add savoury herbs such as thyme or parsley, and finely diced red and green peppers to batter then serve pancakes with 1 cup of sour cream or yogurt mixed with a couple of tablespoonfuls of herbs, chipotle or jalapeno peppers & citrus juice

Salsa de Elote Fresh Corn Salsa

4 ears fresh corn, shucked1/2 med white onion, finely chopped1 to 2 minced fresh chiles- serrano or jalapeno1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed & chopped 3 TBS fresh lime juice1 tsp vegetable or olive oil1/2 tsp salt

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool under running water. With a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cobs. Place the corn kernels in a large bowl. Mix in the onion, chiles, tomato, cilantro, oil, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes 3 cups.

103

90 Croatia St. Toronto, ON M6H 1K9t: 416. 363. 6441 xt 221 f: 416. 363 0474 e: [email protected] www.foodshare.net

Vol. 12 No. 1 week of January 8th 2008Working with communities to ensure that everyone has access to sustainably produced, good, healthy food

The bi-weekly newsletter of FoodShare Toronto’s Good Food Box

Help us Replant ourselves!

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Happy New Year!! Thank you so much to all of the volunteers, coordinators, farmers, and staff that have made this year a success. In 2007 we helped our communities access healthy fresh produce by packing over 36,000 Good Food Boxes, sup-plying 85 schools with fresh produce, teaching children about composting, supporting community gardens, kitch-ens, Good Food Markets and farmers markets in Toronto.

The Good Food Boxes alone have roughly kept $100,000 in the pockets of our Good Food customers. Our ware-house moved close to 1 million dollars of fresh produce this year and approximately 65% of this was Ontario grown, and 28% of this produce was sourced from organ-ic farms. We also directly purchased produce from over 13 farmers, adding several new farms to our list.

Thank you, also, for being part of a community of people who believe that good food should be a reality for every-one. A community that is growing and becoming powerful enough to create long lasting changes. A community that already is helping local farmers, helping lower the cost of healthy produce, helping feed young minds, helping grow inspiring gardens in urban areas and helping educate our

communities about our food system and how they too can participate in making it better.

We can never really know exactly how much our actions now will influence life in the future. All we can do is forge ahead on hope that one day we will see the changes we wished for.

Best wishes for a GREAT 2008!from the GFB Team

(Mark-Jan, Zahra, Delsie, Cafeon, Lori, Moorthi, Sherry, Bill , Ed, Rajah,)and all the FoodShare staff.

GOOd fOOd bOx neWsleTTeR


recipes featured this week:

DELIVERIESORDER BY: - Wed. Jan. 9th for delivery in the week of Jan 14th- Wed. JAN16th for delivery in the week of Jan21st.

tel 416. 363. 6441 ext234 fax 416. 363 0474 e. [email protected]

SQUASHWinter squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and rela-tives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many dif-ferent varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and

flavor, they all share some common characteristics. Their shells are hard and difficult to pierce, enabling them to have long storage periods between one and six months. Their flesh is mildly sweet in flavor and finely grained in texture. Additionally, all have seed-containing hol-low inner cavities.

Varieties of winter squash include:* Butternut squash: Shaped like a large pear,

this squash has cream-colored skin, deep orange-colored flesh and a sweet flavor.* Acorn squash: With harvest green skin speckled with orange patches and pale yellow-orange flesh, this squash has a unique flavor that is a combination of sweet, nutty and peppery.* Hubbard squash: A larger-sized squash that can be dark green, grey-blue or orange-red in color, the Hub-

bard’s flavor is less sweet than many other varieties.

* Turban squash: Green in color and either speckled or striped, this winter squash has an or-

ange-yellow flesh whose taste is reminiscent of hazelnuts.* Pumpkins: The pumpkin with the most

flesh and sweetest taste is the small sized one known as sugar or pie pumpkin, the latter refer-

ring to its most notable culinary usage.

Modern day squash developed from the wild squash that origi-nated in an area between Guatemala and Mexico. Christopher Columbus brought squash back to Europe from the New World, and like other native American foods, their cultivation was in-troduced throughout the world by Portuguese and Spanish ex-plorers.

Choose ones that are firm, heavy for their size and have dull, not glossy, rinds. Avoid those with any signs of decay, which manifest as areas that are water-soaked areas or moldy. Winter squash is an excellent source of vitamin A. It is also a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and manganese. In addition, winter squash is a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, thiamin, copper, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, niacin and copper.

2 acorn or pepper squash 1 tsp salt2 large cooking apples; unpeeled 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup apple cider or juice

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Sprinkle with salt and place cut side down in baking pan. Cover and bake in 375:F oven until almost tender, about 40 minutes. Peel and cut into thick slices or wedges. Cut apples in half, core, and cut into thick slices or wedges. In small baking dish, arrange squash and apples alternately and overlapping slightly. Heat butter with syrup and cider. Pour over squash and apples. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender, basting often.

Baked Cider-Maple Squash With Apples

4 cups cooked squash or pumpkin, mashed or pured 1 TBS olive oil 1-1/2 cup chopped onion1 tsp salt 2 small bell peppers (one red and one green, if possible) minced4 medium cloves garlic, minced Black pepper and cayenne, to taste 1/2 cup firm yogurt 1 cup crumbled feta cheese Optional: Sunflower seeds and/or minced walnuts, for the top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the cooked and mashed or puréed squash in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skil-let. Add onion, and saute over medium heat for about 5 min-utes. Add salt and bell peppers. Saute about 5 minutes, or until the peppers begin to get soft. Add garlic, black pepper, and cayenne, and saute a few more minutes. Add the saute, along with yogurt and feta, to the squash, and mix well. Spread into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan, sprinkle the top lightly with sunflower seeds and/or minced walnuts. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Good served with Tabouli Salad or with warmed pita bread and Spinach Salad with ripe tomatoes.

Arabian Squash Casserole

105

APPENDIX:

GOOd fOOd bOx flYeR

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t.

How

do

I get

invo

lved

?

Ther

e ar

e tw

o w

ays:

you

can

beco

me

a vo

lunt

eer c

o-or

dina

tor b

y st

artin

g a

drop

-off

at y

our a

part

men

tbu

ildin

g,ch

urch

,com

mun

ity c

entr

e,da

ycar

e,et

c.if

you

have

8-1

0 pe

ople

who

wou

ld li

ke to

buy

a b

ox.

OR

you

can

cal

l us

and

find

out i

f the

re is

a d

rop-

off

near

you

whe

re y

ou c

an p

ick

up a

box

.

Wha

t is

in th

e Go

od F

ood

Box?

Ever

y de

liver

y th

e se

lect

ion

of fr

uits

and

veg

etab

les

in th

e bo

x ch

ange

s.Ba

sic

item

s su

ch a

s po

tato

es,

carr

ots,

onio

ns,a

pple

s,or

ange

s an

d ba

nana

s ar

ein

clud

ed in

the

box

mos

t tim

es.

We

choo

se th

e ot

her

item

s ac

cord

ing

to w

hat i

s go

od q

ualit

y,in

-sea

son

and

affo

rdab

le a

t the

tim

e.W

e su

ppor

t Ont

ario

farm

ers

as m

uch

as p

ossi

ble.

Can

I cho

ose

whi

ch it

ems

I get

?

No,

ever

yone

get

s th

e sa

me

thin

g.If

you

don'

t lik

e an

item

in y

our b

ox,o

ne o

ptio

n is

to tr

ade

it w

ith o

ther

sat

you

r sto

p.An

d w

e ar

e ha

ppy

to h

ear y

our

feed

back

on

the

mix

of f

oods

in th

e bo

x at

any

tim

e.W

e al

so in

clud

e a

new

slet

ter w

hich

giv

es y

oupr

epar

atio

n tip

s an

d re

cipe

s fo

r mor

e un

usua

l ite

ms,

as w

ell a

s up

date

s on

Foo

dSha

re a

ctiv

ities

,nut

ritio

nal

info

rmat

ion

and

new

s ab

out f

ood

issu

es.

How

muc

h m

oney

will

I sa

ve?

The

valu

e of

the

$17

box

at a

regu

lar s

uper

mar

ket

rang

es b

etw

een

$25

and

$27,

depe

ndin

g on

the

stor

ean

d th

e tim

e of

yea

r.

107

APPENDIX:

FoodShare Annual Farmers meeting

“Produce and Policy”Thursday March 6th, 2008, 9am to 3pm

FoodShare Toronto, 90 Croatia St. (Dufferin/Bloor)

(enter at north west corner of building).Dear Farmer,

Thank you for your continued commitment, or interest in FoodShare’s mission of working with

communities to improve access to affordable,healthy and local food. This year we hope to partner with

your farm or organization to source fresh produce for one of our three programs: The Good Food Box, The

Good Food Markets, and The Field to Schools program. We would also like to have a strategic meeting to

discuss policy recommendations that would help improve the viability of farming and also improve the

overall health of our communities.

We also invite you to join us for a prepared lunch.

Please RSVP Mark-Jan Daalderop

416-363-6441 ex 223

[email protected]

Agenda:

9:00 Coffee/tea/snacks

9:30 Introduction of Attendees

10:00 FoodShare’s projects:Planning and partnering

11:30 Policy presentation by Debbie Field, executive director of FoodShare

12:00 Prepared Lunch

1:00 Policy recommendation brainstorm for Municipal, Provincial and Federal governments

2:00 Tour of new Facility

2:30 Big apple crunch activity with 100 grade 3/4 students (chance for students to meet the farmers)

annual GOOd fOOd bOx faRMeRs MeeTInG flYeR

AnnuAl Good Food Box FARMeRS MeeTInG FlYeR

good food box - good healthy food for all!foodshare · good food box: a manual how to start a...

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