The Average Agency is volunteer run & has limited resources. This year your funds helped us invest in 4 agencies to increase food, enhance client services & empower agencies to serve their community better.
2015 was a great year at North York Harvest Food Bank and it couldn’t have been done without you!
Enjoy our 2015 year in review video!
We can’t wait to see what 2016 holds!
When you picture a trip to a food bank, you probably don’t envision the most pleasant experience. And hey, that’s fair. While food banks are a vital community service, accessing them can sometimes be an embarrassing and anxiety inducing experience. To deal with this reality, North York Harvest, and food banks around Canada are investing in a model that helps make the experiencing of coming to a food bank more empowering and dignified for the participant.
If you read last week’s blog you know all about the “choice food bank model”, and have an understanding of why many food banks are making the switch to this system. But while you likely agree with the theory behind the choice model, making it work in practice, and having it fully adopted by a food bank is another story altogether. Has the choice model been successful with North York Harvest member agencies?
For the answers I went to Aja Peterson, North York Harvest’s Agency Development Coordinator who has been championing the choice model for many years and as part of North York Harvest’s Agency Investment Project. The program, generously funded by Trillium, the RBC Foundation and individual donors like you, is a three year pilot project designed to build the capacity of our member agencies and ensure that agency clients are receiving the most dignified service, are being connected to other support systems in the community, and are able to focus on their lives without worrying where their next meal will come from. The choice model aligns with all of these goals, making it a natural fit for agencies participating in the project.
“I think at its core the choice model helps people to better understand each other” Aja told me. “It breaks down stereotypes, and creates a more empowering environment, which is one of the Agency Investment Projects main objectives.”
Over the last few months Aja has been hard at work helping North York Harvest member agency Room to Grow Food Bank make the switch to the choice model. Operating out of Westway United Church, Room to Grow partners with the Room to Grow Child Centre, and serves low-income residents in the Central Etobicoke area.
When participants arrive at Room to Grow, rather than receiving a box of pre-picked items, they are encouraged to put together their own food hamper which will suit their own cultural and health requirements. The process has gone a long way towards empowering participants, but how has it worked for food bank staff and volunteers?
“Like any change, it was a bit scary at first, but the volunteers at Room to Grow were so receptive to new ideas, and really supported the transition to the choice model”, said Aja said. “They tell me all the time how great it is to interact with their fellow community members and how they are building more meaningful relationships, getting more face-to-face time with participants, and getting to know their stories and more about their families”.
Of course beyond volunteer adoption, there are many other factors that go into choice model integration. A project of this size requires capital, space, training, shelves, purchased food and staff support, which necessitates a large investment of time, resources and money. This is why we continue to look to your donations, as they ensure that programs like the choice model will continue to thrive.
When I ask Aja if she’s noticed any changes at Room to Grow since the transition she seems thrilled with the progress.
“Before the switch to the new model the division between the participants and volunteers was very pronounced. All the food was behind dividers which made the room feel dark and cramped, and bit suspicious because you couldn’t really see what was going on behind the walls. Now we’ve taken down the dividers and the room feels brighter, warmer and more welcoming. We have more space to walk around and it really feels like a community hub, rather then a waiting room.”
“Room to Grow is doing so well”, she continued. “They have the capacity, the right attitude and are really working hard to make sure that this project is successful.
Choice model food banks like Room to Grow aren’t just making the food bank experience more empowering, they are helping to build community and connection out of a very tough situation. We at North York Harvest know that the choice model is the best thing for our member agencies and hope that this system will become a staple of our organization.
What can you do to help? Help agencies like Room to Grow by making a donation today. Your support will enable NYH to continue investing in our agencies, providing training, building capacity like new shelves, storage or fridges as well as contribute to acquiring better food, which ensures that our participants have a greater variety of fresh and healthy food to choose from.
This might sound a little strange, but I really like going grocery shopping. I know that the parking lots can be crazy, and the check-out lines can be long, but I find the whole experience strangely soothing. Seriously! Like most people I have my own little routine. Essentials first; milk, veggies, eggs, bread, juice, and then depending on how I’m feeling, I’ll move onto something more adventurous; maybe a nice curry for dinner, a catch of the day fish, or some ingredients for baking. It might not seem like a big thing in the moment, but you have to admit, it is an empowering and comforting feeling, knowing that there’s a place where we can so easily get the foods that we like, and build a meal that suits our lifestyle. Being in control of your food feels great.
Unfortunately, many of our neighbours in Toronto don’t always get to feel that type of freedom or independence when it comes to what they eat. With the cost of living in Toronto sky rocketing, and unemployment still high, a trip to the grocery store is a luxury many of our community members often can’t afford. Luckily, thanks to your donations, organizations like North York Harvest Food Bank are able to ensure that just because many people might not be able to purchase everything they want, doesn’t mean that they can’t have access to good food in a dignified and personal way.
The “choice model” food bank is a relatively new idea that over the last few years has become a much more common practice at food banks around Toronto. The idea is really simple. Rather than receiving a box of pre-picked items, participants at choice model food banks are given more of a marketplace experience. With the help of a food bank volunteer they are taken past the shelves of food and encouraged to put together their own hamper of items that they know their family will like, and that will meet their dietary or cultural requirements.
“The choice model is an important step for food banks to take, because the right to choose is such an important part of dignity”, says Mike Bartlett, our summer intern and Masters of Social Work candidate at York University. “The choice model empowers our community members to make the choices that they know will be right for their families. Volunteers aren’t left to guess what a family might need.”
Switching over to a choice model, can take what might often be a very rigid process, and turn it into an experience that lays the foundation for real social change through community growth and development. Food assistance becomes a more collaborative process, with participants and volunteers working together to put together food baskets and plan their weekly meals. Allowing the participants to become part of process not only creates a more dignified experience for them, but also fosters discussion, trust and meaningful relationship building.
Participants also seem to favour the system, as it allows them to pick and choose depending on their families’ needs. For some people pasta might be just what they’re looking for, while for others it might be rice or quinoa. Most importantly, if they don’t want something, they can leave it and it stays on the shelf for someone else to enjoy.
I know, I know, it all sounds great in theory, but have we actually seen success with this model within the North York Harvest agencies? Stay tuned to next week’s blog where we’ll be profiling the Room to Grow Food Bank who as part of our Agency Investment Project, generously funded by Trillium, the RBC Foundation and individual donors like yourselves, have recently installed the choice model into their food bank.