Social Innovation in Food Banks€¦ · Social Innovation in Food Banks An Environmental Scan of...
Transcript of Social Innovation in Food Banks€¦ · Social Innovation in Food Banks An Environmental Scan of...
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Social Innovation in Food Banks An Environmental Scan of Social Innovation in Canadian and US Food Banks Summer 2016
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ThisprojecthasbeenconvenedandoverseenbytheGreaterVancouverFoodBank.Theadvising,research,andreportproductionforthisprojecthasbeenprovidedbyUrbanFoodStrategiesPrincipalJaninedelaSalle&Associate,JamieUnwin.FundingwasprovidedbyMapleLeafFoodsaspartoftheirsustainabilitycommitmentsandpriorities.Pleasevisitwww.mapleleafsustainability.comformoreinformation.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 2Summer 2016
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).
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 3Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 4Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 5Summer 2016
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.
2. Produceanddisseminateaclearandconcisesummaryoftheresearchfindingstoprojectparticipants,foodbankassociations,andcommunityhealthpartners.
3. Tocontributetothecommunityoflearningwithinfoodbanksbyengagingdiscussionaroundstrategiesandlearningsforchallengingthestatusquointheemergencyfoodsystem.
1.4. Terminology Associalinnovationinfoodbanksisanemergentpractice,languageisbeginningtoevolvetobetterdescribeandreflectcomplexityandchangingperspectives.Beingreflectiveaboutlanguageandconsciouslychangingandadaptinglanguage,appreciatingthesignificanceofhow
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 6Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 7Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 8Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 9Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 10Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 11Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 12Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 13Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 14Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 15Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 16Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 17Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 18Summer 2016
• 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.
GREATERVANCOUVERFOODBANK
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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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 20Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 21Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 22Summer 2016
andvolunteersareengagedwiththeorganization.Overall,thetrendistobuildteamstrengthovertimebycreatingandfillingnewpositionsandengagingstaffinvisioningandgoalsettingthroughregulardiscussionsandcommunicationsaboutprogresstowardsgoals.Asfoodbanksprofessionalize,morestaffwithexperienceinspecificareassuchasnutritionjointheteam,bringingwiththemnewperspectives.Drawingonteamstrengthsandassetsisanotherwayofbuildingacommonculture;asnotedbytheGreaterVancouverFoodBank,“staffandvolunteersareexpertsintheirownfieldofwork."EverymonththeGVFBconvenesastafflunchandlearn,knownasa‘SoapBox’.Here,importantannouncementsaremade,progressupdatesareprovided,andalearning/engagementopportunityiscreatedthroughguestspeakersorfoodskillworkshopsandthentheentireteamhaslunchtogether.
• Increasingtransparencyandtrust:Transparencywasraisedasanessentialwaytobuildtrustwithstaff.Enablingstafftoreviewprogressreportsorboardminutes,forexample,canhelptocreateaculturewherepeoplefeelliketheyareintheloop,creatingmoreownership.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 23Summer 2016
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.
GREATERVANCOUVERFOODBANK
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 24Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 25Summer 2016
• 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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 26Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 27Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 28Summer 2016
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.
GREATERVANCOUVERFOODBANK
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 29Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 30Summer 2016
• 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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 31Summer 2016
• Owningassets.Althoughnotpossibleforallfoodbanks,owninglandandfacilitiesisanimportantfinancialstrategy.Somefoodbanksareintegratingintomixed-usedevelopmentthatincludehousing(e.g.FoodGatherersandAvalonHousing).Owninglandalsoallowsfoodbanksgreaterflexibilityforinstallinggardensorupdatingthebuildingtoreflectnewneeds(e.g.creatingmorecoldstorage).InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgeownstheirbuildingallowingthemtogainrentalincomefromanunusedportionofitandhavetheoptionofexpansioniftheyrequireit.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 32Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 33Summer 2016
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 34Summer 2016
raisingwithdonorsisasuccessfulstrategyforrespectfullydecliningsomedonationswhilebeingclearontheitemsthatarewanted.
• Recoveringprotein:TheInterfaithFoodBankofLethbridgepilotedProjectProteinafterpayingforaparttimecoordinatorforayear,fundedbyaprovincialcommunityinnovationgrant,tohelpdevelopamodelforaprogramthatsalvagesproteinfromthelivestockindustry.Theprojectwaspilotedwithsixnearbyfoodbanksbasedonthetheorythatiffoodbankshadthemoneytoprocessmeat,productwouldbedonatedfromthemeatindustry.Thepilot"showedthatifyoutellthedonorthattheycangiveyouananimalandtheywillgetataxdeductiontheywilldonatethatanimal.Wedistributed35,000poundsofgroundbeefandporkthatwewouldn'thavehadanddrasticallygrewourdonorbase.Wewereabletodistribute$135,000incharitabletaxreceipts.Wefeelwe'veshownsuccessinthemodel."InterfaithFoodBankSocietyofLethbridgehascompiledtheprojectinformationinamannerthatistransferabletootherfoodbankorganizationsandiswillingtosharethisinformationwiththoseinterested.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 35Summer 2016
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.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 36Summer 2016
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
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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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 38Summer 2016
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:
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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.
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6. Appendices 6.1. Invitation to Participate Letter LikeotherFoodBanksinCanadaandtheUS,TheGreaterVancouverFoodBank(GVFB)isundertakingashiftawayfromstand-aloneemergencyfoodservicestolong-termcommunitywidestrategiesthataddressthecorecausesoffoodinsecurity.Aspartofthisjourney,weareseekingtobetterunderstandwhatotherFoodBanksaredoingaspartofasimilarshift.TheGVFBisundertakinganenvironmentalscanandassessmenttodevelopthisknowledgebaseandachievethefollowingthreeobjectives:
1. Establishanunderstandingofthecontinuumofsocialinnovationandbestpracticeswithin(major)foodbanksinCanadaaswellasidentifykeyreferencepointsintheUnitedStates.
2. Produceanddisseminateaclearandconcisesummaryoftheresearchfindingstoprojectparticipants,foodbankassociations,andcommunityhealthpartners.
3. Tocontributetothecommunityoflearningwithinfoodbanksbyengagingdiscussionaroundstrategiesandlearningsforchallengingthestatusquointheemergencyfoodsystem.
ResearchQuestionWhatarefoodbanksinCanadaandtheUnitedStatesdoingtofostersociallyinnovativepracticestomaketheshifttowardscommunityfoodsecurity?ResearchScopeThisresearchfocusesonfoodbankswithinCanadaandtheUSthatprovidefoodandprogrammingtothecommunity.Thescopeincludesfoodbanksprovidingfoodeitherdirectlyorindirectlyfromtheirownphysicallocationsorthroughorganizationswithintheirnetworks.Weareaimingtospeaktoatleast20differentorganizations,potentiallymultiplepeopleperorganization.Wewillsharetheresultswithyouinthespringof2016.WhyEngage?Weappreciatethatfoodbanksarebusyplaceswithlimitedresourcestoengageinadditionalactivities.Wearecommittedtorespectingyourtimeandwewillshareourfinalreportwithyouuponitscompletionthisspring.Wehopetoprovideyouwithameaningfulresourcethatwillinspireotherconversationsaroundhowfoodbanksarelearningandworkingtogethertochallengethestatusquo.Wearelookingintoconveninginterestedfoodbanksinfurtherconversationsandactivitiesafterthisresearchprojectiscompleted.InterviewprocessIfyouarewillingtoparticipateinthisprojecta10minutepre-interviewsurveywillbesenttoyoutofilloutinordertoprovidemorefocusforthe1:1interviewprocess.Wearerequestingthirtytoforty-fiveminutesofyourtimefora1:1interviewtobescheduledbetweenJanuaryandFebruaryof2016.Toensureconfidentialityintervieweeswillhavetheabilitytochooseifyourorganizationiscitedpubliclyoranonymously.HowweareDefiningSocialInnovationintheContextofFoodBanksThisresearchdefinessocialinnovationasthere-strategizingofthefoodbankmodelforincreasedimpactandefficiencytowardscommunityfoodsecurity.Forthepurposesofthisproject,andinthecontextoffoodbanks,wecurrentlyunderstandsocialinnovationtobe:
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• 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)
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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
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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.
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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
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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."
SaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentre
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
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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
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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."
GreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBank
https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/programs/community-harvest/
HealthyYards "TheCityofSaskatoonhaspartneredwiththeSaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentreandtheUniversityofSaskatchewanMasterGardenerstodeveloptheHealthyYardsdemonstrationgardenattheGardenPatchforthepublictovisitandlearnaboutgardening.ThisnewpartnershiphasallowedustocreateagardenthatshowsrealSaskatoonexamplesofhealthychoicesforthegardenandforthegardener,”saysBrendaWallace,DirectorofEnvironmental&CorporateInitiatives.“Whetheryou’reanewgardeneroranexperiencedgardener,thereissomethingforyouattheGardenPatch.”
SaskatoonFoodBank&LearningCentre
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/
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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
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suppliestochildrenwhomightotherwisegowithout."
SummerFoodServiceProgram(SFSP).
"AnationalprogramoftheUSDAthatprovidesFREEmealstokidsduringthesummermonths.Localsponsors(likeschools,churchesandcommunityorganizations)signupthroughPADepartmentofEducationandagreetomakemealsforthesummer.Mealsareservedatsites(likechurches,parks,low-incomehousinglocations,schools,YMCA’s,Boys&GirlsClubs,communitycenters,etc.).Sponsorsreceiveafixedreimbursementforeverymealservedtoaneligiblechildatasite."
GreaterPittsburghCommunityFoodBank
https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/foodpartnership/summer-food-service-program/
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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.
9Tarasuk,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
13Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 52Summer 2016
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
26Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 53Summer 2016
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
39Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto.TorontoFoodStrategyandTorontoPublicHealth.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf
40Tarasuk,V.(2010).DoFoodBanksWork?UniversityofTorontointerview.RetrievedonOctober21,2015fromhttp://www.research.utoronto.ca/do-food-banks-work/
41Kalkat,K.&Pirnak,J.(2014).ImprovingNutritionQualityforBC’sFoodBanks.ProvincialHealthServicesAuthority.(InternalGVFBDocument)
42Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.
43FoodBanksCanada(2014).HungerCount2014:AComprehensiveReportonHungerandFoodBankUseInCanada,andRecommendationsForChange
44Tarasuk,Valerie,NaomiDachner,Anne-MarieHamelin,AleckOstry,PatriciaWilliams,EliethaBosckei,BlakePolandandKimRaine(2014).ASurveyofFoodBankOperationsinFiveCanadianCities.BMCPublicHealth2014,14:1234.
45Miller,S.(2013).FindingFood:CommunityFoodProcurementintheCityofToronto.TorontoFoodStrategyandTorontoPublicHealth.RetrievedonOctober15,2015fromhttp://tfpc.to/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CFP-Finding-Food.pdf
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
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF SOCIAL INNOVATION IN FOOD BANKS 54Summer 2016
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