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Social Innovation in Food Banks An Environmental Scan of Social Innovation in Canadian and US Food Banks Summer 2016

ThisprojecthasbeenconvenedandoverseenbytheGreaterVancouverFoodBank.Theadvising,research,andreportproductionforthisprojecthasbeenprovidedbyUrbanFoodStrategiesPrincipalJaninedelaSalle&Associate,JamieUnwin.FundingwasprovidedbyMapleLeafFoodsaspartoftheirsustainabilitycommitmentsandpriorities.Pleasevisitwww.mapleleafsustainability.comformoreinformation.

Foreword LikeotherfoodbanksinCanadaandtheUS,TheGreaterVancouverFoodBank(GVFB)isundertakingashiftawayfromstand-aloneemergencyfoodservicestolong-term,community-widestrategiesthataddressthecorecausesoffoodinsecurity.Aspartofthisjourney,wewantedtobetterunderstandwhatotherfoodbanksaredoingaspartofasimilarshift.Weconvenedthisresearchprojecttoachievethefollowingobjectives:

1. EstablishanunderstandingofthecontinuumofsocialinnovationandbestpracticeswithinfoodbanksinCanadaaswellasidentifykeyreferencepointsintheUnitedStates.

2. Produceanddisseminateaclearandconcisesummaryoftheresearchfindingstoprojectparticipants,foodbankassociations,andcommunityhealthpartners.

3. Tocontributetothecommunityoflearningwithinfoodbanksbyengagingdiscussionaroundstrategiesandlearningsforchallengingthestatusquointheemergencyfoodsystem.

Withinitiativeslikethiswearesettingoutonanewpathwayforbetterfoodbankingandamethodofevaluatingtheinitiativeswebegin.Werecognizethatnoteveryseedwilltakeroot.Somewewillplantandrealizewedon’thavetherighttools,orthetimingisn’tright;otherswillthriveandstrengthenourvision.Ittakesateamofgardenerstosustainanycommunitygarden.Likewise,oureffortswillonlyflourishthroughthehardworkoftheincrediblestaff,volunteersandthethousandsofpartnerswhomakeourworkpossible.Iwanttothankeveryonewhoparticipatedinthisresearchandthosewhobelieveinourabilitytosupportfoodsecurityinourcommunities.

Together,wecanandareseedingthefutureandeffectingrealchange.

AartSchuurmanHess,CEO

GreaterVancouverFoodBankSociety

Acknowledgements Manycontributedtothecreationofthisreport.Theentireprojectteamwishestoextendawarmthankyoutotheleaderswhospokewithusandwhosharedtheirpassionandinsightsfromthefrontlinesofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.Wewishtorecognizetheseorganizationsaswellasacknowledgethesignificantcommunityofpracticethatisemerginginthisarea.

CaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks Oakland,California USACommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizona Tucson,Arizona USADailyBreadFoodBank Toronto,Ontario CanadaFeedingAmerica Chicago,Illinois USAFoodBankofCentralNewYork Syracuse,NewYork USAFoodBanksCanada Mississauga,Ontario CanadaFoodGatherers AnnArbor,Michigan USAGreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBank Duquesne,Pennsylvania USAGreaterVancouverFoodBankSociety Vancouver,BritishColumbia CanadaGreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentre Fredericton,NewBrunswick CanadaInterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridge Lethbridge,Alberta CanadaKamloopsFoodBank Kamloops,BritishColumbia CanadaNelsonFoodCupboard Nelson,BritishColumbia CanadaOregonFoodBank Portland,Oregon USAOttawaFoodBank Ottawa,Ontario CanadaSaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentre Saskatoon,Saskatchewan CanadaSecondHarvest Toronto,Ontario CanadaTheSTOP Toronto,Ontario Canada

Executive Summary Foodbanksarechanging.OrganizationsacrossNorthAmericaaretakingacriticallookattheirroleafterprovidingemergencyfoodservicesforover30years.AlthoughfoodbankinghasexistedasatemporarysolutiontofoodinsecurityandhungerinCanadaandtheUSsincethe1980s,foodbankusecontinuestorise.Manyfoodbanksarestrugglingtomeetthedemandundercurrentmodels.Therealizationthatfoodbanksarenolongeronlyservingemergencyfoodneeds,butrathercontendingwithchronicfoodinsecuritycallsintoquestionhowfoodbankscanbetterservethelong-termhealth,socialjustice,andresilienceofcommunities.Manyfoodbanksareincreasinglyrecognizingthattheyneedtoadvocateandactaroundthesystemiccausesofpovertyandfoodinsecurityinordertocreatereal,lastingchange.

Arangeofnewperspectivesarefuelinggreatercollaborationandappreciationfortherighttofood.iJustice-orientedapproaches,focusedonenablingafullrangeofparticipationincommunity(includingaccesstofood),withdignityandwithoutoppression,areincreasinglycentral.Similarly,concernsaroundpublichealthinequitiesanddiet-relatedillnessmoreoftenincludeastructurallensthatincludeslookingatthemanysocialdeterminantsofhealthandfoodinsecurity.Thesecommunity,orsystem-orientedperspectiveshavepromptedanewwaveofwhatwetermhere,‘socialinnovation,’withinthefoodbankingsector.

ThisresearchwasundertakentofillagapintheinformationaroundwhatsocialinnovationmeansinthecontextoffoodbankingandhowfoodbanksinCanadaandtheUSaregrowinganddiversifyingtheircontributiontowardscommunityfoodsecurity.Throughreviewingonlineandpeer-reviewliteratureaswellasspeakingto19leadersfromfoodbanksacrossCanadaandtheUS,thisenvironmentalscanofsocialinnovationinCanadaandtheUSattemptstoanswerthequestion:WhatarefoodbanksinCanadaandtheUnitedStatesdoingtofostersociallyinnovativepracticestomaketheshifttowardscommunityfoodsecurity?

Thirteendimensions,oraspects,ofsocialinnovationinfoodbanksareoutlinedastheframeworkforthisresearch.Thesedimensionsaredefinedasthecorefunctionalareasoffoodbankwork,aswellasnewareasofactivityforfoodbanks.Fromhere,cross-cutting

themes,orpatternsofsocialinnovationamongthesedimensionsprovideinsightintothestrategiesthatareenablingfoodbankstochallengethestatusquoandshifttowardsacommunityfoodsecuritymodeloffoodbanking.

Theninepatternsofsocialinnovationderivedfromtheresearchfindingsaresummarizedas:

1) Creating a platform for shift 2) Taking a whole systems approach 3) Focusing on quality over quantity 4) Scaling out not up 5) Creating a healthy and dynamic culture of shift 6) Balancing change with the immediate need for emergency

food services 7) Engaging new voices 8) Starting with assets 9) Working upstream

ThisresearchfindsthatthereisasignificantamountofsocialinnovationoccurringinfoodbanksinCanadaandtheUS.Whilethereisgreatdiversityinhowthisisbeingapproachedandexpressed,thecommonthreadofmovingtowardsacommunityfoodsecuritymodelandusingasystem-orientedlens,providespowerfulalignmentforsocialchangeandinnovationinfoodbanks.Throughthisprocess,itwasalsofoundthatthereisanappetiteforthisinformationandwillingnessoffoodbankleaderstoparticipateinandcontributetoacommunityofpracticearoundthequestionsasked.Deeperresearchandengagementisrecommendedtofostertheseopportunitiesandcontinueknowledgesharing.

Table of Contents 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1

1.1. The Rise of Chronic Food Insecurity .......................................................................................... 11.2. Perspectives on Food Banks ..................................................................................................... 31.3. The Knowledge Gap: Report Objectives .................................................................................... 41.4. Terminology ............................................................................................................................... 5

2. Research Methods & Phases ................................................................... 82.1. Research Methods ..................................................................................................................... 82.2. Research Phases ....................................................................................................................... 8

3. Defining Social Innovation in Food Banks .................................................. 93.1. A Broad Definition of Social Innovation ..................................................................................... 93.2. Food Bank Definition of Social Innovation ................................................................................. 93.3. Dimensions of Social Innovation in Food Banks ...................................................................... 10

4. Key Findings .......................................................................................... 124.1. Strategic Planning .................................................................................................................... 124.2. Food Distribution to Members & Partner Agencies ................................................................. 144.3. Data Collection & Metrics ......................................................................................................... 174.4. Governance Strategies ............................................................................................................. 194.5. Human Resources .................................................................................................................... 204.6. Partnerships ............................................................................................................................. 234.7. Programming & Member Engagement ..................................................................................... 244.8. Community & Donor, Education & Engagement ...................................................................... 264.9. Advocacy ................................................................................................................................. 274.10. Development & Finance ......................................................................................................... 294.11. Food Purchasing .................................................................................................................... 324.12. Food Recovery ....................................................................................................................... 334.13. Communications .................................................................................................................... 35

5. Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................... 365.1. Patterns of Social Innovation in Food Banks ........................................................................... 365.2. Recommendations for Further Research and Engagement ..................................................... 38

6. Appendices ........................................................................................... 406.1. Invitation to Participate Letter .................................................................................................. 406.2. Self-Assessment Survey .......................................................................................................... 426.3. Interview Questions .................................................................................................................. 446.4. Food Bank Contact Sheet ........................................................................................................ 456.5. Socially Innovative Food Bank Programming .......................................................................... 46

7. End Notes and References .................................................................... 51

ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 1Summer 2016

1. Introduction Foodbanksarechanging.Afterprovidingemergencyfoodservicesforover30years,theyaredeeplyquestioningtheirrolewithintheirrespectivecommunitiesandmorebroadlywithinsociety.Althoughfoodbankswereoriginallyestablishedinthe1980stoaddressemergencyfoodneeds,chronicfoodbankusecontinuestoriseandfoodbanksarestrugglingtomeetdemandundercurrentmodels.2,3,4Therealizationthatfoodbanksarenotonlyaddressingtemporaryemergencyfoodneedsbutalsomanagingthefront-linesofchronicfoodinsecurityinNorthAmericahascausedfoodbanksandtheirsupporterstochallengethestatusquoandcallforsystemschange.

Persistentandchronicfoodinsecurityamongmoredeveloped,orhigherincome,countriesdisplaysbothgovernmentandmarketfailuresinfoodprovision,furtherhighlightingthelackofpolicyorpracticeinsecuringfoodasahumanrightorhonouringitasacommunityvalue.Italsocentersanemergentandongoingacknowledgementonthesocialdeterminantsofhealth(SDH),includingincomestatusandhousing,andtheirinfluenceonfoodsecurity.Italsocallsintoquestiontheabilityofmillionsoffoodinsecureindividualstofullyparticipateintheircommunitieswithdignityandwithoutoppression.Thelackofsocialjusticewithinthefoodsystem,isfurtherdemonstratedbytheprevalenceofdiet-relatedillnesses,theirconcurrentcostsonthehealthcaresystem(estimatedat4toover7billiondollarsannuallyinCanada5),andcompoundedbytheprevalenceofprocessedandconveniencefoodsfullofsugar,badfats,andsalt.Thisreportsummarizesthecurrentlandscapeofsocialinnovationinfoodbanksandsupportsongoingworkingrowingacommunityofpracticearoundsystemschangewithinthecharitablefoodsector.

1.1. The Rise of Chronic Food Insecurity

The Data Trends on Canadian Household Food Security Foodsecurityhasnotbeenmeasuredonanationalscaleuntilrecently.Since2004,andmostrecentlyin2012,theHouseholdFoodSecuritySurveyModulewasadministeredinallprovincesandterritoriesaspartofStatisticsCanada’sannualCanadianCommunityHealthSurvey(CCHS).ThisprovidesthemostdetailedinformationonlevelsoffoodinsecurityinCanada.ThisdatashowsthatfoodinsecurityhasremainedconstantInCanadafrom2007-2012with8%ofadultsand5%ofchildrenbeingfoodinsecure.Morerecentinformationindicatesthat8.3%,or1.1millionCanadianhouseholds,experiencedfoodinsecuritybetween2011and2012.6

However,asnotedbyprominentCanadianfoodsecurityresearchers,Tarasuketal(2012),theCCHSdoesnotaccountforfull-timemembersoftheCanadianforces,thoselivingonFirstNationReservesorCrownlands,thoselivinginprisons,insomeadministrativeregionsorhealthinstitutions,orthosewithoutahome.7Tarasuketal.(2012)useCCHSdatatoestimatethatfoodinsecuritylevelshavebeenincreasing,ratherthanremainingconstant,since2007.Their

“Wearea$12millionayeartemporarysolution.Wefeed50,000peopleeverymonth,30,000ofwhomarefedthrough29communityfoodbanks.Thatisasignificantamountofmoney.Ibelievethere'sanopportunityforfoodbankstonotonlyprovideemergencyhelp,buttocontributetowardssolvingtheissue

OTTAWAFOODBANK


estimatesoffoodinsecurityarelargerthanthosereleasedinearlierreportsbyHealthCanadaandStatisticsCanadabecauseoftwokeydifferences:1)The2012studyestimatesconsiderallmembersofhouseholdsclassifiedasfoodinsecure,whereasHealthCanadaandStatisticsCanadaonlyreportonfoodinsecurityamongthose12yearsofageandolderand2)The2012studyestimateshaveincludedmarginallyfoodinsecurehouseholdsincalculations,whereasStatisticsCanada’sandHealthCanada’sreportshaveonlycountedpeoplelivinginmoderatelyandseverelyfoodinsecurehouseholds.

Byincludingmarginalfoodinsecurehouseholds,theseestimatesshowthathouseholdfoodinsecurityhasrisensignificantlysince2008,bringingtheestimatednationaltotaltoover4millionpeople(4,005,000),or12.5%ofCanadianhouseholds.Tarasuketal.(2012)furtherestimatethatin2012,16.5%ofchildrenunder18,oraboutoneinsix,livedinhouseholdsthatexperiencedfoodinsecurity.Tobetterdescribethecontinuumoffoodinsecurity,threegradationsoffoodsecurityarepresentedaspartofthe2012study:severe,moderateandmarginal.Theseintensitiesoffoodinsecurityaredefinedandmeasuredfrom2007-2012inFigure1totheside.

The food bank response to household food insecurity Todate,foodbanks,havegenerallybeenthesingularstrategywithinNorthAmerica,(withtheUShavingtheSupplementalNutritionAssistancePrograminaddition)torespondtothiscompoundcrisis.Manyarguetheyfillwhatshouldbeagovernmentresponsibilityinprotecting

Figure1:CanadianHouseholdFoodSecurity.Source:Tarasuket.al(2012).


andpromotingpublichealth.Thisrealityiscompellingasignificantshiftinhowfoodbanksseethemselvesasactorsinaddressingtherootcausesofchronicfoodinsecurity.Thegoodnewsisthatmanyalliancesareformingtofindnewsociallyinnovativewaysforwardtogether.Thisresearchreportisinitselfasymboloftheseemergingpartnerships.

Asnotedabove,therehasbeenariseoffoodinsecurityinCanadasinceconsistentmonitoringbeganin2007.8Thisisoftenattributedtoagenerallackofpublicpolicymeasuresthataddresshungerandfoodinsecurity.Undertheseconditions,foodbankshavebecomethefront-lineofoneofthemostsignificantaspectsofcommunityandindividualhealth.9AccordingtoFoodBankCanada’sHungerCount,1800foodbanksand10provincialnetworksdistributedfoodtonolessthan700,000peoplepermonthoverthepast15years,10with852,137peoplebeingservedinMarchof2015.11TheHungerCountalsohighlightstheunevenspreadofhungerinCanada;householdsinCanada’snorthexperienceextremelyhighlevelsoffoodinsecurity,rangingfrom17%ofhouseholdsinYukon,to45%ofhouseholdsinNunavut.12

Canadianresearchhasalsofoundthatitiscommonforpeoplewhousefoodbankstostillreportbeingfoodinsecure,despitereceivingfoodassistance,andthattherearepersistentconcernsfromfoodbankmembersregardingthenutritionalquality,safety,andaccessibilityoffoodandthesocialacceptabilityofsuchprograms.13Inresponse,foodbanksarenowchallengedwithadualrole;meetingincreasingdemand14whilealsoshiftingsystemstoincreasequalityoffoodandevolvethecharitablefoodmodeltoalignwithcommunityfoodsecuritymodelsandpractices.

TheUSisexperiencingasimilarpatterninfoodbankuse.Nationally,theUSexperiencedadropinusefrom2011(14.9%)to2014(14%)howevertherateofverylowfoodsecuritywasessentiallyunchangedfrom5.6%in2013and5.7%in2011and2012.15In2010,foodbanksfedapproximately12%ofUShouseholds,16andin2013theFeedingAmericanetworkoffoodbanksserved14%oftheUSpopulation.17

However,theseandotherfoodbank-use-basednumbersdonotindicatetheoverallleveloffoodinsecurityinacommunity.Itisestimatedthatonlyoneinfourpeoplewhoarefoodinsecureuseafoodbank18;thatis,themajorityoffoodinsecurehouseholdsarenotcurrentlyusingfoodbanks.19WhileFoodBankCanada’sHungerCountDocumentisausefultoolforbeginningtounderstandtheleveloffoodinsecurity,thestatisticsunderstandablydonotincludethosepeopleturnedaway,unwillingorunabletovisit,orthoseusingequivalentservicesthatarenotaffiliatedwithFoodBanksCanada.20Inshort,thenumberofpeopleservedbyfoodbanksisnotasensitivemeasureoffoodneedsinacommunity.Thiscontradictsacommonlyheldideathatfoodbanksareabletoaddressshort-termandacutefoodinsecurityneedscomprehensively.21

1.2. Perspectives on Food Banks Asfoodbanksworktoservemoreandmorepeopleandwithestimatesshowinganincreaseinfoodinsecuritythatwillcontinuetoputpressureonfoodbanks,manyobservers,includingfoodbanks,havequestionednotnecessarilytheneedforemergencyfoodservices(especially


consideringthestagnationofmedianearningsinCanadafrom1980-200522),buthowfoodbankscanbecomeapartofreducingtemporaryandchronicfoodinsecurity/increasecommunityfoodsecurity.Largely,foodbanksaremanagingasignificantaspectofcommunityhealththroughend-of-thepipeapproachesthathavenothistoricallyworkedtoaddressmoresystemiccausesofpovertyandfoodinsecurity.Thoughfoodbankswereneveroriginallyintendedordesignedtomanagechronicfoodinsecurityonalong-termbasis,withanemergingspiritofcollaboration,understanding,justice,andempathy,foodbankscanrealigntheirsignificantassetstocontributetolong-termgoalsandfoodsystemschange.

Otherobservershavequestionedtherolefoodbanksevenmoredeeply,suggestingthatfoodbanksperpetuateanunhealthyandunjustsystemandfillinganessentialservicegapthatshouldbeagovernmentresponsibilityand,therefore,foodbanksshouldnotexist.Toacertainextentthisperspectivehasledtotensionsamongcommunityfoodsecuritystakeholderscharacterizedbyalackofrespect,dialogue,orwillingnesstocollaborateonsolutions.

However,thisdynamichasbeguntosoften,newdialogueshavesparked,andthereisagroundswellwithinthefoodbankcommunityinshiftingtheirrolefromsolelyemergencyfoodservicestoonethatsupportscollaborativelong-termsolutionsforcommunityfoodsecurityandsocialjustice.Thistrendalsoincludestheemergenceofsocialjusticemovementsthatroundlyincludefoodaccessasalenstosocio-economicissues.Similartootherinnovationcurves,thereareafewleaderswhoareoutinfrontandhavebeenworkingonorganizationalshiftsfordecades.Othersarenewlyseeingthebenefitsofchangeandothersyetarestillintheearlystagesofunderstandingwheretheyareatandwheretheywanttogo.Notallfoodbankingorganizationsseethevalueofmakingtheshifttoacommunityfoodsecuritymodel,definedonthenextpage.

Thisreportintentionallyadoptsabroadandinclusivedefinitionofsocialinnovationasanyfoodbankactivitythataddressestherootcausesoffoodinsecurityandtakesmeaningfulstepstowardssystemschange.Webelievethisapproachwillfurthergalvanizealargenumberoffoodbanks(andtheirsupporters)inshiftingtoacommunityfoodsecuritymodel.Further,asfoodbanksandtheirpartnersputimpactevaluationframeworksinplace,thesocialinnovationsthatarebeingimplementedmaybefurtherassessedandlearnedfrom.

1.3. The Knowledge Gap: Report Objectives Applyingsocialinnovationtothecharitablefoodsectorisanemergingfield,largelyborrowedfromthebusinesscommunity.WhiletherearesomeexcellentreportsandarticlesonthetopicofchangeinfoodbanksincludingBuildingtheBridge:LinkingFoodBankingandCommunityFoodSecurity(2005)23;FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto(2013)24;CookingUpCommunity:NutritionEducationinEmergencyFoodPrograms(2013)25;andASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities(2014)26,thereisnoknownscanofsocialinnovationofCanadianandUSfoodbanksthatconsolidatesinformationfromtheliteratureaswellasone-on-oneinterviewswithfront-lineleadersofsocialchangeinfoodbanks.Thisresearchisthefirststepinfillingthisknowledgegap.


Research Question Inordertobetterunderstanditsownroleaspartofthisshiftinglandscape,theGreaterVancouverFoodBankSocietycommissionedthisresearchtoanswertheresearchquestion:

What are food banks in Canada and the United States doing to foster socially innovative practices to make the shift towards community food security?

Thisresearchreportattemptstoanswerthisquestionbydrawingfromcurrentliteratureaswellasinterviewswith19foodbankleaders.Section2providesanoverviewoftheresearchmethods,Section3presentsaframeworkforinvestigation,Section4presentsthekeyfindings,andSection5drawsoutpatternsofinnovationandoutlinesconclusionsandrecommendationsforfurtherwork.

ThisreporthasbeenwrittenfromtheperspectiveoftheresearchteamastobeabletoincludetheworkoftheGreaterVancouverFoodBankinthereportfindings.AlthoughtheGVFBhasconvenedthisresearchandcontributedtothisreport,theyarealsoasocialinnovatorandparticipantintheresearch.AlleffortshavebeenmadetotreatGVFBactivitiesequally(i.e.astonotoverorunderrepresenttheirwork).

Thisinformationisintendedforanypersonororganizationwhoisinterestedinhowfoodbanksarerealigningtheirassetsandshiftingtheirpracticesandpoliciestoachievecommunityfoodsecurity.Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtofoodbanksandfoodbankassociations,charitablefoodorganizations,foodsecurityorganizations(staff,members,volunteers,agencies,anddonors),healthserviceproviders,MinistriesofHealth,RegionalHealthAuthorities,andUniversities.

Research Objectives Thisresearchhasthreekeyobjectives:

1. EstablishanunderstandingofthecontinuumofsocialinnovationandbestpracticeswithinfoodbanksinCanadaaswellasidentifykeyreferencepointsintheUnitedStates.



1.4. Terminology Associalinnovationinfoodbanksisanemergentpractice,languageisbeginningtoevolvetobetterdescribeandreflectcomplexityandchangingperspectives.Beingreflectiveaboutlanguageandconsciouslychangingandadaptinglanguage,appreciatingthesignificanceofhow


languageaffectsbehaviourandculturechange,maybeconsideredaninnovationin-and-ofitself.

Keyterminologyisofferedheretocreateclarityininterpretingtheliteratureandinterviewfindings.Thesetermsareintendedasworkingdefinitions,recognizingtheemergentnatureofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.

Food Bank Member Historicallyandcurrently,someFoodBanksusetheterm“client”or“recipient”todenotepeoplewhousefoodbanks.Thislanguageispredicateduponamoretransactionalmodeloffoodbanks.Intheshifttoamorerelationalmodel,thistermisincreasinglybeingquestioned.BasedonhowtheGreaterVancouverFoodBankhasbeguntochangeitsmodelandlanguage,thisreportusesthetermfoodbankmembertorefertoapersonwhoisdirectlyaccessingthefoodbanktoreceiveafoodhamper,apreparedmeal,and/ortoparticipateinafoodbankconvenedprogram.

Social Justice Whilesocialjusticecanbeusedandinvokedinnumerousways,weuseadefinitionofsocialjusticethatrecognizes“societyisstratifiedinsignificantandfar-reachingwaysalongsocialgrouplinesthatincluderace,class,gender,sexualityandability,amongothers.”27Thesedivisionssustainunequalaccesstoresourcesalonggrouplinesthatcanoccuratthemicro(individual)andmacro(structural)level,and(have)result(ed)inhistoricalandongoingtrauma.Thepracticeofsocialjustice,therefore,encompassestheworkofthinkingcriticallyaboutourownpositionswithinthesegroups,andactingfromthatawarenessinwaystochallengeorequalizetheseunequalpowerrelations.Addressingtheseinequitiesisdoneinserviceofallowingindividualsafullrangeofparticipationintheircommunity,withdignityandwithoutoppression.28,29

Foodsecurityprovidesanimportantlensforunderstandingandmakingchangetowardscreatingmoresociallyjustcommunities.

Community food security Communityfoodsecurityisarelativelynewtermusedinthisresearchtoindicatetheultimateoutcomeofsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsector.Communityfoodsecurityis:

Asituationinwhichallcommunityresidentsobtainasafe,culturallyacceptable,nutritionallyadequatedietthroughasustainablefoodsystemthatmaximizecommunityself-relianceandsocialjustice.30

Thistermassumesthattheinterconnectedsystemsandorganizationsthatimpacthuman,ecological,andeconomichealtharealignedtogeneratelonglastingandsustainablesolutions.Individualorhouseholdfoodsecuritylooksmorecloselyatthehealthoftheindividualonanutritionalandfoodaccessbasis,aimingtomovepeopleverticallyfromlowtohighfoodsecurity.Whilehouseholdfoodsecurityisawidelyunderstoodandusedterm,thisresearch


hypothesizesthatsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsectorhappensatthecommunitylevel,radiatingouthorizontally.Communityfoodsecuritymaybefurtherunderstoodas:

Arelativelynewconceptthatcapturesemergingideasaboutthecentralplaceoffoodincommunities.Attimesitreferstothemeasureoffoodaccessandavailabilityatthecommunitylevel,andatothertimestoagoalorframeworkforplace-basedfoodsystems.Itbuildsuponthemorecommonlyunderstoodconceptoffoodsecurity,whichreferstofoodaccessandavailabilityatanindividualorhouseholdlevel(inhealthandsocialpolicy,forinstance)andatanationalorgloballevel(e.g.,ininternationaldevelopmentandaidwork).Communityfoodsecurityinvolvessocial,economic,andinstitutionalfactors,andtheirinterrelationshipswithinacommunitythatimpactavailabilityandaccesstoresourcestoproducefoodlocally.Ittakesintoaccountenvironmentalsustainabilityandsocialfairness,throughmeasuresoftheavailabilityandaffordabilityoffoodinthatcommunityrelativetothefinancialresourcesavailabletopurchaseorproduceit.31

Food security ThemostwidelyaccepteddefinitionoffoodsecuritycomesfromtheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations:

FoodSecurityexistswhenallpeople,atalltimes,havephysicalandeconomicaccesstosufficient,safeandnutritiousfoodtomeettheirdietaryneedsandfoodpreferencesforanactiveandhealthylife.32

ThisdefinitionwasadoptedbyCanadaattheWorldFoodSummitinRome1996.

Chronic food insecurity ChronicfoodinsecurityisatermthatacknowledgestheentrenchednatureoffoodinsecurityformanyCanadiansanddescribesastatewherepeoplearenotabletomeetthebasicneedsforthemselvesandtheirfamiliesonalong-termbasis.Chronicfoodinsecurityis:

Thelong-termorpersistentinabilityforpeopletomeettheirminimumfoodrequirementsoverasustainedperiodoftime.Chronicfoodinsecurityistheresultofextendedperiodsofpoverty,lackofassetsandinadequateaccesstoproductiveorfinancialresources.33


2. Research Methods & Phases 2.1. Research Methods Theresearchteamusedsecondarydatacollectionintheformofareviewofcurrentliteratureandonlineresourcesonsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.Approximately60sourcesincludingjournalarticles,reports,andwebsiteswerereviewedandhighlightsfromthisresearchhavebeenintegratedintothefindingssectionofthisreport.

Theteamalsousedprimarydatacollectionintheformofone-on-oneinterviewswithcharitablefoodorganizationsinCanadaandtheUS.Organizationsthatwereknowntobeactivelyundertakingandpromotingsociallyinnovativechangesweretargetedfortheresearch.Aftercontacting50potentialinterviewparticipants,theteamsuccessfullyheld19forty-fiveminuteinterviewswith18organizations.RecognitionoftheseorganizationsisprovidedintheAcknowledgementssectionatthebeginningofthisreport.MaterialsusedintheseinterviewsincludingtheinvitationtoparticipateletterandinterviewquestionsareprovidedinAppendices6.1and6.2.

2.2. Research Phases Thisenvironmentalscanwasconductedoverthecourseoffivemonthsandconsistsofthreemajorphases.RecommendationsfornextstepsandprojectphasesareincludedinSection6.

Phase 1: Kick-Off&InternalScan

Phase 2: LiteratureReviews&Interviews

• Reviewpublicandinternaldocuments• GVFBteamknowledgeexchange• Participantidentificationandpre-interviewpreparation(i.e.

self-assessmentsurvey,invitationtoparticipateletter,socialinnovationdefinitiondraft)

• LiteraturereviewofexistingassessmentsofinnovationinCanadianfoodbanksconducted

• High-levelscanofsociallyinnovativeUSfoodbanksandinnovativepracticestoestablishkeyreferencepointsconducted

• Invitationstofoodbanksarrive• Self-assessmentsurveysarriveatfoodbanksbeinginterviewed• Interviewsareconducted

Phase 3: AnalysisandReportDevelopment

• Findingsareconsolidated• Finalreportdrafted• Finalreportcirculated


3. Defining Social Innovation in Food Banks

Inordertoeffectivelyapproachtheresearch,aworkingdefinitionforsocialinnovationinfoodbankshasbeendeveloped.Workinginitiallyfromtheliteratureandthentestingthedefinitionwith18majorfoodbanks,thisresearchprovidesthefirstworkingdefinitionofsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsector.Thissectiondescribessocialinnovationbroadly,defineswhatsocialinnovationmeansinthecontextoffoodbanks,andpresentsthe13dimensionsofsocialinnovationincharitablefoodorganizations.

3.1. A Broad Definition of Social Innovation Ageneraldefinitionofsocialinnovationisprovidedheretoestablishastartingpointforhowtoviewsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsector.AccordingtotheCentreforSocialInnovation,socialinnovationisdefinedas:

Thecreation,development,adoption,andintegrationofnewconceptsandpracticesthatputpeopleandtheplanetfirst.SocialInnovationsresolveexistingsocial,cultural,economic,andenvironmentalchallenges.Somesocialinnovationsaresystems-changing–theypermanentlyaltertheperceptions,behaviours,andstructuresthatpreviouslygaverisetothesechallenges…Socialinnovationscomefromindividuals,groupsororganizations,andcantakeplaceinthefor-profit,non-profitandpublicsectors.Increasingly,theyarehappeninginthespacesbetweenthesethreesectorsasperspectivescollidetosparknewwaysofthinking.34

3.2. Food Bank Definition of Social Innovation Fundamentally,thisresearchdefinessocialinnovationasthere-strategizingofthefoodbankmodelforincreasedimpactandefficiencytowardscommunityfoodsecurity.Drawingfromthebroaddefinitionofsocialinnovation,aworkingdefinitionforsocialinnovationinfoodbanksis:

• There-strategizingofthefoodbankmodelforincreasedimpactandefficiencytowardscommunityfoodsecurity;

• There-thinkingofexistingmodelstotrytoincreasethespreadofbenefitsfromtheprocesstoencompassenvironmental,social,andeconomicsustainabilityandjustice;

• Addressingroot,orsystemic,causesofhungerandfoodilliteracy;

• Sometimesasmallpartofalarger“non-innovative”system;

• Oftenincremental;and,

• Mayinvolvetheadaptationofoldideastonewcontextsaswellasnewideas.


3.3. Dimensions of Social Innovation in Food Banks Basedontheliteratureandinformationfromfoodbanks,therearethirteencorefunctionalareas,ordimensions,ofcharitablefoodorganizations.Socialinnovationmayoccurinoneormanyoftheseareasandcanoccuratdifferentscales.Inthisway,itispossibletoincludethemanyactivitiesthatfoodbanksareundertakingthathavenothistoricallybeenrecognizedassocialinnovation.Thisresearchtheorizesthatanyorganizationthatisattemptingtoshiftfromshort-termcharitablefoodbasedsolutionstolong-termcommunityfoodsecuritybasedpracticestoanyextentisinvolvedinsocialinnovation.Inthiswayandinthecontextofthecharitablefoodsector,therecanbedegreesofsocialinnovationwithineachdimension.ThesedimensionsaredescribedinFigure2andTable1below.Atthisearlyphaseofresearch,wecurrentlylackthelevelofimpactassessmentanddetailedinformationaboutprogramstoassessthedegreetowhichpracticesaresociallyinnovative.Therefore,theresearchfindingspresentedinthesethirteencoreareasdescribethebreadthofactivities,perspectives,challenges,andresponsesfoodbanksareundergoing.

Figure2:DimensionsofSocialInnovation


Table1:SocialInnovationExamplesinFoodBanks

FoodBankArea ExamplesofSocialInnovation

StrategicPlanning Thedevelopmentofstrategicplanscontainingnewvisions,missions,values,philosophies,goals,andobjectivesthatsupportcommunityfoodsecurityandsocialjustice.

FoodDistributiontoMembers&PartnerAgencies

Creatingamoredignifiedandwelcomingprocessformembers,increasingthenutritionoffoodbeingdistributed/chosen,reducingfoodaccessbarriers(hoursofoperation,informationrequired).

DataCollection&Metrics

Establishingworkabledatacollectionsystemstomeasureimpactofprogramsandoveralloperationsandconductingadditionalresearchtoidentifyprogramminggapsandpotentialoverlaps.

GovernanceStrategies

Updatingbylawstoreflectthelegalstructurerequiredtotakeonarangeofstrategiestoincreasecommunityfoodsecurity,increasingboardmemberdiversityandcommunityvoiceattheboardlevel.

HumanResources Increasingstaffandvolunteerengagement,support,andretention;celebratingvolunteers/staffthroughteammemberofthemonthannouncements;and,providingvolunteer/stafflearningopportunities.

Partnerships Maintainingexistingandforgingnewpartnershipstoshareknowledge,measureimpact,raisefunds,andlaunchcampaigns,amongothers.

Programming Educationandcapacitybuilding;mealpreparation,nutritionalprogramming,andgardeningprogramming;and,incorporatingcasemanagementapproachestoprogramming.

Community&Donor,Education&Engagement

Undertakingpublicengagementeffortstode-stigmatizefoodbankuseandraisedonorawareness,creatingtools,resources,andpoliciesthatfocusonimprovingthequalityoffooddonated.

Advocacy Undertakingpublicpolicyworkfocusedonincreasingcommunityfoodsecurityincludingpushingforfederalandprovincialanti-povertylegislation.

Development&Finance

Usingfundraisingmechanismsandfinancingapproachestoincreasecommunityfoodsecurityincludinginnovativecampaignsandmutuallybeneficialbusinesspartnershipswithfarmers.

FoodPurchasing Developinglocalfoodprocurementrelationshipsandincreasingthenutritionoffoodpurchased.

FoodRecovery&WasteManagement

Recoveringfoodfromhealthysources,establishingprocessingandstoragecapacityforunlovedproduce,increasingawarenesswithupstreamdonorsaroundwhatfoodisacceptable,andreducingthecostsofmanaginginedibleproducts.

Communications Usingtraditionalandsocialmediaoutletstoengageinternalandexternalstakeholdersingalvanizingsupportandbuildingmomentumforsociallyinnovativeactivities,projects,andpolicies.


4. Key Findings Keyfindingsfromtheinterviewswith19foodbankleadersaresummarizedherebykeydimensionofsocialinnovation.Foodbanksinterviewedrangedinsizefromorganizationsserving15,000individualstoover1.5millionpeopleannually.Theannualpoundageoffoodreportedasbeingdistributedannuallyrangedfromaround25,000lbstoover8millionlbsperyear.Allfoodbanksinterviewedemphasizedtheneedforinnovationandchangeinthecharitablefoodsector.Thiswasalsoidentifiedintheliterature.35,36,37

Generally,wefoundthatfoodbanksareengagedinawiderangeofactivitiesinshiftingtoaCommunityfoodsecuritymodel.Provincial/statelevelandnationallevelfoodbankorganizationshavetraditionallybeenlessactivelyengagedinmakingthisshiftthanindividualfoodbanks.However,themajorityoffoodbanksinterviewedacknowledgethecriticalrolethattheseumbrellaorganizationsplayandcanplaymovingforward.38

Researchfindingsfromeachdimensionofsocialinnovationinfoodbanksaresummarizedbelow.FindingsincludehighlightsfromthesociallyinnovativeapproachesandstrategiesthatfoodbanksaredevelopinginshiftingtoaCommunityfoodsecuritymodel.

4.1. Strategic Planning AfundamentalstartingpointforinnovationandchangeisthedevelopmentofstrategicplansthatreflecttheCommunityfoodsecuritymodeloffoodbanking.These3-5yearplansoftencontainnewvisions,missions,values,philosophies,goalsandobjectives,activities,andevaluationmetricstoguidetheorganizationsactivitiesandpriorities.Ofnote,manyoftheorganizationswespokewithhavefreshplansorareonthebrinkoflaunchingnewstrategicplansinthenext12-18months.

Inthetransitiontoadifferentfoodbankmodel,foodbankleadershipisoftenkeenlyawareofavoidingtheproblem(s)of‘missiondrift’. ChangingvisionsandmissionsfromafocusonhungertooneofCFScancreateconcernaboutconfusingoralienatingdonorsandpartners,aswellasamongstfoodbankmembersthatemergencyfoodmaynotbeavailable.Collectingtherightdataonwhichtobaseastrategicplancanalsobechallenging.Despitetheseissues,foodbanksinterviewedagreedthatanorganizationalvisionandmissionthatalignswithCFSisafoundationalaspectofshiftingtheirrespectiveorganizationsandmeaningfullysupportstheirworktowardsinnovationandchange.Foodbanksareusingtheirstrategicplanstoevaluateprogresstowardsgoalsandviewthemasalivingdocumentthathelpsguidestaffinconversationsaroundreachingtargets.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinstrategicplanningpracticesinclude:

• Engaginginternalandexternalstakeholders.Engagingstaffandmembersintheprocessofdevelopingastrategicplansotheyfeelownershipandunderstanditmore

Thefactthatwe'veemergedabitasaleaderinourcommunityisbecausewespenttimeonstrategicplanningandpolicydevelopment.Nooneeverwantstospendtimeonstrategicplanningandpolicy,butonceyouhaveitit'ssomucheasiertorunastrongorganization.

INTERFAITHFOODBANKSOCIETYOFLETHBRIDGE


deeply,wasnotedasakeysuccessfactorforfoodbanks.Withbigchangesstaffcanfeelleftbehind.Regularcommunication(e.g.weekly,bi-monthly,quarterlyupdates)withstaffaboutstepsbeingtakentoimplementplansandcreatingaforumfordiscussingthechallengesandsuccessestheyareexperiencinghelpstobringallteammembersalongwiththeprocess.Engagingnewvoicesandthosethathavebeenhistoricallyunderrepresented(e.g.foodbankmembers,staff,andvolunteers)isalsoemergingaspartofhowfoodbanksareapproachingprogramsandoperations.Communicatingnewstrategicplanswithexternalstakeholders(e.g.donors,thepublic,partners,andmembers)wasalsoidentifiedaskey.

• Inventoryingandleveragingassets.Focusstrategicplansbasedontheassetsthattheorganizationalreadyhas(e.g.relationships,fleets,facilities,skills,andknowledge).

• Focusingstrategicplanningandorganizationalworkaroundsystemsthinking.Systemsthinkingconsiderswhatcommongroundisheldbetweenfoodbanksandthemanyotheragenciesandorganizationsconcernedwithcommunityhealth.Systemsthinkingcanalsobeappliedinternally,ortoconsiderthewholefoodbankasanorganismwithinterconnectedparts.Bothoftheseapproachesprovideanimportantanchorforshiftplanningandchangemanagement.

• Developingtangible,high-impactgoalstohelpfocusshiftactivities.Forexample,manyfoodbanksinitiallytargetincreasingthenutritionalqualityoffoodbeingdistributedaspartoftheirshift.Thiscaninvolveupdatingwarehousesystems,developingnutritionalfoodcategoriesandcriteria,andfooddonoreducation,amongothers.TheCentralNewYorkFoodBankusedtheirstrategicplantosetgoalsforacquiring85%ofproductinthewarehousebeingnutritionallysoundwith15%beingsnacks.

• Bringinginoutsideexpertise.Manyfoodbanksinterviewedhiredconsultantstohelpthemdeveloptheirstrategicplansandspokehighlyoftheexperience.

• Takingthetimeneeded.Strategicplanningcantakealongtime,andbringingmanyvoicestothetablecanbedifficult.Foodbanksseemtobeaddressingthisbyacknowledgingthetimeittakestocreateastrategicplan,beingrealisticaboutthetimeitwilltaketoachieveit,andacceptingthatitmaybeabumpyroadbutitwillbeworthit.Practicalmeasures,suchasallocatingstafftimetosupportimplementationofstrategicplans,helpstomaintainmomentumbehindchange.

Leadershipislookingto10yearsoutormoreandacknowledgmentthatwealonecan'taddressthe2ndhalfofourmissiontoendhungerbecausewe'redealingwithbroaderissues.Shifthastobedonethroughpartnershipandrequiresstrongchangemanagement.

FEEDINGAMERICA


4.2. Food Distribution to Members & Partner Agencies Warehousinganddistributingfoodisoneofthecentralfunctionsoffoodbanks.Thiscanoccuratmanyscalesandofteninvolvespartneragenciesthatthendistributetomembers.Thisdimensionofsocialinnovationisoftenbetterdevelopedthantheothersasitispartofthecoreworkofafoodbank.Assuch,foodbanksoftentargetnutritionalqualityasastartingpointforcommunityfoodsecurity.Whileincreasingthequalityoffoodcanbesocialinnovation(i.e.,intheformofpurchasingcontractswithlocalfarms),thestand-alonepracticeisnotnecessarilyneworinnovative.Somefoodbankshavelongpursuedincreasingfoodqualityasanobjective,whileothersareonlyrecentlybeginningtoshiftquality.

Theneedforinnovationindistributioniswelldocumentedintheliterature.Keychallengesthatfoodbankscommonlyfaceinclude:staffing,location,andinfrastructurebarrierstocreatingrelaxed,invitinganddignifiedspaces;39,40fooddistributedbyfoodbanksregularlynotmeetingnutritionalguidelines(whichisespeciallychallengingformemberswithdietrelatedchronicdiseaseslikediabetesandheartdisease);41alackofavailablefoodfordistributionthatcanresultinfoodbanksincreasingeligibilitycriteriaandminimizingopeninghours;42lackofphysicalaccesstofoodbankscanbeabarrierforsomemembers;43and,foodbankhoursnotalwaysresultingineasyaccessformembers.44Manyfoodbanksinterviewedalsostressedtheimportanceofreliableandconsistentservicetomembersandpartneragencies.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinfooddistributionpracticesinclude:

• Establishingnutritionguidelines.Nutritionguidelinesarebeingdevelopedbymanyofthefoodbanksinterviewed.Theseguidelinesprovideatoolforpurchasingbutalsoforcommunicatingtoagencypartnersandfooddonors.Thisproactiveapproachofteninvolvescommunitynutritionistsanddieticianstoassesscurrentfoodsandestablishcategoriesoffoodthatthefoodbankwillreceiveanddistribute.TheGreaterVancouverFoodBankisaligningtheirnutritionguidelineswithprovincialhealthyeatingframeworks.TheFoodBankofCentralNewYorkwasthefirstorganizationtobansoftdrinkdonations.Theysettargetsof85%ofthewarehouseshouldbenutritionallysoundfoodwith15%beingfortreatsandsnacks.

• Normalizinghealthyandfreshfoodaccess.OregonFoodBank'sHarvestShareprogramdistributesfreeproducetopeopleinafarmer’smarketat22sitesinPortlandwithfooddonatedfromwholesalers,farmersanddistributors.NewslettersinfourlanguageswithrecipesandresourcestohelppeoplecookandpreparethefreshproducearehandedoutbyvolunteerstoHarvestShareparticipants.Ithasbeenaparticularlyusefulstrategyforprovidingapredictablemonthlysourceoffoodforimmigrants,refugees,seniors,andpeoplewithlimitedmobility.Somefoodbankshaveahardtimeencouraging

Whensomeonecomestothefoodbankforfirsttimeitisn'tthebesttimetobeaskingthemalotofquestions.Firstwegetthemfoodassoonaswecan,thenasthatrelationshipsstartstogrowwecanhaveatwo-wayconversationandlearnmoreaboutthemandtheycanlearnaboutus.Wearemakingasignificantefforttocreatewelcomingspacesforfooddistribution.

GREATERVANCOUVERFOODBANK


memberstochoosemorenutritiousoptions.45FeedingAmericaisundertakingapilotprojecttoexaminethebehaviouraleconomicssideofincreasinghealthyandfreshfooddistributionfromfoodbankstobetterunderstandhowtoincreasethechancesofpeoplechoosingthehealthierpantryitems,inpartthroughtheadjustmentofthephysicaldesignofpantries.Manyfoodbankorganizationsalsonotedthatwhilegettingfoodtopeopleisthefirststep,supportingtheminaccessingthefacilities,gainingskills,orotherneedstopreparethefoodiswhatisneeded.

• Workingwithpartneragenciesfordistribution.Manylargefoodbanksprovideemergencyfooddirectlyaswellasbydistributingtopartneragencieswhothendistributefoodorusedonatedfoodinmealprograms.Therelationshipbetweencentralfoodbanksandtheirpartneragenciesiscentraltochangingwhatfoodsaredistributedandhow.Throughcreatingastandinglistofitemsthatagenciescanorderfrom,somefoodbanksarechanginghowtheseorderingsystemsandrelationshipsworktobemorepredictableandefficient.Forexample,theOttawaFoodBankguaranteestheavailabilityof13itemsthathelpstoprojectpurchasingneedsandincreasespredictabilityfromtheagencyside.

• Sharinginformationtomembersaboutfoodskillsandtypesoffoodsprovided.Allfoodbanksinterviewedspokeabouttheimportanceofenablingfoodchoiceandfoodskillstomakeuseoffreshandhealthyfoodoptionsavailablethroughdistribution.Foodbanksarecombiningfooddistributionwithfoodskillssuchasrecipecards,fooddemosandtastings,labellingrepackagedfoodwithspecificingredients(e.g.labellingitemsaslimabeansinsteadofjustbeans),andprovidingnutritionalinformationonpackaging,toenablepeopletoprepareandeatfoodsbeinggivenout.TheDailyBreadprovidesmemberswithinformationonwhatfoodswillbeavailabletohelpmembers’mealplanthroughtheirCreatingHealthinitiativeinpartnershipwithTorontoPublicHealth.

• Maintainingorcreatinglowbarrierintakesystems.Manyfoodbanksdonotrequestameanstestandrequireminimalmemberinformationforintaketocreateamorewelcominganddignifiedfirstexperienceatthefoodbank.Oftenfoodbankswillinquireformoredetailedmemberinformationifthepersoncomesbackfora2ndtimebecausethefirstvisitcanbeoverwhelmingformembers.TheDailyBreadasksforlessinformationthantheyusedto,forinstance,notrequiringincomeinformationanylonger,andprovidesanoptionalintakeinformationprocess.Generally,foodbanksinterviewedwerenotconcernedaboutlowbarrierintakesystemscontributingtoabuseofemergencyfoodservices.Rather,foodbanksarecreatingnewwaystocollectinformationfrommembersinadignifiedwaythatsupportsdatacollectionandmeasurement(e.g.privateappointmentsandmeetingrooms).

• Adjustinghoursanddaysofdistributiontobettermeetcommunityneeds.Foodbanksareworkingtoadjusthoursofoperationtobestsuitneedsandincreaseefficienciesofwarehouseandtransportationoperations.Forexample,shiftingfrom


weeklytobi-weeklyormonthlydistributiontoagencypartnershasbeenundertakenorconsideredbymanyfoodbanks.

• Supportingpartneragencycapacitybuilding.Toensuremembersareservedwellandprovidedadignifiedexperiencesomeorganizationshavepartneragencyguidelines.Thesemayincludeguidelinesaroundhavingasuitablespace,excludingfaith-basedrequirementsfromfoodaccess,useofdonatedresources,andrespectfultreatmentofmembersandvolunteers,etc.Whenpartneragenciesarenon-compliant,theiraccesstofoodbankresourcescanberevoked.Establishingcriteriaforpartneragenciescanbeintimidating.Toexplaintheimportanceofthissometimesuncomfortablethetask,theOttawaFoodBankenvisionsthefoodthattheyaredistributingtopartneragenciesascash,givingtheexamplethatafunderwouldnotdistribute$100,000ofcashwithoutsometypeofaccountability.Foodbanksnotedthattheyaremoreengagedwiththeiragencypartnersandmakemoresitevisits.

• Accessingnon-traditionaldistributionpoints.Thisbeginswithidentifyingwherethepeopleinneedareandwhattypesoffoodswouldbebeneficialtodistributefromthatlocation.FeedingAmericaseesinnovationinthisareaasincreasingfooddistributionathospitals,clinics,schools,andcolleges,byessentially,meetingpeoplewheretheyareandidentifyingwhattheirneedsare.TheGreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentreMobileTruckProgram,theGreaterVancouverFoodBankCurbsideFreshprogram,andtheGreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBankGreenGrocermobiletruckprogramallexplorenewwaysoffooddistributionthatrelyonpartnersforspace,promotion,andsomeprogramming.

• Lookingforoperationalefficiencies.Manyfoodbanksrelyheavilyontheirtruckingfleetandtransportationoperationstodeliverfoodtopartneragenciesandpickupfoodefficiently.TheOttawaFoodBankhaspartneredwithanengineeringfirmtoassesstheirdistributionoperationsinordertoincreaseefficiencies.TheGreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBankisrollingoutanewpre-orderingmodelcalled"advancedchoice"thatdistributesfoodtopantriesinsimilarlocationsonthesamedaysbasedonpre-orderingpreferences.Thishasincreasedefficienciesonbothends,allowingthefoodbanktoreachneworganizations.

• Optimizingfoodchoice.Forexample,providefoodinagrocerystorestyleformatthatenablesmemberstopick-outtheirownorders.TheNelsonFoodCupboardissetuplikeagrocerystorewithdifferentfoodavailabledailywithamixof5ormorefreshproduceitems,inadditiontoproteinsourceslikebeans,salmon,eggsandtofu,anddrygoodslikeoatmeal,rice,andpasta.Occasionallytheyalsohaveashelfofconveniencefoodslikeinstantricesidedishes,crackers,andcondiments.Therearealsofoodsforpeoplewithdietaryrestrictions.Otherfoodbanksaretryingtogetawayfrompre-packagedhampersbutareexperiencingchallengeswithfoodavailabilityandshiftingoperationstoaccommodateafoodmarketenvironment.


4.3. Data Collection & Metrics Allfoodbanksinterviewedtouchedupontheimportanceofdataandsuccessmetricsandtheneedforinnovationinevaluationandmetricstoidentifyandunderstandwhichprograms,policiesandpracticesareimprovingmemberoutcomesandwhytheyareworking(ornotworking).Collectingdatatosupportadvocacyaroundshiftingawayfromtraditionalcharitablefoodmodelsinordertoaddressrootcausesoffoodinsecurityiskey:"actionstoexpandfoodbankactivityneedtobeaccompaniedbymeasurestoevaluatetheimpactoftheseprogramsontheproblemsoffoodinsecuritythattheyareintendedtoaddress."46

Datacollectionandevaluatingcommunityimpactisanewareaforfoodbanks,amongothers,inthepublicandnon-profitsectors.Whiletheimportanceofdatacollectionandmeasuringimpactonthecommunitywasclearlyrecognized,itwasalsonotedthatfoodbanksneedtobuildcapacitytoconductgooddatacollectionandanalysis.Withsomefoodbankslackingevenbasicmembertrackingsystems,datacollectionneedstakesmanyforms.Foodbanksnotedthedifficultyindecidingwhatmetricstousetoevaluateprogresstowardsgoals--thislackofknowledgeandskillsetwasoftencitedasroadblocksforaddressingfoodinsecurity.Foodbanksalsonotedthatasanon-traditionalpartoffoodbanking,datacollectioncanbetimeconsumingandcostly.Giventhatmeasuringqualityoflifeandincreaseincommunityfoodsecurityiscomplexandinvolvesmanyfactors,somefoodbankshavepartneredwithotherinstitutionstohelpconductthisresearch.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationindatacollectionpracticesinclude:

• Aligningmetricswithvision,mission,goalsandvalues.Questioningandreestablishingmetricsthatarealignedwithcommunityfoodsecurityimpacts(e.g.qualityoverquantity).Forexample,somefoodbanksarebeginningtotrackfoodbydollarsnotpoundsasaproxyforaddressingvaryingqualitiesoffood(i.e.lowquality=lowcost).

• Sharinginformationhelps.Piggybackingonexistingprojectsorusingexistingtrackingmethodsisofgreatinteresttofoodbanksandonereasontheyaresoexcitedforthisreport,theywanttoknowwhatothersaredoingsotheycantrytomakeitworkforthem.Forexample,in2016,FeedingAmericareceiveda1.9milliondollarin-kindgiftfromtheTableauFoundationthatwillsetupandprovidesoftwareforcreatingaplatformfortrackinginformationtoultimatelyhelpmanageoperationswithintheorganization.FeedingAmericahasusedthissysteminthepastforestablishingaPerformanceBenchmarkingDashboardthathelpedfoodbankstoidentifyandconnectwithotherfoodbanksinthenetworksthatareexcellingoncertainkeyperformanceindicators.

Wefeellikethere'snopointtodoingsomethingandwonderingifitworked.Everythingwedohassomesortofevaluationprogram.Whenwerunprogramspeoplefilloutevaluationformsandweaskforfeedbacksowecanidentifystrategiesthatwouldhelpusimprovethingsdowntheroad.Thisishelpfulinsharingoursuccessesandtellingourstory.Ifyougathertheinfoyoucaninformpeopleabouttheimpactoftheirsupport.

INTERFAITHFOODBANKSOCIETYOFLETHBRDIGE


• Leveragingoutsideskillsandexpertise:Foodbanksdescribedthemselvesas‘magnetsforresearch’anduniversityresearchersareincreasinglyattractedtoworkingwithcommunityorganizationstoconductresearch.TheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonahaseffectivelyestablishedresearchpartnershipsthathelpthemgettoknowtheirmembersbetterandwhatthesuccessfulinterventionsarethatmattertothecommunity.Foodbankshavealsoestablishednewpartnershipswithbusinessestoprovideawide-rangeofin-kindsupportincludingvarioustypesofdatacollectionandanalysis.In2015theEdmontonFoodBankpartneredwithDeloitteonBeyondFoodClientSurvey2015.47Onekeyfindingwasthat42%offoodbankmemberssurveyedattendeduniversity,college,ortradesschool,debunkingacommonmyththatfoodbankmembersarepeoplewithlittleeducation.Oneriskwithprivatepartnershipsispotentialstringsattachedtothework.Somefoodbankshaveestablishedpoliciesforcorporateengagement.TheOttawaFoodBankhaspartneredwithtwodifferentorganizationstocollectdata.StantecConsultingwascontractedtoidentifywhattechnologysolutionstheycouldusetoincreasetheirtruckingfleet'sefficienciestoreducetransportationcoststhatwouldworkwithintheircurrentinfrastructure.TheOttawaFoodBankalsoworkedwithanorganizationcalledDataforGood,agroupofself-proclaimeddatageeksmadeupofpeoplewhotypicallyworkinhigh-techdataindustries.DataforGoodhaschaptersacrossNorthAmericawhogatherrawdataandholddata-a-thonsontheweekendswheretheycrunchdata,analyzeit,andcomebackwithareport.InOttawa'scase,theyanalyzedtheirfooddistribution.

• Embeddingdatacollectionandevaluationintothemission.DailyBreadincludeddatacollectionaspartoftheirstrategicplan.Theyhavefoundthissupportslong-termdatacollectioneffortsthroughdedicatedstaffandfundingstreamsandhashelpedthembuildcredibilityasaresearchinstitution,whichattractsfurtherpartnerships.

• Experimentingwithnewtoolsforevaluation:TheOregonFoodBankisusingrippleeffectmappinganengagementandassessmenttoolthatvisuallymapsouttheimpactsgeneratedbychangesproducedbyacomplexprogramorcollaboration.48Ripplemappingdrawsfrommultiplesourcesofinformationtogeneratenewthinkingorcreateclarityincomplexenvironments.TheOregonFoodBankisusingthistootoassessthesuccessoftheirFEAST(Food,Education,AgricultureSolutionsTogether)program.49TheOttawaFoodBank,amongothersincludingFeedNovaScotia,havealsorecentlyimplementedtheLink2Feedsystemthatisaclientintakeandcasemanagementtool.Link2Feedisintendedtoprotectmemberprivacyandreduceadministrativetimespentonreporting.

It'snotacommonthingfornotforprofitstomeasuretheirimpact,thesearebusinessprinciplesmostofthetime,andpeoplearen'taccustomedtothat.Youcanbringthatexpertisein[tocollectandanalyzedata]in2ways:youpayoryouleveragerelationshipswithbusinesses/organizationsthatcanhelp.



4.4. Governance Strategies GovernancesystemsinFoodBanksarealsobeginningtoshiftandchangetoadapttoacommunityfoodsecurityandsocialjusticemodeloffoodbanking.MostfoodbanksareregisteredcharitiesandassuchhaveaBoardofDirectorsthatgovernstheorganization.Therearealsootherlevelsofdecision-makingandgovernance,suchasattheprogramandservicedeliverylevel,whicharealsorestructuringtomeetnewgoals.Newvoicesarebeinginvitedintothedecision-makingbodiesandfoodbanksarefindingnew,creativewaystoengagetheBoardofDirectorsintheshift.Governancewasemphasizedasafoundationaldimensionoforganizationalchange,althoughnotwithoutitsuniquechallenges.

Manyfoodbanksinterviewedweresensitivetoconcernsofincludingmorevoicesinthedecision-making.Theperceptionthatincludingmembervoicesingovernancecreatesaconflictofinterestisabarrierfororganizationalchange.TheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizona’sperspectiveisthatmembersareatnogreaterriskofhavingaconflictofinterestthanaboardmemberwho,forexample,comesfromthefoodindustry.Engagingtheboardintheshiftatanearlystagewasalessonlearnedbysomefoodbanks.Thiscanhelptocreatemorebuy-inandsupportastheorganizationdevelops.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationgovernancesystemsandpracticesinclude:diversifying

• Improvinginstitutionalknowledgesystems.Stronggovernancereliesonsoundinstitutionalknowledgemanagement.Foodbanksnotedtheimportanceofgovernancepracticesfocusedonimprovinginstitutionalknowledgetocreateresiliencyifandwhenstaffandboardmemberstransitionoutoftheorganization.TheKamloopsFoodBankrevisedtheboardroles,responsibilities,bylaws,andstaffjobdescriptions,creatinganorganizationalmanualthatisareplicablemodelforotherfoodbanks.Theyarewillingtosharethisuponrequest.TheFoodBankofCentralNewYorkbroughtinaconsultanttoidentifyopportunitiesforgrowththatresultedinclearguidelinesandexpectationsfortheroleoftheboard.Aspartofthisstudy,aboardneedsassessmentwasconductedtostrengthendiversityofknowledgeontheboardandmakesuregapsarefilled.Withthisinformationinhand,theorganizationiscreatinglastingdocumentationthatbuildsinstitutionalknowledge.

• Engagingnewvoices.Foodbanksnotedthattherearemanywaystoprovidenewperspectivesinthedecision-makingprocessofanorganizationfromformalappointmentstotheboardofdirectorsandformingadvisory/governancecommitteestoengagingstaffvolunteerandmembervoicesinevaluatingprograms.Formingcommitteeswasraisedasawaytogleanexpertiseandasastrategyforboardsuccessionplanningasnewboardmembersaregroomedandselectedfromcommittees.Committeescanincludeperspectivesfromawiderangeofbackgrounds

Ifourvalueissocialjusticeandaccountability,thenwemustunderstandwhoweareaccountabletoandforwhat.Howdoweengageintruesocialchangeifwe'renotbeingveryresponsivetowhatourclientsandcommunitiesarewanting,needing,andfindrelevantandcriticaltotheirsuccess?Havingthatvoiceinourgovernancesystemisinalignmentwithourvaluesandultimategoalsofsocialchange.

COMMUNITYFOODBANKOFSOUTHERNARIZONA


fromexpertsandprofessionalstopeoplewithlived-experienceofthefoodbanksystem.Vision,mission,andgoalstatementswerealsodiscussedasasupportivedriverforfoodbanksworkingtowardsincreasingadiversityofvoicesintheirgovernancestructures.

• Broadeningboardrepresentationandexpertise.Somefoodbanksareworkingtowardshavingtheirpartneragencies,whichtheydistributefoodto,haveavoicewithinthegovernancestructure.Othersareestablishingboardrecruitmentcommitteesthatseekoutcandidatesbasedontheexpertiseneedsoftheorganization.Somefoodbanksfindtermlimitshelpful,althoughsomedonothavealargeenoughvolunteerbaseforthis.

4.5. Human Resources Humanresourcesareincreasinglybeingrecognizedfortheirroleinprofessionalizingthefoodbankworkplace.Historicallyfoodbankshaverunon100%volunteertime.Today,eventhelargestmetropolitanfoodbanksdependonvolunteerswhooftenmakeup50%ormoreofalltimeinfoodbanks.Inthiscontext,HRsystemscanprovideimportantcapacityfororganizationalchange,50particularlyforlargerfoodbankswithstaffteamsof40-60pluspeople.SmallerfoodbanksareoftenbetterabletomanagewithoutformalHRsystems,althoughtheyrecognizedininterviewsthevalueofincreasingadministrativeefficiencies.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinhumanresourcesystemsandpracticesinclude:

• Setting-upstructuredsystems.FoodbanksarefindinginnovativewaystobuildHRcapacitywherepreviouslytherewaslittleavailable.TheNelsonFoodCupboardandDailyBreadarehiring/allocatingstafftimetovolunteermanagement,training,recognition,aswellassettingupHRsystems.TheDailyBreadFoodBankandtheOttawaFoodBankhiredanHRdirectorwhohashelpedinprovidingatemplateforstaffreviewsandevaluations,amongotherthings.Foodbanksarebeginningtomessagetodonorsthatnewskillsetsandsalarystandardsareneededtooperatefoodbanks.Thereisgrowingacceptancethatoverheadcosts,suchasHRdirectorsalariesandcommunications,areessentialpartsofhavingpositiveandlastingcommunityimpact,especiallyduringatimeoftransition.

• Valuingstaffandvolunteersandprovidingmeaningfulexperiences.Manyfoodbankorganizationshavehadlong-termvolunteersandstaffincludingpeoplewithupto30yearsofservice.Whileshowingappreciationandrecognitionofpeople’scontributionstotheorganizationisalong-standingpracticeformanyorganizations,foodbanksareincreasinglyengagingstaffandvolunteersintheon-the-groundactivitiesforsystemschange.Managingorganizationaldevelopmentandchangewithsuchadiversestaffandvolunteerbasecanbechallengingalthoughmanyfoodbanksemphasizedhowcriticaltheactofengagingvolunteersandstaffduringtransitionisforsuccess.Oneapproachtoengagingstaffisthroughappreciation:

Ourstaffingmodelkindoflookedlikeoneofthoseshacksyouseeinmiddleofnowherewhereyouaddonapieceevery10years.Sowecreatedasystemwhereourjobdescriptionsandclassificationswereconsistentandalljobswereplacedwithinawagegridstructurethatwasindexedtothemarket.

OTTAWAFOODBANK


regularlycelebratingandrecognizingaccomplishments.Eventssuchasmonthlylunchandlearns,volunteeroftheyearawards,staffretreats,annualmerrimentevents,andcelebrationofbirthdaysandworkanniversaries,allhelptoshowappreciationaswellasteambuild.Whilerecognizingstaffandvolunteersisnotnecessarilyneworinnovativeasastand-alonepractice,integratingtheseeventswithkeepingtheteamup-to-dateonprogressandpriorities,providinglearningenvironments,andcreatingopportunitiesforteamfeedback,helpstosupportmanychangegoals.

• AligningHRpolicieswiththedirectionandprioritiesoftheorganization.Somefoodbanksnotedtheimportanceofinternalizingthevision,mission,goalsandvaluesoftheorganizationintohumanresourceandoperatingsystems.Forexample,establishingstandardsforfairwages,stafftreatment,andstaffdiversityareexamplesofhowsomefoodbanksarealigninginternalpracticeswithnewdirectionsandprioritiesaroundsocialjustice.Otherfoodbankshavegonefurther,significantlyraisingwages,establishingbenefitsforemployeesandcreatingsystemsforhiring,firing,andpersonnel/contractormanagement.OttawaFoodBankdiscussedtheimportanceoftheirmission,visionandvaluesbeingbroughttolifeintheirHumanResourcepractices.TheyincludedHRintheirstrategicplanandasaresultadjustedwagestobemorecompetitiveandestablishedanHRdirector.

• Increasingorganizationaldiversity.TheOregonFoodBankunderwentasignificantorganizationalrestructuringthatincludedthecreationofthepositionDirectorofCultureandEquity.TheDirectorisdevelopingthefoodbank’sracialequityinitiativesinhiringandinterviewingprocesses,engagingstaffinsensitivitytraining,andstrengtheningculturalengagementcapacity.Thismovehasalreadygeneratedresultswithincreasedculturaldiversityofstaffmembers,programmingshifts,moretranslation,andmoreinterpretersinday-to-dayoperations.TheSTOPbegananinternalprocessthreeyearsagoaroundanti-oppressionandanti-racism.HavingmoreculturalcompetencyintheworkandcollaborationwithaboriginalpeopleandotherpartnersisessentialfortheSTOP;theyseethisaspectofHReducationasakeypartoftheircommitmenttothecommunityandtheirpartners.

• Establishingorganizationalreviewsandstaffsurveys.TheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonahasbeguna360-reviewprocess,providingalllevelsofstaffwithfeedbackfrommultiplesourcesincludingpeers,members,andcommunityleaders.TheDailyBreadFoodBankandFoodBankofCentralNewYorkconductstaffsurveystodeterminehowstaffexperiencestheorganizationandwhatmakesthemwanttocometowork.SecondHarvestconductsstaffevaluationsthreetimesannually.Foodbanksreportthatorganizationalandstaffreviewsareimportantformakingcoursecorrectionsoridentifyingareasthatneedmoresupport.

• Buildingteamsandcreatingculture.Creatingacultureandcommoncausewithinthefoodbankworkplacecanbechallenging,butwasdiscussedasakeyfocusinhowstaff

Findingtherightpeopleiskey,whenyouhavetherightpeopleinplacesyoucandealwithanything.

KAMLOOPSFOODBANK


andvolunteersareengagedwiththeorganization.Overall,thetrendistobuildteamstrengthovertimebycreatingandfillingnewpositionsandengagingstaffinvisioningandgoalsettingthroughregulardiscussionsandcommunicationsaboutprogresstowardsgoals.Asfoodbanksprofessionalize,morestaffwithexperienceinspecificareassuchasnutritionjointheteam,bringingwiththemnewperspectives.Drawingonteamstrengthsandassetsisanotherwayofbuildingacommonculture;asnotedbytheGreaterVancouverFoodBank,“staffandvolunteersareexpertsintheirownfieldofwork."EverymonththeGVFBconvenesastafflunchandlearn,knownasa‘SoapBox’.Here,importantannouncementsaremade,progressupdatesareprovided,andalearning/engagementopportunityiscreatedthroughguestspeakersorfoodskillworkshopsandthentheentireteamhaslunchtogether.

• Increasingtransparencyandtrust:Transparencywasraisedasanessentialwaytobuildtrustwithstaff.Enablingstafftoreviewprogressreportsorboardminutes,forexample,canhelptocreateaculturewherepeoplefeelliketheyareintheloop,creatingmoreownership.


4.6. Partnerships Allfoodbanksinterviewedemphasizedtheimportanceofpartnershipstosocialinnovationinimprovingindividualandcommunityfoodsecurity.Partnershipswithgovernment,othersocialserviceproviders,andtheprivatesectorareoftenformedtoprovidefoodbankswiththecapacitytoinnovateinthedifferentfocusareas(e.g.fundingpartners,knowledgesharingnetworks,freshfoodpurchasingpartners,andresearchpartners).

Itcanbechallengingforfoodbankstomanagerelationshipswithabroadrangeoffundingorin-kindpartners.Somefoodbankspartneronanadhoc,case-by-casebasiswhileothersestablishpartnershipguidelines.SomefoodbankslikeGreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentreuseassetmappingtoidentifystrategicpartnershippriorities.Somefoodbanksnotedchallengesintargetinggovernmentpartnersthatareexperiencingtheirownbarriersinternally.

Historically,themistrustandpolarizationbetweenfoodbanksandfoodsecurityorsocialjusticeorganizationslimitedcollaboration.Now,asorganizationslooktopartnertohavegreatercollectiveimpact,newbridgesarebeingmadebetweenthesetwosides,newconversationsareopeningup,andthetensionbetweenfoodbankingandbroaderfoodsystemschangeissoftening,andevenblurring,aspeopleidentifycommongroundandrealizethesignificantpotentialforpowerfulstrategicalliancesinsocialinnovationandchange.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinpartnershippracticesinclude:

• Growingpartnersinpublichealth.Thereissignificantgrowthinpartnershipsandalignmentbetweenfoodbanksandpublichealthdepartments.Foodbanksarestrategicallypositionedandcanprovideanimportantlinktohardtoreachandvulnerablecommunities.Thiscansupportgovernmentprogramimplementationtoincreasehealthequityandsupportcollectivedatacollection/analysis.Forexample,inOctober2015,theAmericanAcademyofPediatricsreleasedapolicystatement,recommendingthatpediatriciansscreenallchildrenforfoodinsecurity.51Diabetesscreening,eyeexams,andotherhealthservicesareincreasinglybeingofferedatfoodbanklocations.

• Linkingtoothersocialserviceproviders.Foodbanksarepartneringwithcommunityhealthserviceprovidersconnectingfoodbankmemberswithotherservicessuchasdental,legal,accounting,haircuts,andemploymentopportunities.Byleveragingexistingcommunityassetsandcoordinatingservicesacrossorganizations,thisisapracticalwaytohelpmembersbetteraccessawiderangeofservices.

• Increasingcross-sectoralrepresentation.Therepresentationoffoodbankandcommunityfoodcentreleadersinbroaderfoodsecurity,foodpolicy,orfoodsystemsorganizationsindicatesthatnewalliancesandpartnershipsarebeingforgedat

It'sthe30yearhistoryofworkinginisolation,ittakestimeforpeopleandpartnerstotrustyou.Totrustthatwe'regenuineinourattempt.Ithinkwe'regrowinginthatwehavemoreandmoreunderstandingandsupportandthatweshareourproblems,we'rewillingtolistentoothers,andsaywedon'tknowitall,howcanyouhelpus?We[theGVFB]can'tfixthisonourown,it'sacommunityeffort.



leadershiplevels.Forexample,theExecutiveDirectorofTheSTOPischairoftheTorontoFoodPolicyCouncil(anadvisorycounciltotheCityofToronto),andtheChiefExecutiveOfficeroftheGreaterVancouverFoodBankischairofFoodSecureCanada(anationalfoodsecurityorganization).Evenaslittleasfiveyearsago,thiswasrareifnotunheardof.

4.7. Programming & Member Engagement Manyfoodbanksaredevelopingawiderangeofprogramstoaddresslong-termsolutionsforcommunityfoodsecurity.Thesecanrangefromfoodliteracyandskillbuildingclassesandlearningenvironmentstopilotingmobilefreshmarketsandnewformatsfordistribution.Someorganizations,likeTheSTOPthatbeganasafoodbankbuthavebeentransitioningforthepast15-20years,havebeenaheadofthecurveonprogramingandtheyarenowfarremovedfromthetraditionalfoodbankmodelandnolongerself-identifyingasafoodbank.AninventoryoftheinnovativeprogramslearnedaboutthroughtheinterviewsandliteraturereviewisprovidedinAppendix6.5.

GreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentreexplainsthatwhenmultipleprogramsarehappeningatthefoodbankandpeoplearethereforarangeofreasons,ithelpstocreateawelcomingspaceforeveryone,includingpeopleaccessingemergencyfood.Bycombiningemergencyfoodprogramswithotherprogramssuchasgardeningworkshops,barriersarebrokendownandentrenched‘us’and‘them’dynamicsareblurred.Inthisandotherways,programmingisoftenattheforefrontofhowsocialinnovationisbeingpursuedinfoodbanks.

Asinsomeoftheotherareasofsocialinnovationfindingresourcesandcapacitiestodevelop,implement,evaluate,andplanprogramscanbechallengingandcreateanewburdeninanalreadystretchedenvironment.Anotherchallengecanbecoordinatingprogramsacrosslargeprovincialorstatenetworks.Despitethesechallenges,manyfoodbanksarecommittedtomaintainingexistingserviceswhilealsodevelopingnewprogramareas.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinprogrammingpracticesinclude:

• Creatingempoweringenvironmentsthroughprograms.Programmingthatprovidesopportunitiesformemberstohaveavoicefromactivities,isanimportantstrategyfoodbanksaretaking.Increasingtheelementofchoice,andthereby,memberagency,whereverpossible,iscriticaltocreatingengagingspacesandasenseofownership.TheGreaterVancouverFoodBankisdevelopingandpilotingamarket-styledistributionsystemtosupportsiteconnectivityatalllevels.Inthisformat,membershavecoffee,tea,andsoupatcommunaleatingtablesbeforetheyenteramarketplacewheretheyselecttheirfoodorder.Thereareotherserviceprovidershostedon-sitetohelplinkpeopletotheresourcestheymayneed.SomefoodbanksinterviewedindicatedtheywereactivelylearningaboutandadoptingAssetBasedCommunityDevelopment52approachesthatfundamentallybeginengagementbasedaroundwhatisthere(assets),insteadofaproblembasedmodelaroundwhatislacking.


• Linkingprogramstoemploymentandeconomicdevelopment.Multiplefoodbanksacknowledgedtheneedforinnovationinprogrammingaroundemploymentskills/opportunitiesandsupportingfoodsecuritythroughlocaleconomicdevelopmentprograms.FoodBanksCanadaalsosupportre-skillingprogramstohelpCanadiansgettheskillstheyneedforgainingemployment.53

• Increasingfoodliteracyandfoodskillsforall.Linkedtothefocusonincreasingqualityoffoodandnutrition,foodbanksareinvariousstagesofdevelopingandprovidingfoodskillcoursesandinformation.Examplesoffoodskillcoursesmayincludehowtopreservefood,preparehealthyaffordablemeals,orreadfoodlabelsamongothers.Thepotentiallyinherentassumptioninfoodskillsprogramsthatmembersdonotknowhowtocookwasraisedbysomefoodbanksasaconcern.Inmanycases,peopledoneedsupportwithknowinghowtopreparefood.Howeverinmanyothercases,theyareexpertcooksandcanofferknowledgeandskillstoothers.Peoplecanhavewell-developedskillsetsincookingandbeexperiencingotherbarrierstofoodsecurity,suchasaccesstocookingspaceoraccesstoculturallyappropriatefoods.Foodbanksnotedtheimportanceofasensitiveapproachtochangesthataresupportedbyappropriateinformationandtools.

• Integratingcommunitygardens.Communitygardenspacesprovideopportunitiesformultipleprogramsandarebeingusedbyfoodbanksinprovidingfoodliteracy,foodproductionskills,farmertrainingprograms,gatheringandcommunityspaces,andfreshproduceforprograms.TheSaskatoonFoodBankandLearningCentreprovidesself-directedlearningtoursand/orschoolgroupandcorporateworkshopsinthecommunitygardeninadditiontomoretargetededucation.Thegardenoffersanewwaytodeepenrelationshipswithdonorsandvolunteersandprovidesexperientialopportunitiesforlearning.


4.8. Community & Donor, Education & Engagement Increasingly,foodbanksareworkingtobringmembersandthemanystakeholdergroupsalongintheshifttoacommunityfoodsecuritymodel.Especiallyduringthistimeoftransition,allfoodbanksinterviewedacknowledgetheopportunitytopro-activelyworkwithmembers,volunteers,staff,donors,partners,andthegeneralpublictosharethenewvisionforaddressingrootcausesoffoodinsecurity.Foodbanksinterviewedagreedthatakeymessagetoconveytodonors,partners,andthegeneralpublicistheimportanceandbenefitsofprovidinghealthynutritiousfoodtomembers.Foodbanksaccepthoweverthatyoucannotpleaseeverybodyandatsomepointyouneedtodrawthelineandfocusonachievingyourgoals.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforpushingacommunityfoodsecuritymodelincommunityanddonoreducationandengagementpracticesinclude:

• Providingtoursandhostingevents.Toursandvolunteereventscanbeusedtoexplainrootcausesoffoodinsecurity,why‘traditional’foodbankingisnotworking,andhownewstrategiescansupportthereductionofneedforemergencyfoodservices.Manyfoodbanksusetoursandeventsasanopportunitytoraiseawarenessaroundtheshifttoafoodsecuritymodel.GreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentrehadover3,000peopletourtheirfacilityin2015inadditiontoanannualopenhousethatdrawsover1,000people.Alsoin2015,theGreaterVancouverFoodBankhosteditsfirsteverdonorappreciationeventthatprovidedinteractivelearningopportunitiesaboutGVFBprograms.TheSaskatoonFoodBankandLearningCentreusesfundraisingeventsasanopportunitytoeducatefooddonorsontheirworkandonthelargerissuesinfoodsecurityintheprovince.Creatingtheseengagementopportunitiesbeginstoaddressresistancetochangeinthecommunityorwithdonors.

• Exploringnew(digital)fundraisingtools.TheGreaterVancouverFoodBank,theReginaFoodBank,andtheNewYorkCityFoodBankhavealllaunchedvirtualfooddrivesthatprovideindividualsorcompaniestheopportunitytorunfooddriveswithintheirgroupsororganizationsonline.Theitemsincludedinthevirtualfooddrivearecarefullyselectedtoreflectincreasedstandardsinnutritionandhealth.Virtualfooddrivesrequireanupfrontinvestmentwithlowtomediumongoingmaintenancecosts.The(growing)rateofreturnrelativetocapitalandoperatingcostssuggestsvirtualfooddrivesareprovingtobeahighlyeffectivefundraisingtool.

• Developingupstreameducationforfooddonors.Inworkingwithin-kindfooddonationsandrecoveredproducts,foodqualitycanbeanissue.Saying‘no’attheloadingdockisastepintherightdirectionbutdoesnotaddressthecausesofunusablefooddonationsanditcanbedifficulttoturnfoodawaythatisalreadyatyourdoorstep.Signalingtofooddonorswhatthefoodbankiswantingandnotwantingwillhelptoeliminateunwantedfoodwastefromcomingintothefoodbanksystem.Educatingandengagingdonorsabouttheneedforhealthyfoodandwhatthatlookslikeisakeywaytoeliminatethedonationofunwanteditems.


4.9. Advocacy Historically,foodbankshavenotengagedinadvocacywork,withfewexceptions.Withtheshiftinthefoodbankmodel,advocacy,especiallyintheanti-povertyrealm,hasbeenanewareaofpracticeasfoodbanksbegintoidentifyandaddresstherootcausesofchronicfoodinsecurity,suchaspoverty.

Asregisteredcharities,foodbanksarelimitedtoamaximumof10%ofoverallrevenueallocationtowardsadvocacyefforts,underCanadiantaxlaw.Manyfoodbanksareintheveryearlystagesofapproachingadvocacywork,whereothershavealreadyhadgreatsuccesses.Forexample,theSaskatoonFoodBankwasinstrumentalinstrategicallyadvocatingforanti-povertylegislationinSaskatchewan.TheSaskatoonFoodBankcreatedstrategicalliances,usedeffectivecommunicationmaterial,focusedonpositivemessaging,andcreatedanopportunityforgovernmenttorespondtoabroadlysupportedpolicyinitiative.Bycontrast,BritishColumbiaistheonlyprovinceinCanadawithoutanti-povertylegislation.

ApointofcommonalitybetweenfoodsecurityorganizationsandfoodbankadvocacyistoseetherighttofoodaddressedintheCanadianConstitutionandCharterofRights.WhileCanadahasratifiedinternationalagreementsthatindirectlyordirectlyincludetherighttofood,theconstitutionhasnotyetbeenupdatedtoreflectthesecommitments.AsexplainedbyTarasukthe“adhoc,donor-drivensystemoffoodrelief,”suppliedbyfoodbanksisstrugglingto“compensateforthechronichouseholdbudgetdeficitsarisingfromfundamentallyinadequateincomeassistanceprograms.”54FoodBanksCanadaannualreportalsopointstoCanadiansocialassistanceratesbeingtoolowforpeopletoaccessshelterandfood.AsfoodbankoperationsstruggletomeetthechronicfoodinsecurityneedsofCanadians,theyarealsobeginningtoraisetheirvoicestogether,andadvocateforpeopleandsystemsthatwilleliminatechronicfoodinsecurity.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinadvocacypracticesinclude:

• Identifyingstrategicareasofadvocacyintervention.Foodbanksarecoalescingaroundadvocatingforaffordablehousing,livablewages,andincreasedsocialservicesupportforthemostinneed.Onestrategysomefoodbanksaretakingisfocusingadvocacyworkonincreasingmembervoiceandcapacitytoadvocatearoundtheseissues.TheDailyBreadFoodBankconductedaPeople’sBluePrint55studywherepeopleonsocialassistanceinOntariowereaskedtoreviewthesystem.Thisworksupportstheorganizationaladvocacyworktochangesocialservicesforthebetter.

• Bustingpovertymyths.Therearemanydeeplyheldassumptionsandbeliefsaboutpoverty.Providinginformationandperspectivesthatrespectfullychallengetheseassumptionsandoffermoreaccurateinformationaboutpovertyandfoodinsecuritywerenotedasusefulwaysfoodbankscanadvocatethrougheducation.Forexample,inastudyundertakenbytheEdmonton

Wedon'tshyawayfromourpoliticalworkbecauseourdonorsknowwe’retryingtoinfluencepublicdiscourseandthat'swhytheydonatetous.

THESTOP


FoodBankbyDeloitte,itwasfoundthatalargeportionoffoodbankmembershadsomeformofpost-secondaryeducation.Thischallengesthecommonlyheldnotionthatfoodbankmembersareuneducated.

• Creatingcriticalmassaroundkeyissues.TheFoodBankofCentralNewYorkobservesthatadvocacyeffortsneedtoreachacriticalmasstomovelegislators.AnexampleofhowtodothiscomesFeedingAmerica’sworktomotivateandsupportfoodbanksintheiradvocacythroughtheirPolicyEngagementAdvocacyCommittee(PEAC).Thiscommitteeisanelectedbodyofrepresentativesfromournetworktaskedwithseveralkeyfunctionsincluding:informingtheiradvocacywork;developingtheirCapacityAdvocacyIndex,aself-assessmenttoolformeasuringtheimpactofadvocacyworkdonebyfoodbanks;providingadvocacygrants;creatingtheadvocacyhalloffametoencouragefoodbankstoengagewithadvocacy;andpartneringwithCongressionalManagementFoundationtocreateatheAdvocacyAcademyleadershipdevelopmentprogramforfoodbanks.

• Gettingpolitical.FoodSecureCanada,althoughnotafoodbank,providesagoodexampleofeffectiveadvocacywiththelaunchoftheEatThinkVoteCampaignduringthe2015Federalelection.Duringthiscampaign,communityorganizerscreatedaphotoopportunityforcandidatesbyhostingcommunitywidedinners,BBQs,andfoodeventstoencouragediscussionsaroundfoodsecurity.56OtherfoodbankslikeInterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgeandtheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonagetinvolvedatthemunicipallevelwithinitiativesthatareaddressingtheneedsoftheirmembersandlocalfoodsecurity,suchasagriculturepolicy,changinglandusecodes,communitygardens,publichealthconcernsrelatedtotheproductionofurbanagriculture,anddistributionofurbanagricultureproducts.

• Includingadvocacyasacorevalue.Havingadvocacyasacorevalue,evenaspecialprogramarea,ofanorganizationsupportsstaffinengaginginadvocacyfromthepersonalleveltothecommunitylevel.Manyfoodbanksintervieweddiscussedhowincludingadvocacyasacorevalueenabledthemtofindresourcesandallocatestafftimetowardsadvocacyactivities.ByhavingadvocacyfirmlyrootedincorevaluesfoodbankslikeCentralNewYorkhavebeenabletodedicatestaffandconsultanttimetoadvocacyefforts.

Beinganeffectiveadvocateisreallyaboutunderstandingthestepsweneedstotaketomovethisorganizationtothatplacewherewecansaywehaveanadvocacyplan.Firstweneedtomeetourgoalsforestablishingfoodskilleducationandtraining.Wecan'tdoitallatonce.



4.10. Development & Finance Developmentandfinanceareconnectedtoalmosteverydimensionoffoodbanking.Foodbankscontinuetousetraditionalfundraisingmethodssuchasdirectmailcampaignswhilealsotestingoutnewfundraisingtoolssuchasvirtualfooddrives,asdescribedinprevioussections.Inthecontextofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks,developmentdepartmentsbecomeimportantlinkstoadiversefunderanddonorcommunitythroughadoptingarelationalfundraisingapproach.Inaddition,newprogramsandresourcestocreatenewcapacitiesoftenrequirenewmoney.Developmentandfinancedepartmentsareoftenresponsibleforgrowingrevenueandbudgetingfornewprogramsthatarebeingdevelopedtohelpshifttheorganization.

Communicatingtheshifttoacommunityfoodsecuritymodelasacaseforsupportisalsokeyfordevelopmentdepartments.Foodbanksarealsobeginningtocreateorexpandfundingpartnershipswithgovernment.Thisisasignificantshiftfromthepastwherethevastmajorityoffoodbankrevenuecamefromnon-governmentsources.

Financedepartmentsareadaptingtonewwaysoftrackingrevenueandexpensesthatbetteralignwiththevision,mission,goals,andvaluesoftheorganization.Forexample,theGreaterVancouverFoodBank,nowincludesdonatedfoodinitsincomestatement.Previously,thesedonationswerenotaccountedforinthebudgetandfinances.Everypoundoffooddonatedisvaluedat$2.50,anestimatebasedontheaveragecombinedvaluesofvariousfooditems.ThishasallowedtheGVFBtoshowamoreaccuratedepictionoftheorganizationalfinances.Foodbanksarealsoexploringnon-traditionaldevelopmentandfinancingsystems,suchassocialimpactbonds,57tohelpbetterservethelong-termgoalsoftheorganization.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationindevelopmentandfinancepracticesinclude:

• Providingmini-grantsforcommunitypartners.TheFoodBankofCentralNewYorkandtheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonaprovidesmallgrantsand/orloansupto$10,000topartneragenciesforscaling-outimpactoncommunityfoodsecurity.Thesefundshavebeenusedbypartnerstosetupcommunitygardensandsmallurbanfarms,fortechnicalassistance,andpurchasingequipment,amongothers.Foodbankshighlightthatfundersappreciatethecollaborativecollectiveimpactmodelapproach.

• Exploringnewwaystofundraiseforoperatingexpenses.Somefoodbanksreportedmovingawayfromastrictlydonationsbasedfinancialmodel.Thereisanemerginginterestingrantsandsocialenterpriseprogramsormodelsforfoodbanks.AdvocateslikeDonPallotta,58havemadeacompellingcaseforwhyfundersanddonorsshouldfundoperatingexpensessuchascommunications,marketing,andgoodsalariesforgoodpeople,inordertohaveagreaterpositiveimpactinthecommunity.Theneedforcontinuedcommunityeducationaboutthecostofrunningnon-profits/charitableorganizationsandwhyfairpayandotheroperationalcostsareneededtoincreasepositiveimpactwasnotedbyseveralfoodbanks.


• Consideringsocialimpactfinancing.Socialimpactfinancing,orbonds,provideorganizationswithfundingforprogramsandinitiativesthatreducepublichealthcosts.Giventhedirectconnectionbetweenfoodbanksandsomeofthemostvulnerablepopulations,programstoincreasehealth(e.g.diabetespreventionandmanagement)canhaveasignificantimpactonreducinghealthcarecosts.Thisisaverynewareaofinnovationindevelopmentandfinanceforfoodbanks.

• Promotingcashasking(orqueen).Withdollars,foodbankscanoftenleveragetheirpurchasingpower.TheGreaterVancouvercalculatesthatforeverydollardonatedtheorganizationisabletopurchasethreedollarsoffoodthroughlong-standingrelationshipswithwholesalers,localsuppliers,andproducers.Increasingcashdonationsforfoodalsoallowsfoodbanksmorecontroloverwhatisbeingdistributedandenablespurchasingrelationshipswithlocalfarmsandfoodproducers.Unrestrictedcashcanalsobeappliedtomanyoftheareasidentifiedthroughoutthisreportasneedingnewresourcesandcapacities.

• Growingarelationalfundraisingapproach.Manyfoodbankshavelongstandingrelationshipswithindividuals,businesses,churches,schools,andunions.Despitetheserelationships,thetraditionalfoodbankdevelopmentmodelismoretransactional:anexchangeofcashforknowingyouarehelpinghungrypeople.Socialinnovationindevelopmentismovingtowardsamorerelationalfundraisingmodel,wherethefoodbankdevelopsalong-termrelationshipwithafunderordonorbasedoncommongoalsandvalues.Relationalfundraisingdoesrequiremoretimeandresourcesininstigatingandtakingcareofrelationships,butalsoofferspotentiallylong-termstability.

• Professionalizingoperations.Aspartofhowfoodbanksareevolvinggenerally,financeanddevelopmentdepartmentsarebecomingincreasinglysophisticatedinpresentingacaseforsupportanddevelopingarelationalmodeloffundraising.Thisprocessmayrequirenewprofessionalskillstobetaughtorbroughtinordertosecureandstewardtheserelationships.Somefoodbanksdescribedthisasbehavingmorelikeabusinessratherthananon-profit.Also,asfundingbecomesmorefine-grained(i.e.designatedfundsbeingallocatedacrossmultipleprogramareas)theskillsrequiredtoadjusthowtheorganizationtracksrevenuesandexpensesenableseffectivereportingtofunderswhenneeded.

• Consideringcoordinatedfundraisingopportunities.Foryears,FoodGathererscompetedwithsimilarorganizationsforfunding.Recently,theygottogethertocreateacoordinatedfundingmodelthatfocusesonsixpriorityareas,includingnutritionandfoodsecurity.Whilethemodelisstillbeingproved-out,foodbanksseecoordinatedfundraisingasworthconsideringdespitethefacttheycanbetimeconsumingandlackinginoverallmanagement.

Wehavebegunlookingattheagencyrelationsnetworkasaprogram,alongwiththevolunteerprogramandyouthprograms.Seeingourprogramsasseparateprogramsthatcanbefundedseparately,allowsformoremoneyforouroverallfoodcosts.

THEDAILYBREADFOODBANK


• Owningassets.Althoughnotpossibleforallfoodbanks,owninglandandfacilitiesisanimportantfinancialstrategy.Somefoodbanksareintegratingintomixed-usedevelopmentthatincludehousing(e.g.FoodGatherersandAvalonHousing).Owninglandalsoallowsfoodbanksgreaterflexibilityforinstallinggardensorupdatingthebuildingtoreflectnewneeds(e.g.creatingmorecoldstorage).InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgeownstheirbuildingallowingthemtogainrentalincomefromanunusedportionofitandhavetheoptionofexpansioniftheyrequireit.


4.11. Food Purchasing Asfoodbankstrendtowardsdistributinghigherqualityfood,includingfreshproduce,foodpurchasingisplayingalargerroleinoperations.

Threekeychallengesareraisedbyfoodbankswithincreasingthequalityoffood:1)itismoreexpensiveanddifficulttopurchasethequalityfoodintheamountsrequired,2)newinfrastructurelikecoldstorageandtrainingonfoodhandlingarerequired,and3)providingfreshfoodisonlyaseffectiveashowwellpeopleappreciateandunderstandhowtopreparefreshfoods.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinfoodpurchasingpracticesinclude:

• Buildingrelationshipswithlocalfarmersandfarmassociations.In2015,theOttawaFoodBankpurchasedfreshproduceforthefirsttimeintheirhistory.TheGreaterVancouverFoodBankhasestablishedapurchasingrelationshipwithBCFresh,59aprovincialorganizationrepresentingover60farms.TheFoodBankofCentralNewYorkworkswithfarmstogleancropsinadditiontopurchasing.Theytrytokeeppurchasingaslocalaspossible.FoodBanksCanadahaspartnershipswiththeturkeyandeggfarmersandtheNelsonFoodCupboardhasbusinesspartnershipswiththeirlocalfarms.TheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonastartedaproducebrokerageenterprisethathelpslocalfarmersgrowtheirbusinessesandprovidesthefoodbankwithfreshproduce.Inshort,manyfoodbanksarecreatingnewdirectpurchasingrelationshipswithlocalproducerstoincreasethequalityoffoodbeingdistributed.

• Purchasingwithpartners.TheCommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizonaisassessingtheopportunitytojointlypurchasewithsomeoftheirlargeragencypartnersandsisteragencies.Thegoalistoincreasefreshlocalfoodaswellasincreaseefficienciesinmanagingpurchasingrelationships.Foodhubs,placeswherefoodfromlocalproducersandprocessorsisaggregatedandavailableforretailandwholesale,isanaspirationalideaforcreatingjointprocurementopportunities.InToronto,FoodReach,60anot-for-profitfoodportal,helpstocoordinateover$30millioninannualfoodprocurement.Foodbankshaveusedlocalfoodbuyingclubsandothertypesofpurchasingportalsoverthelast10yearstopurchasefoodsaswellasconnectdirectlytoproducers.Increasingpurchasingpowercouldhelpfoodbankstoachievecostsavingsbutmayalsolimittheirautonomyinchoosingthetypesoffoodstheywishtopurchase.

• Growingfoodforprograms.TheSaskatoonFoodBankproduced20,000poundsoffoodfordistributionandtheNelsonFoodCupboardpromotestheGrowaRow61programandgrowsproduceforsharinginitssmallurbanfarm.Asnotedinprevioussections,thesegardenscanalsohavemanyeducationalprogramsinadditiontoproductionfordistribution.


4.12. Food Recovery Manyfoodbanksregularlyrecovernon-retailquality,nutritiousfoodfromwholesaleorretaillocations,includingfarms,bakeries,restaurants,andgrocerystores,amongothers.Thispracticecangleanhighqualityfoodfrombusinessesthatwouldotherwisebewastedfordistributiontomembersandagencies.Wastediversioneffortsandpoliciescanalsoleadtoaninfluxofunwantedfooditemsthat,thedisposalofwhich,canbecostlyforfoodbanks.Whileapartialanswertohunger,formanyfoodbanks,foodrecoverycontinuestobeastrongsourceofdonatedandinexpensivefoodthatcanbeusedinhungerreductionandfoodliteracyprogramming.

Generally,foodbankshavedifferentperspectivesonwhattypesoffoodstheyaccept.Manyfoodbanksturnnothingawayandwillaccepteverything,findingappropriatewaystomanagetheunwanteditems.Othersaresaying‘no’atvariousstagesofthedonationprocessandinsomecasesabandoninglong-termdonationpartnershipsthatdonotmeetbasicqualitycriteria.Othersstillaretakingamoreproactiveapproachworkingtoeducatestaff,fooddonors,andwasteregulatorsaboutwhatfoodbankswillandwillnotaccept.

Asmentionedin4.2,manyfoodbanksarecreatingnutritionguidelinestomanagefoodreceivedanddistributed.Additionally,foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationinfoodrecoveryandwastemanagementpracticesinclude:

• Recoveringfoodfromfarmsandbackyards.TheCaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanksFarmtoFamilyprogram62providesover150millionpoundsoffreshproducetofoodbanksinCaliforniaannually.TofacilitatedonationsoffreshproducetheypassedataxcreditforCaliforniafarmerstoincentivizedonations.InNelsonandVictoriafruittree-gleaningprogramsprovidethesefoodbanksandotherserviceproviderswithfreeproduce.Quebec63,Ontario64,andBritishColumbia65nowprovidefarmtaxcreditstohelpincentivizethesedonations.

• Recoveringfoodfromretailers.Althoughfoodrecoveredfromretailstoresiscanbeaneffectivewayreduceshort-termhungerandwaste,thereislargelyalackofunderstandingofwhatisanappropriatefooddonationtothefoodbank,andlargequantitiesofunwanteditemsarecommon.Upstreameducationoffooddonors,discussedinprevioussections,isakeystrategybeingusedbyfoodbanks.Establishingfoodrecoveryprogramsrequiresvehiclesandstoragespace.Severalfoodbanksnotedthelatentpotentialinfoodrecoveryandthereislikelymuchlargeramountsofhighqualityfoodthatcouldbeusedinfoodbankdistribution.

• Saying‘no’throughthedonationprocess.Itisdifficultforfoodbankstoturnawayunwantedfoodatthedoor,especiallywhenitcomesinlargemixedpallets.Refusingafooddonationoverthephoneand/orhavingclearnutritionalpolicies/guidelinesismucheasierthansayingnowhenitemsarebeingdroppedoff.Itcanalsobedifficulttorefuseadonationthatisbeingmadebyalargecompanythatisalsoinvolvedwithfundingotherprogramsintheorganization.Regularcommunicationandawareness


raisingwithdonorsisasuccessfulstrategyforrespectfullydecliningsomedonationswhilebeingclearontheitemsthatarewanted.

• Recoveringprotein:TheInterfaithFoodBankofLethbridgepilotedProjectProteinafterpayingforaparttimecoordinatorforayear,fundedbyaprovincialcommunityinnovationgrant,tohelpdevelopamodelforaprogramthatsalvagesproteinfromthelivestockindustry.Theprojectwaspilotedwithsixnearbyfoodbanksbasedonthetheorythatiffoodbankshadthemoneytoprocessmeat,productwouldbedonatedfromthemeatindustry.Thepilot"showedthatifyoutellthedonorthattheycangiveyouananimalandtheywillgetataxdeductiontheywilldonatethatanimal.Wedistributed35,000poundsofgroundbeefandporkthatwewouldn'thavehadanddrasticallygrewourdonorbase.Wewereabletodistribute$135,000incharitabletaxreceipts.Wefeelwe'veshownsuccessinthemodel."InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgehascompiledtheprojectinformationinamannerthatistransferabletootherfoodbankorganizationsandiswillingtosharethisinformationwiththoseinterested.


4.13. Communications Ninetypercentofsocialchangeismarketing.66Thisisanobservationmadeonthesuccessofanti-povertylegislationthatwaspassedinSaskatchewaninpartbecauseofthecommunications,convening,andadvocacyworkledbytheSaskatoonFoodBankandLearningCentre.Communicationsdepartmentsaregrowingasfoodbanksbegintoshareandexchangeinformationwithdonors,thegeneralpublicandmanyothers.Providingmultipleengagementandlearningopportunitiesforawiderangeofstakeholdersisanotherwaycommunicationsdepartmentsareplayinganimportantroleinchange.

Whileinterviewparticipantsdidnotdiscusssocialinnovationincommunicationsdirectly,theimportanceofhavingastrongexternalidentityandbrandwasconsistentlyraisedasimportant.Asaresult,thissectionhasbeenprovidedasaplaceholderforfurtherresearchasfoodbanksbecomeincreasinglysophisticatedwiththeircommunications.

Foodbankapproachesandstrategiesforincreasingsocialinnovationincommunicationspracticesincludeusingsocialmedia,establishingintranetsystemstoincreasingtheabilityforstafftocommunicatewitheachother,updatingwebsites,leveragingmediaopportunitiestocommunicatekeymessages,andcreatingaccessibleandengagingannualreports.Ofparticularinterestwas:

• Usingthemediatopromotequalityfooddonations.Foodbanksareusingmediaopportunitiestotalkaboutneedforhealthyfooddonations.TheDailyBreadFoodBankusesafoodofthemonthcampaigntoencouragequalityfooddonations.Mediaeventscanalsobeusedtosharethemessagethatfoodbanksprefercashoverfooddonationsinordertopurchasehealthierfoods.Unrestrictedcashdonationsarethemostflexibleandareabletobeallocatedtonewareasoforganizationaldevelopment.Foodbanksareabletousetheirbuyingpowertomakethemostoutofcashdonations;uptothreetimesmorethanindividualscanpurchasingfoodtodonate.

• Adoptinganattitudeofgratitude.Afewfoodbanksreferredtoactivelyshiftingexternalandinternalperceptionsoftheirstoryfromoneofsadness,hunger,anddeficittooneofempowerment,assets,andthepowerofcommunity.Takingonthisattitudeofgratitudecanhelpformkeymessages,determinethetypesofimageryusedinmedia,andformafoundationandframeworkforhowthefoodbankinteractswithmembers,volunteers,staff,donors,andpartners.


5. Conclusions and Recommendations Thereisindeedadawnofsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsector.Whilemuchofthisinnovationisinitsinfancy,asignificantshiftinthewayfoodbanksseetheirroleinaddressinghungerandfoodinsecurityisoccurring.Manyfoodbanksshiftingtoacommunityfoodsecuritymodelarehavingsimilarexperiences,arelearningsimilarlessons,andwanttosharethisinformationwithothers.

Althoughhistoricallyfoodbankshavebeenheavilycriticizedbyfoodsecurityorjusticeadvocates,theyarenowcomingon-lineasoneofthemostimportantchangemakersinthefoodsystem.Thesheeramountofcapacity,infrastructure,andcommunitysupportthatfoodbankshavethatcanberepurposedandrefocusedforshiftingfromshorttolong-termcommunityfoodsecurityissignificant.Thisisanewandinvaluableassetformobilizingsignificantsystemschange.

ThisresearchtargetedarangeofinnovativefoodbanksinNorthAmerica.Weknowthattherearemanyotherfoodbanksthatarealsofindingnovelwaystoshifttheirorganization.Thisscanhasprovidedabaselineforunderstandingwhatsocialinnovationinfoodbanksisandhowfoodbanksaredoingit.Continuingtodevelopinroadstoandwaystorespectfullyengagewithfoodbankorganizationsthatmaynotsharetheseperspectivesisacriticalconsiderationforprogressingthischange.Alsodevelopingsharedadvocacyplatformstohelpgovernmentandindustrytobetteralignwiththeshiftinfoodbanksisakeystrategytobuildingcapacitybehindthismovement.

Informally,thereisagreatdealofinterestandenthusiasmfromeveryonethatwasinvolvedwiththisresearch.Thissuggeststhatthereisastrongappetiteforthiskindofinformationthatengagesfoodbanksinsharingandlearningfromoneanother.Thisalsosignalsthatcommunitiesofpracticeareemergingandareimportantassetstofoodbanks.

5.1. Patterns of Social Innovation in Food Banks Whenallthedatafromtheliteraturereviewandinterviewshasbeenconsidered,tenkeypatternsaroundsocialinnovationinthecharitablefoodsectorhaveemerged.Thesearecrosscuttingpatternsinalldimensionsofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.Thetenpatternsofsocialinnovationinfoodbanksare:

1) Creating a platform for shift.Establishingthesystemsandstructuresthatsupportshiftandenableinnovationarethefoundationsforsuccessandprovideakeytractionpointinchangingenvironments.Craftingnewvisionsandstrategicplansforthefutureoffoodbanksthataresupportedbyvalues,goals,philosophies,andactionplansenablesstaffandvolunteerstoactivelytakeonorganizationalshift.Strongplatformsalsohelpfoodbankstoworkacrossdepartmentsandbreak-down/rebuildsystemsthatsupportshift.

2) Taking a whole systems approach.Socialinnovationcannothappeninisolation.Takingalong-termwholesystemsapproachtostrategicplanning,organizationalassessment,communityengagementandadvocacy,amongothers,revealsnewopportunitiesforfunding,collaboration,andcollectiveimpact.Asystems


approachalsoenablesfoodbankstoassesscostsandimpactsofchangeonotherdepartmentsandoperationsinordertobestrategiconallocatingresourcesandtraining.Asystemsapproachismorecomplexandlesslinear,butisbettersuitedtoprovidingtheappropriateframeworkstoaddressthecomplexitybehindfoodinsecurityinCanada.

3) Focusing on quality over quantity. Shiftingeducationandoperationstoincludeattractingtherighttypeoffooddonationsaswellasincreasingthepurchasingofhigherqualityfoodsisapriorityareaformanyfoodbanks.Offeringqualityfoodsfurthersprovidingservicewithdignity.

4) Scaling out not up. Inordertoscale-out,FoodBanksareworkingwithadiverserangeofpartnershipstoincreaseprogramfunding,conductresearchandassessments,establishinternalsystems,andpurchaselocalfood,amongothers.Horizontalalignment,andforgingnewpartnerships,withotherlike-mindedorganizationsisincreasingtheimpactandreducinginefficienciesineffortstowardscommunityfoodsecurity.Theideaofworkingacrosssectorsasopposedtorampingupoperations,presentsanewmorestrategicapproachtocreatingchangethatthroughandeffectiveuseofresources.

5) Creating a healthy and dynamic culture of shift.Fromtheshopfloortotheboardroom,strongengagementandcommunicationbuildsstrongteamsthatfeelconnected,supported,andalignedaboutcreatingpositivechange.Staffandvolunteersarethelifebloodoffoodbanks.Ensuringtheyhaveapositiveexperienceinatimeoftransitionthatcanbestressfulisessentialtomakingmeaningfulprogress.Activelycreatingacultureofpassion,excitement,andtrust,allowschangetohappeninapositiveway.

6) Balancing change with the immediate need for emergency food services.Continuingemergencyfoodservicesdemonstratesthelonghistoryofcarethatfoodbankshaveprovidedtothecommunity.Respectfullychallengingthetraditionalsystemwhilestillprovidingemergencyfoodservicesisakeybalanceforfoodbankstostrike.

7) Engaging new voices.Engagingadiverserangeofvoices,especiallythosethathavebeenhistoricallyunderrepresentedandmarginalized,isakeypatternofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.Startingwiththeassumptionthateveryonehasvaluableknowledgetoshare,engagingnewvoicesinunderstandingwhattheshifttoacommunityfoodsecuritymodelmeansonanindividualtoorganizationallevelbeginstocreatetrustandsignificantcapacitytocreatesystemschange.

8) Starting with assets.ManyfoodbanksareadoptinganAssetBasedCommunityDevelopment(ABCD)approachthat


considerslocalassetsastheprimarybuildingblocksofsustainablecommunitydevelopment.Thiscanbeconsideredattheindividualandorganizationallevels.Thechangeprocessisthenfocusedonhowtouseandleverageexistingassets(e.g.fleets,facilities,relationships,skills,gifts,andknowledge)toachieveanewvision.

9) Working upstream.Inbeginningtoaddresstherootcausesoffoodinsecurity,foodbanksareworkingupstreamwithcorporatefooddonorsandseniorlevelsofgovernment,amongothers,toleverageotherhealthycommunityinitiativesaswellasraiseawarenessonhealthyfood.Drawinginthepeopleandplayersthatalsohaveaninterestinfoodsecurityandpublichealthenablesfoodbankstobemorestrategicandbetterpositionedtomeettheircommunityfoodsecuritygoals.

5.2. Recommendations for Further Research and Engagement Thissectionpresentssomeobservationsaroundfurtheractionbasedresearchandengagementopportunitiestofostersocialinnovationandacommunityofpractice.Someoftheserecommendationsmayalreadybetakingplaceinfullorpartialways,butweproposethemhereasimportantconsiderationsforallreadersofthisreport.

• Participateinknowledgesharingopportunities:

o Exploreopportunitiestocontinuebuildingacommunityofpracticethatspecificallyengagesabroadrangeoffoodbankorganizationsandtheirpartnersincapacitybuildingandknowledgesharingactivities.Considermultiplemediumsincludingsocial,online,andprintmedia.Sharingstories,lessonslearned,andimpactevaluations,forexample,helpstogenerateinterestandexcitementandcreateacommunityofpractice.

o Engageprovincialandnationalfoodbankorganizationstoidentifyimpactevaluationsandsuccessmeasuresthatarepracticalforfoodbankstouseandhowtoincreaseaccessanduptakeofthesemeasures.

o Createandsharea‘howto’resourcesonthe13dimensionsofsocialinnovationinfoodbanksthatprovidesexamplesofengagementandoverallapproachthatfoodbankshavetaken.

• Furtherresearchopportunities:

o ResearchthecollectiveimpactandAssetBasedCommunityDevelopmentstrategiesfoodbanksaretakingandhowwelltheyareworking.

o Developdetailedcasestudiesandimpactevaluationsofsociallyinnovativeactivitiesandorganizations.

o Examineopportunities,constraints,andexistingexamplesandsolutionsforsocialimpactbonding/socialinnovationfinancing/payforsuccessprogramsinfoodbanks.67

o Surveycommunicationstoolsandstrategiesbeingusedbyfoodbanks.

• Conveningacommunityofpracticeopportunities:


o Developawebinartodiscussthefindingsofthisreport.Alsolaunchaseriesof13separatewebinarsfocusedondiscussingthesuccesses,barriersandworkaroundwhatfoodbanksareexperiencinginthedifferentdimensionsoffoodbankingsocialinnovation.Considerpublishingshortwhitepapersaftereachwebinar.Identifyareasofcommoninterestandpotentialadvocacy.

o UseconferencesandeventsliketheFoodSecureCanada,FoodBanksCanada,andFoodBanksBC(amongotherprovincialnetworks)conferencetopresentanddiscusssocialinnovationinfoodbanks.

o Createaforumtoencourageresearchpartnershipswherefoodbankscanposttheirresearchneedsandcompanies,universitiesandresearchorganizationscanviewthembycategory.Thesamecompanies,universitiesandresearchorganizationscouldalsoposttheirresearchinterestsandskillsforfoodbankstoreachoutforpartnerships.

o Launchabi-annualsocialinnovationinfoodbanksconferencethatdrawstogetherfoodbanks,publichealthagenciesandorganizations,othersocialserviceproviders,agencypartners,andothersinlearningandidentifyingcommongroundandalignmentininterventions.Considerconveningjustfoodbanksonedayaheadofthemainconferencetoallowforpeer-to-peersharingandstrategizing.

Inconclusion,theseresearchfindingsindicatethatthereisagreatdealofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks.Further,foodbanksarebeginningtogalvanizeacommonvisionfortransformingthefoodbankingmodeltoonebasedoncommunityfoodsecurityandsocialjustice.Whiletherearemanyhurdlesinshiftingtocommunityfoodsecuritymodelsoffoodbanks,thereisaninspiringamountofworkbeingdedicatedtohavingamorepositivelastingimpactforpeople.Regardlessofwherefoodbanksareatonthesocialinnovationcontinuum,allfoodbankscomefromaplaceofcaringaboutpeopleandcommunities.Thisfoundationofcareandsenseofcommitmenttocommunityispropellingshifttolonger-termsolutions,asmanybegintoquestionthestatusquoanddevelopnewinnovativestrategiesforaddressinghungerandfoodinsecurityinCanadaandtheUS.


6. Appendices 6.1. Invitation to Participate Letter LikeotherFoodBanksinCanadaandtheUS,TheGreaterVancouverFoodBank(GVFB)isundertakingashiftawayfromstand-aloneemergencyfoodservicestolong-termcommunitywidestrategiesthataddressthecorecausesoffoodinsecurity.Aspartofthisjourney,weareseekingtobetterunderstandwhatotherFoodBanksaredoingaspartofasimilarshift.TheGVFBisundertakinganenvironmentalscanandassessmenttodevelopthisknowledgebaseandachievethefollowingthreeobjectives:

1. Establishanunderstandingofthecontinuumofsocialinnovationandbestpracticeswithin(major)foodbanksinCanadaaswellasidentifykeyreferencepointsintheUnitedStates.



ResearchQuestionWhatarefoodbanksinCanadaandtheUnitedStatesdoingtofostersociallyinnovativepracticestomaketheshifttowardscommunityfoodsecurity?ResearchScopeThisresearchfocusesonfoodbankswithinCanadaandtheUSthatprovidefoodandprogrammingtothecommunity.Thescopeincludesfoodbanksprovidingfoodeitherdirectlyorindirectlyfromtheirownphysicallocationsorthroughorganizationswithintheirnetworks.Weareaimingtospeaktoatleast20differentorganizations,potentiallymultiplepeopleperorganization.Wewillsharetheresultswithyouinthespringof2016.WhyEngage?Weappreciatethatfoodbanksarebusyplaceswithlimitedresourcestoengageinadditionalactivities.Wearecommittedtorespectingyourtimeandwewillshareourfinalreportwithyouuponitscompletionthisspring.Wehopetoprovideyouwithameaningfulresourcethatwillinspireotherconversationsaroundhowfoodbanksarelearningandworkingtogethertochallengethestatusquo.Wearelookingintoconveninginterestedfoodbanksinfurtherconversationsandactivitiesafterthisresearchprojectiscompleted.InterviewprocessIfyouarewillingtoparticipateinthisprojecta10minutepre-interviewsurveywillbesenttoyoutofilloutinordertoprovidemorefocusforthe1:1interviewprocess.Wearerequestingthirtytoforty-fiveminutesofyourtimefora1:1interviewtobescheduledbetweenJanuaryandFebruaryof2016.Toensureconfidentialityintervieweeswillhavetheabilitytochooseifyourorganizationiscitedpubliclyoranonymously.HowweareDefiningSocialInnovationintheContextofFoodBanksThisresearchdefinessocialinnovationasthere-strategizingofthefoodbankmodelforincreasedimpactandefficiencytowardscommunityfoodsecurity.Forthepurposesofthisproject,andinthecontextoffoodbanks,wecurrentlyunderstandsocialinnovationtobe:


• There-thinkingofbusinessmodelstoincreasethespreadofbenefitsfromtheprocesstoencompassenvironmental,socialandeconomicsustainabilityandjustice;

• Addressingroot,orsystemic,causesofaproblem;• Oftenincremental;andsometimes,• Adaptingoldideastonewcontexts.

Socialinnovationfocusareasforthisresearchinclude:Vision,mission,goals,values;AdvocacyandCommunityEngagement;BusinessandFinancingStructures;DonorAccountabilityandEducation;GovernanceStructures;HumanResources;PurchasingandNon-donatedfoodprocurement;FoodDistribution;FoodRecoveryandWasteManagement;andProgramming.

ResearchPhasesPhase1:Kick-offandInternalScan

• Reviewpublicandinternaldocuments(Oct.2015)• GVFBteamknowledgeexchange(Oct.2015)

Phase2:LiteratureReviewsandInterviews

• LiteraturereviewofexistingassessmentsofinnovationinCanadianfoodbanksconducted(Nov.2015)

• High-levelscanofsociallyinnovativeUSfoodbanksandinnovativepracticestoestablishkeyreferencepointsconducted(Nov.2015)

• Invitationstofoodbanksarrive(Feb.2016)• Self-assessmentsurveysarriveatfoodbanksbeinginterviewed(Feb.2016)• Interviewsareconducted(Feb.2016)

Phase3:SummarizeandDisseminateFindings

• Findingsareconsolidatedandsummarized(Feb.toMar.2016)


6.2. Self-Assessment Survey Section1:YourInformation

Yourorganizationsname:

Yourname:

Contactinformationforfollowupinterview:

Yourposition(s):

Areyouavolunteerorstaffmember?

Section2:TheBasics

Howmanystaffmembersandvolunteersdoyouhave?

Howmanypeopledoesyourfoodbankserveannually?

Howmanypoundsoffooddoyoudistributeannually?

Howmanypreparedmealsaredistributedannually?

Howmuchfreshproducedoesyourorganizationprocureannually?

Howmuchfreshproduceisdistributedannually?

Section3:SocialInnovationAreasYourOrganizationisCurrentlyWorkingonand/orBeginningtoThinkAboutTothebestofyourknowledgeonascalefrom1to10pleaseidentifywhereyourorganizationfallsinthebelowareasofsocialinnovationtoincreasingcommunityfoodsecurityfroma)whereyouareatcurrentlyandb)whereyouaspiretobein5-10years.(1)Noworkbeingdone,(3)Beginningtothinkaboutit,(5)Creatingaplan&liningupfundingandstaffresources,(7)Projects/program/policieshavebeenimplemented,(8)Programsshowedgoodresults,(10)Programsarebeingmonitoredforsuccessandadjustedbasedonresultsand/orawardshavebeenwon.ElevenAreasofSocialInnovationinFoodBanks

Yourassessmentofcurrentlevelofsocialinnovation:Pleasecircleorboldone

Yourassessmentofaspirational,orfuture,levelsofsocialinnovation:Pleasecircleorboldone

1.Vision,mission,goals,values

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2.Advocacy&CommunityEngagement

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3.BusinessandFinancingStructures

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4.DonorAccountability&Education

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5.GovernanceStructures

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6.HumanResources

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7.Purchasing&Non-donatedfoodprocurement

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8.FoodDistribution12345678910 12345678910

9.FoodRecovery&WasteManagement

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10.Partnerships 12345678910 12345678910

11.Programming 12345678910 12345678910


6.3. Interview Questions 1. Doyouhaveanycomments/questions/concernsthatarosefromtheself-assessmentsurvey's

definitionofsocialinnovationinfoodbanks?

2. Foreachsocialinnovationtopicarea:

a) Whatsociallyinnovativeprojects,policiesandinitiativesarefostering/supportingtheshifttowardscommunityfoodsecurity?

b) Keyreasonsforsuccess?

c) Wherethereanybarrierstoimplementationexperienced?Ifso,howweretheyaddressed?

d) Havetherebeenanyunexpectedresults?

3. Overallwhatareaswouldyoumostliketoincreasesocialinnovationinandwhy?Withinthosewhatareyourroadblockstostartingthatworkandwhatarethesupportsforstartingit?

4. Haveyouimplementedanyimpactassessmentsorsuccessmetricsfortheprogramsmentioned?Ifno,whynot?

5. TheGVFBisinterestedinpresentingthefinalreportfromthisresearchatthe2016FoodSecureCanadaConferenceinToronto.TheyarealsointerestedinworkingwithfoodbanksacrossCanadatoincreasefoodbankrepresentationattheconference.Wouldyouliketobenotifiedofpotentialfundingopportunitiesforincreasingfoodbankrepresentationattheconference?

6. TheGVFBisconsideringhostingawebinartodiscusstheprojectresultswithparticipantsandinterestedorganizations/individuals.Ifthisoccurswouldyouliketobenotified?

7. Pleaselistthenamesofanyotherfoodbankorganizationsyouunderstandtobesociallyinnovative.


6.4. Food Bank Contact Sheet

Name Address ContactInformation CaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks 1624FranklinSt#722,Oakland,CA

94612,UnitedStates 510-272-4435

CommunityFoodBankofSouthernArizona

3003SCountryClubRd,Tucson,AZ85713,UnitedStates

520-622-0525

DailyBreadFoodBank 191NewTorontoStreet,Toronto,ONM8V2E7

416-203-0050

FeedingAmerica 35EastWackerDrive,Suite2000

Chicago,IL60601 800-771-2303

FoodBankofCentralNewYork 7066InterstateIslandRd,Syracuse,NY13209,UnitedStates

315-437-1899

FoodBanksCanada 5025OrbitorDr#400,Mississauga,ONL4W4Y5

905-602-5234

FoodGatherers 1CarrotWay,AnnArbor,MI48105,UnitedStates

734-761-2796

GreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBank

1NLindenSt,Duquesne,PA15110,UnitedStates

412-460-3663

GreaterVancouverFoodBankSociety

1150RaymurAve,Vancouver,BCV6A3T2

604-876-3601

GreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentre

686RiversideDr,Fredericton,NBE3A8R6

506-459-7461

InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridge

11033AveN,Lethbridge,ABT1H0H7 403-320-8779

KamloopsFoodBank 171WilsonSt,Kamloops,BC 250-376-2252

NelsonfoodCupboard 602SilicaSt,Nelson,BC 250-354-1633

OregonFoodBank 7900NE33rdDr,Portland,OR97211,UnitedStates

503-282-0555

OttawaFoodBank 1317MichaelSt,Gloucester,ONK1B3M9

613-745-7001

SaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentre

202CAVES,Saskatoon,SK 306-664-6565

SecondHarvest 1450LodestarRd,Toronto,ONM3J3C1

416-408-2594

TheSTOP 1884DavenportRd,Toronto,ON 416-652-7867


6.5. Socially Innovative Food Bank Programming

ProgramName Description Organization WebLink Thrive “Westartedafullscalegardenprogramtoteach

peoplegardeningskills.AspartofthatwesetuppartnershipwithacareerdevelopmentsocietyhereandtheysetupaprogramcalledThrivethroughwhichsomeofourcustomersareparttimeemployeesatgarden.Thriveprovidessupportedone-on-oneemploymentfor10hrsaweek.Ithasbeenreallysuccessful,reallyquickly.Itreachesasmallnumberofpeoplewithadeepimpact."

NelsonFoodCupboard

http://foodcupboard.org/our-garden-project/

ChoosingHealthyOptionsProgram(CHOP)

"TheChooseHealthyOptionsProgram(CHOP)simplifiesnutritionfactsintoaeasy-to-understand3-pointscale,soitsuserscanmakequick,informeddecisionsaboutwhattoeat.

In2004,theFoodBankworkedwithlocalnutritioniststodevelopCHOP,whichsincehasbeenadoptedbymorethanadozenfoodbanksaroundthecountry!"

GreaterPittsburghFoodBank

https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/resources/nutrition/chop/

HarvestRescueProgram

“It’safreshproducegleaningprogramthroughwhichvolunteersharvestunwantedfruitandvegetablesfrombackyardgardensandnearbyfarms.Theproduceisdistributedthroughfoodbanks,lowincomehousingbuildingandsocialservices.”

NelsonFoodCupboard

http://foodcupboard.org/harvest-rescue-volunteer-information/

GardenPatch "TheGardenPatchisacommunity-drivenurbanagricultureinitiativeoftheSaskatoonFoodBankandLearningCentre,locatedinthe900blockof3rdAve.NintheheartofSaskatoon.Eachyearthisvacantcity-ownedlotistransformedintoathrivinggreengarden!Inthelastfiveyearsover100,000lbsofproducehasbeenharvestedfordistributiontoourcommunity."


http://www.saskatoonfoodbank.org/urban-agriculture-the-garden-patch/

CommunityHarvestProgram

"TheCommunityHarvestProgramgrowsandcollectsnutritious,localproduceforclientsservedbyOttawaFoodBankcommunityfoodprogramsacrossthenationalcapitalregion.In2015,theprogramdistributedatotal176,553lbsoffreshproduce!Over101,000lbsofwhichwegrewourselves!"

OttawaFoodBank

http://www.ottawafoodbank.ca/community-harvest/

FaithinFood "Eachfaithgardenisaskedtodevoteatleast Food http://www.foo


program 50%oftheirgardenfordonationtoFoodGatherers;theremaindermayalsobedonated,sharedorsoldamongthecongregation.Mostgardensarelocatedon-sitebutsomecongregationsgatheritemsfromtheirhomeorcommunitygardensforcollectivedonation."

Gatherers dgatherers.org/?module=Page&sID=faith-and-food

FarmersEndingHunger

"ThemissionofFarmersEndingHungeristoeliminatehungerinOregonbyincreasingtheamountofhighqualityfoodavailabletohungrylocalcommunitiesthroughapartnershipoffarmers,foodprocessors,OregonFoodBankandthepublic."

OregonFoodBank

http://www.farmersendinghunger.com/

FEAST-FoodEducationAgricultureSolutionsTogether

"FEASTisacommunityorganizingprocessthatallowsparticipantstoengageinaninformedandfacilitateddiscussionaboutfood,educationandagricultureintheircommunityandbegintoworktowardsolutionstogethertohelpbuildahealthier,moreequitableandmoreresilientlocalfoodsystem."

OregonFoodBank

http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/our-work/building-food-security/community-programs/feast

FoodSafetyCourses

"ThekitchenisClass4commerciallylicensedandservesasateachingkitchen,rentablemeetingspace,cateringlocation,spaceforclientstolearnemployableskills,teachingfoodhandlingservices,firstaid,andfoodsafetywhileprovidingvolunteerservicesto(potential)rentersofthefacility."

GreenerVillageCommunityFoodCentre

http://www.greenervillage.org/our-greener-kitchen/teaching-kitchen-programming

FoodServiceJobEducation

"Educationforfoodserviceindustryjobsthroughthekitchenprogramwhich“hasmaintainedan80%successratewithhelpingpeoplesecurejobsinfoodservice.”(p6)68

AtlantaCommunityFoodBank

FromtheGroundUp

"AjointeffortoftheChesapeakeBayFoundationtobringnutritious,freshproducetocommunitiesofallincomelevelsthroughouttheDCarea.Inadditiontoraisingvegetablesinasustainablemanneronabout20acresinUpperMarlboro,MD,thispartnershipworkstoeducatethepublicabouttherelationshipbetweenagriculture,ourenvironment,thefoodsupplyandsocialjustice.Theylookatsustainabilityintermsofthewholecommunity,sociallyandecologically,preservingahealthyandvitalbaywhileensuringallpeoplehaveaccesstonutritiousfood."

CapitalAreaFoodBank

https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/farms-gardening-2/from-the-ground-up-at-clagett-farm/

Gardenina "ACommunityFoodSecurityCoordinatorwhois FoodBankof http://www.foo


BucketProgram alsoaregistereddieticianworksattheprogramleveltopromotefoodsecuritybycoordinatinginitiativessuchasGarden-in-a-BucketandGardenGrants."(p41)69

CentralNewYork

dbankcny.org/get-help/community-services/community-food-security/

GoodFoodTuesdaysFoodSkillsProgram

"Participantsareencouragedtosharetheirknowledgeandlearnnewrecipestoadapttotheirtastesanddietaryneeds.Ourgoalistogivepeopletheinspirationandskillstomakemorehealthymealsfromscratch,andofferaninclusiveeducationalsocialactivity."

NelsonFoodCupboard

http://foodcupboard.org/food-skills-program/

PlantaRowGrowaRow

Encouragespeoplegrowingfoodtodonatearowoftheirproducetofoodbanks

Multiplefoodbanks

http://www.growarow.org/about.htm

CommunityHarvest

"CommunityHarvestisaFoodBankprogramthatenableshomegardenerstodonateproducetonearbymemberagencies."


https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/programs/community-harvest/

HealthyYards "TheCityofSaskatoonhaspartneredwiththeSaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentreandtheUniversityofSaskatchewanMasterGardenerstodeveloptheHealthyYardsdemonstrationgardenattheGardenPatchforthepublictovisitandlearnaboutgardening.ThisnewpartnershiphasallowedustocreateagardenthatshowsrealSaskatoonexamplesofhealthychoicesforthegardenandforthegardener,”saysBrendaWallace,DirectorofEnvironmental&CorporateInitiatives.“Whetheryou’reanewgardeneroranexperiencedgardener,thereissomethingforyouattheGardenPatch.”


https://www.saskatoon.ca/news-releases/saskatoon%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Chealthy-yards-garden-patch%E2%80%9D-opens

JustSayYestoFruitsandVegetablesProgram

"Programtodelivercomprehensivenutritioneducationactivitiestoouremergencyfoodnetworkoffoodpantries,shelters,andsoupkitchens.Designedtopreventobesityandreducelongtermchronicdiseaserisks,JSYpromotesincreasedfruitandvegetableconsumptionthroughaseriesofnutritioneducationworkshopstailoredtoencouragehealthfuleatingandfoodpreparation.EachworkshopprovidespracticalnutritioninformationusingUSDAapprovedlessonplans,

FoodBankofCentralNewYork

http://www.foodbankcny.org/get-help/nutrition-education/just-say-yes-to-fruits-and-vegetables/


cookingdemonstrations,andrecipesusingfruitsandvegetables."

KidsCanCookClasses

Thisprogramsetsoutto…“engagechildreninadialogueaboutthelargersocietalissuesthataffecttheirhealth,likelackofaccesstohealthyfoods,andhowadvertisingaffectsconsumerchoices,”Batesonnotes.”(p.7)70

AlamedaCountyCommunityFoodBank

KitchenProgram

"Providesfreecookingsessionsthatareintendedtoteachhealthyeatingonalimitedbudget.FREEtwohourclassesareofferedMondaythroughFriday,guidedbyourKitchenCoordinator."

InterfaithFoodBankofLethbridge

http://interfaithfoodbank.ca/community-kitchen/

ProduceEducationProgram

"TheProduceEducationProgram(PEP)isCAFB’sinnovativenutritioneducationprogramthatreachesclientswaitinginlineatfooddistributions.Short(3-5minute),interactivenutritionlessons,tastetestsandrecipecardsfocusononefeaturedproduceitembeingofferedthatdaythroughourFarmtoFamilyprogram."

CaliforniaAssociationofFoodBanks

http://www.cafoodbanks.org/produce-education

ProjectChief "ProjectCHEFEducationSociety,apartnerwiththeGVFB,offersexperientialprogramstoteachchildrenandfamiliesabouthealthyeatingandhowtomakewholesomefoodforthemselves"

GreaterVancouverFoodBank

https://www.foodbank.bc.ca/how-we-help/the-next-generation/

ProjectGrow Communitygardenwhereindividualsregisterforplots."WehaveastrongpartnershipwithCarrotWayapartments(socialhousingonproperty)sowenegotiatedthattheycanuseourlandandwaterforfreebutwewantanyofourCarrotWaytenants(lowincome)togetfirstpriorityforfreeandanyoneelseinthecommunitycanuseitandtheyhavetodedicate10%oftheirproducetouslikeaPlantaRowprogram."(QuotefromInterview)

FoodGatherers

http://projectgrowgardens.org/community-gardens/sites-original/food-gatherers

ReadySetBacktoSchool

"Workingwithalargegroupofcommunityagenciesdedicatedtogettingchildrenreadyforthenewschoolyear.Workingtogether,foodbanksarefocusingonensuringfamiliescanprovidehealthyschoolsnacksandlunches,whileschoolsfocusonmeetingschoolsupplyneeds.ThroughoutAugustandSeptember,InterfaithwillworkjointlywiththeReadySetGoBacktoSchoolFairtocollectanddistribute

InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgeFoodBankofLethbridge

http://visitlethbridge.com/event.asp?EventID=3662


suppliestochildrenwhomightotherwisegowithout."

SummerFoodServiceProgram(SFSP).

"AnationalprogramoftheUSDAthatprovidesFREEmealstokidsduringthesummermonths.Localsponsors(likeschools,churchesandcommunityorganizations)signupthroughPADepartmentofEducationandagreetomakemealsforthesummer.Mealsareservedatsites(likechurches,parks,low-incomehousinglocations,schools,YMCA’s,Boys&GirlsClubs,communitycenters,etc.).Sponsorsreceiveafixedreimbursementforeverymealservedtoaneligiblechildatasite."


https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/foodpartnership/summer-food-service-program/


7. End Notes and References i“Therighttoadequatefoodisrealizedwheneveryman,womanandchild,aloneorincommunitywithothers,

hasphysicalandeconomicaccessatalltimestoadequatefoodormeansforitsprocurement.”(FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations.Formoreinformationpleasevisit:http://www.fao.org/righttofood/right-to-food-home/en/.

“Therighttofoodisafundamentalhumanright.Itisenshrinedinarangeofinternationallegalinstruments,includingtheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights,whichwasadoptedbytheUNGeneralAssemblyin1948.ItismorespecificallyspelledoutintheInternationalCovenantonEconomic,SocialandCulturalRights,whichCanadasignedin1976,anditisincludedinvariousotherhumanrightsinstruments.Canadahasalegalobligationtorespect,protectandfulfilltherighttofood”(FoodSecureCanada.FormoreinformationontherighttofoodinCanadapleasevisit:http://foodsecurecanada.org/policy-advocacy/right-food)

2Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.

3Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,RachelLoopstra(2014).FoodBanks,Welfare,andFoodInsecurityinCanada.BritishFoodJournal,116(9).Pp1405-1417

4Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto.TorontoFoodStrategy/TorontoPublicHealth.Pg10RetrievedonNovember03,2015fromhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf)

5CBC(2014).“Canada'sobesityratestripleinlessthan30years”.RetrievedSept2,2016from:http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-s-obesity-rates-triple-in-less-than-30-years-1.2558365

6Roshanafshar,ShirinandEmmaHawkins(2015).FoodInsecurityinCanada.HealthataGlance.StatisticsCanadaCatalogueno.82-624-X.

7Tarasuk,Valerie,AndyMitchell,andNaomiDachner(2012).HouseholdFoodInsecurityinCanada2012.PROOF.8Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,

BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.


10FoodBanksCanada.(2014).HungerCount.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttps://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/ab084392-9d65-4d04-9b26-cc8e5c29dcbb/HC-brochure-2014-EN-version-1-JAN19-FINAL.PDF.aspx?ext=.pdf

11FoodBanksCanada.(2015).HungerCount.RetrievedonJanuary15,2015fromhttps://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/01e662ba-f1d7-419d-b40c-bcc71a9f943c/HungerCount2015_singles.pdf.aspx

12FoodBanksCanada.(2014).HungerCount.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttps://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/ab084392-9d65-4d04-9b26-cc8e5c29dcbb/HC-brochure-2014-EN-version-1-JAN19-FINAL.PDF.aspx?ext=.pdf



14Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto.ForTorontoFood

Strategy/TorontoPublicHealthhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf

15Coleman-Jensen,A.,Rabitt,MP,Gregory,C.&Singh,A.(2014).HouseholdFoodSecurityintheUnitedStatesin2014.RetrievedonNovember15,2015fromUSDA.http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896841/err194.pdf

16Mabli,J.,Cohen,R.,Potter,F.&Zhanyun,Z.(2010).HungerinAmerica:ANationalReportPreparedforFeedingAmerica,FinalReport.Availableat:

http://www.mathematicampr.com/publications/PDFs/nutrition/hunger_in_America_2010.pdf.17FeedingAmerica(2014).HungerinAmerica2014ExecutiveSummary.RetrievedonDecember01,2015from

http://help.feedingamerica.org/HungerInAmerica/hunger-in-america-2014-summary.pdf18HumanResourcesDevelopmentCanada19Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,RachelLoopstra(2014).FoodBanks,Welfare,andFoodInsecurityinCanada.

BritishFoodJournal,116(9).pp1405-141720LoopstraR,TarasukV(2015).Foodbankuseisapoorindicatoroffoodinsecurity:insightsfromCanada.Social

PolicyandSocietyVol1(3)pp 443-45521Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,

BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.

22MedianearningsofCanadiansemployedonafull-timebasisforafullyearchangedlittleduringthepastquartercentury,edgingupfrom$41,348in1980to$41,401in2005(in2005constantdollars).StatisticsCanada(2006).“EarningsandIncomesofCanadiansOverthePastQuarterCentury,2006Census:Highlights.”RetrievedSept2,2016fromhttps://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-563/p1-eng.cfm

23Fisher,A.(2015).BuildingtheBridge:LinkingFoodBankingandCommunityFoodSecurity.CommunityFoodSecurityCoalitionWorldHungerYear.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttp://thepod.cfccanada.ca/sites/thepod.cfccanada.ca/files/fisher_andy._2005_building_the_bridge_-_linking_food_banking_and_community_food_security.pdf

24Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto.TorontoFoodStrategyandTorontoPublicHealth.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf

25Pascaul,T.(2013).CookingUpCommunity:NutritionEducationinEmergencyFoodPrograms.NationalHungerClearingHouse.RetrievedonOctober20,2015fromhttp://thepod.cfccanada.ca/sites/thepod.cfccanada.ca/files/Nutrition%20Education%20in%20Emergency%20Food%20Programs%20-%20Why%20Hunger.pdf


27Sensoy,O.,&DiAngelo,R.(2012).Iseveryonereallyequal?AnIntroductiontoKeyConceptsinSocialJusticeEducation.NewYork,NY:TeachersCollegePress.

28Ibid29Grain,K.&Lund,D.(underreview).Thesocialjusticeturninservice-learning:Cultivatingcriticalhopeinatime

ofdespair.MichiganJournalofCommunityService-Learning.30Hamm,M.;Bellows,A.(2003).CommunityFoodSecurityandNutritionEducators.JournalofNutritionEducation

andBehavior35(1):37–43.31Wikipedia,(2016).CommunityFoodSecurity.RetrievedonApril10,2016from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_food_security


32FoodandAgricultureOrganization(1996).“RomeDeclarationonWorldFoodSecurityandWorldFoodSummit

PlanofAction.”WorldFoodSummit13-17November1996.Rome.33FoodandAgricultureOrganization(2008).AnIntroductiontotheBasicConceptsofFoodSecurity.Retreived

Sept2,2016from:http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf34CentreforSocialInnovation(2015).SocialInnovation.RetrievedonOctober21,2015from

http://socialinnovation.ca/about/social-innovation35Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,RachelLoopstra(2014).FoodBanks,Welfare,andFoodInsecurityinCanada.

BritishFoodJournal,116(9).pp1405-141736Emergy,H.,Fleisch,V.,&McIntyre,L.(2013).HowaGuaranteedAnnualIncomeCouldPutFoodBanksOutOf

Business.UniversityofCalgary.http://thepod.cfccanada.ca/sites/thepod.cfccanada.ca/files/U%20of%20Calgary%20-%20How%20GAI%20could%20put%20food%20banks%20out%20of%20business_0.pdf

37Fisher,A.(2015).BuildingtheBridge:LinkingFoodBankingandCommunityFoodSecurity.CommunityFoodSecurityCoalitionWorldHungerYear.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttp://thepod.cfccanada.ca/sites/thepod.cfccanada.ca/files/fisher_andy._2005_building_the_bridge_-_linking_food_banking_and_community_food_security.pdf

38FoodBanksCanada(2015).HungerCount2015:AComprehensiveReportonHungerandFoodBankUseInCanada,andRecommendationsForChange.RetrievedonOctober16,2015fromhttps://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/01e662ba-f1d7-419d-b40c-bcc71a9f943c/HungerCount2015_singles.pdf.aspx


40Tarasuk,V.(2010).DoFoodBanksWork?UniversityofTorontointerview.RetrievedonOctober21,2015fromhttp://www.research.utoronto.ca/do-food-banks-work/

41Kalkat,K.&Pirnak,J.(2014).ImprovingNutritionQualityforBC’sFoodBanks.ProvincialHealthServicesAuthority.(InternalGVFBDocument)


43FoodBanksCanada(2014).HungerCount2014:AComprehensiveReportonHungerandFoodBankUseInCanada,andRecommendationsForChange



46Ibid47Furtherinformationonthisstudyandadownloadableversionisareavailableat:

http://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com/about/gleanings-newsletter/48PleaseseetheSocialInnovationLabformoreinformationonripplemapping.

http://www.socialinnovationlab.net/what-is-ripple-effect-mapping/49OregonFoodBank.(2016).FEAST.RetrievedonApril05,2016fromhttp://www.oregonfoodbank.org/our-

work/building-food-security/community-programs/feast


50Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto(2013)ForTorontoFood

Strategy/TorontoPublicHealthhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf

51Children'sHealthWatch.(2016).TheHungerVitalSign.RetrievedonApril05,2016fromhttp://www.childrenshealthwatch.org/public-policy/hunger-vital-sign/

52TolearnmoreaboutAssetBasedCommunityDevelopment,pleasevisitNorthwesternUniversitiesCentreforABCD:http://www.abcdinstitute.org/index.html

53FoodBanksCanada.(2015).HungerCount2015KeyStats.RetrievedonDecember01,2015fromhttps://www.foodbankscanada.ca/hungercount2015

54Tarasuk,V.,Dachner,N.&Loopstra,R.(2014).FoodBanks,Welfare,andFoodInsecurityinCanada.BritishFoodJournal,116(9).Pp1405-1417.

55TolearnmoreaboutthePeople’sBluePrint,pleasevisit:http://www.dailybread.ca/learning-centre/peoples-blueprint/

56TolearnmoreabouttheEatThinkVotecampaignpleasevisit:http://campaign.foodsecurecanada.org57Asocialimpactbondisacontractwiththepublicsectorinwhichacommitmentismadetopayforimproved

socialoutcomesthatresultinpublicsectorsavings.58TolearnmoreaboutDonPallottaandseehisTEDtalkpleasevisit:http://www.danpallotta.com59TolearnmoreaboutBCFreshpleasevisit:http://bcfreshvegetables.com60TolearnmoreaboutFoodReachpleasevisit:http://foodreach.ca61TolearnmoreaboutGrowaRowpleasevisit:http://www.growarow.org62TolearnmoreaboutFarmtoFamilypleasevisit:http://www.cafoodbanks.org/farm-family63TolearnmoreaboutthetaxcreditforfarmdonationinQuebecpleasevisit:http://www.revenuquebec.ca/en/salle-de-presse/nouvelles-fiscales/2016/2016-05-24.aspx64TolearnmoreaboutthetaxcreditforfarmdonationinOntariopleasevisit:http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/info-taxcredit.htm65TolearnmoreabouttheB.C.Farmers'FoodDonationTaxCreditpleasevisit:

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/income-taxes/corporate/credits/farmers-food-donation66In-personobservationmadebytheSaskatoonFoodBank.67Tolearnmoreaboutsocialimpactbondspleaseseethislink:https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/our-

work/initiatives/social-impact-bonds/68Fisher,A.(2005).BuildingtheBridge:LinkingFoodBankingandCommunityFoodSecurity.RetrievedonOctober

15,2015fromhttp://thepod.cfccanada.ca/sites/thepod.cfccanada.ca/files/fisher_andy._2005_building_the_bridge_-_linking_food_banking_and_community_food_security.pdf

69Ibid70Ibid

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