4 Takeaways from the Feeding America Conference
- Guides, not heroes.
BMe's session from Trabian Shorter on Asset Framing® for Equity left us buzzing with energy, even after the conference was over! It was so helpful to learn about the cognitive processes underlying our efforts. Thanks to Ami McReynolds for setting the context for the conversation so the audience was ready!
We loved seeing the enthusiasm of food bankers who were snapping pictures of the slides, eager to take home this illuminating session. Focusing on assets is a reminder that, as Trabian pointed out: when we work as service providers we are guides, not heroes, in our neighbor’s lives.
Thanks to Rachel Bailey from the Food Bank of Wyoming and Michael Kenny from Feed More who partnered with us during the activities.
We've been using asset thinking to help food banks look at their agency-network in new ways. Out of 1,000 agencies who have completed the SWIM network assessment, 72% are highly ready to serve more neighbors now. That’s a lot of assets that are ready to support our neighbors on the path to their goals! It’s been great to see how Food Bank for the Heartland, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Central Texas Food Bank, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Atlanta Community Food Bank and others are using this kind of data to create new strategies for their network. Want to learn more about asset thinking and how it can benefit your agency network? Contact us now!
2. The answers are in our community and so is the innovation.
WOW! There is so much interesting work and innovation in the network right now. The unifying theme we picked up is that innovation is coming from inside our communities, not being imposed or imported from the outside. Here’s some of the cool stuff we’re still thinking about.
Learning from and with neighbors.
Dr. Eva Moya, from the University of Texas El Paso shared how using PhotoVoice to visualize/get a glimpse into the neighbors' everyday lives changed her perceptions. We’re excited to learn more about this methodology.
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, started partnering with one of their largest pantry partners to ask neighbors to help with design and access choices and centered their new strategic plan around the barriers neighbors want to see removed. Michael McKee has helped his Board and team to center neighbors' needs each step of the way.
Amplify Montana, a project of the Montana Food Network, where people are shaping their communities by sharing their first hand experiences of seeking help with groceries. Thank you to Gayle Carlson for telling us about Amplify.
Food sourcing for economic well-being and justice.
Ivy Lawrence-Walls inspired us with the ways she’s dedicated Ivy Leaf Farms to “complete neighbor wellness through food equity.”
The Farm to Foodbank Initiative where the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin generated more than $12 million in local economic activity by working with 55 farmers in their region. We’ve been excited to learn about this from Michelle Orge.
The Foodbank of the Rockies, Culturally Responsive Food Initiative by listening to the food preferences of 700 guests and turning that learning into new ways of working.
Working in new ways
The Federation of Virginia Food Banks leveraged a Boundless Collaboration grant to create and implement a state-wide health equity plan! It provides an opportunity to embed health equity in all facets of their work. Congrats to the 7 food banks who participated in this collaboration: Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Capital Area Food Bank, Feed More, inc, Feeding Southwest Virginia, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and Eastern Shore Virginia Peninsula Food Bank. It was great to catch up with Meaghan Butler and Eddie Oliver who have provided network leadership to move this project forward.
The Food Bank in Dayton Ohio, leveraging their operations as a place to support people who are advancing their careers after reentry from the criminal justice system. We appreciated Lee Lauren Truesdale telling us about the innovative project.
Cleveland Food Bank’s repurposed warehouse is becoming a Community Resource Center, with a grocery-pantry, nonprofit partners, and clothing resources! Very cool. Thank you to Tiffany Scruggs for telling us about this great project.
At the Feeding America conference a few years ago, people were starting to use person-first language like "people facing hunger" instead of "clients". Now, there's a new language in the network, using words like "neighbors" instead.
"Neighbor-Centered Practice" is an approach that SWIM pioneered with Julie Yurko and the awesome team at Northern Illinois Food Bank. Using this approach means going beyond changing language, it also calls on us to focus on the unique assets and needs of individuals, organizations, and neighborhoods. Shifting our focus towards neighbor-centered practice also turns equity-thinking into equity-action.
What do neighbor-centered practices look like in action? Here are a few examples.
Need groceries but can't get to the store? The Northern Illinois Food Bank now delivers to more than 1,200 households a week! Have special dietary needs? They've got you covered with online ordering and choice through My Pantry Express. Can only make it to the pantry after work? No problem, pantry partners in northern Illinois are adding evening hours. Would prefer to speak Spanish when getting groceries? Recruiting new volunteers is helping change the pantry experience.
We loved meeting other food bankers interested in Neighbor-Centered Practices, during the roundtable session led by Jen Lamplough of Northern Illinois Food Bank, and Emily Engelhard and Adam Dewey from Feeding America's research team. We and can’t wait to see the neighbor-centered innovation between now and next year’s conference.
Learn more about the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s work in neighbor-centered practice and all of the ways agencies are adapting to meet the needs of each of their neighbors.
4. Are we earning trust?
Kristen Miale of the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine dropped the mic during the opening plenary with her powerful questions about our community partnerships: "Are we earning trust? Are we sharing resources? Are we ceding decision-making?" That was just one of the many incredible moments in the general sessions! (Thank you to the Feeding America conference planning team.)
Good Shepherd's systems change work has been inspiring us for the last few years, and last week was no exception. Good Shepherd leaders don't presume to know what a community needs to address food insecurity. Instead, they ask the people living there about their goals and aspirations, and trust them as the experts. Then, Good Shepherd share resources, connections, and power to help communities achieve their goals.
Kristen is not alone with this approach. We loved seeing Susannah Morgan of the Oregon Food Bank honored with the John Van Hengel Fellowship from Feeding America. For several years, SWIM has been asking Susannah to share insights about earning trust, sharing power and advancing inclusion in networks. We've learned so much from her and we were excited to see this important recognition.
At SWIM, we take trust seriously. We study it, measure it, and research it. And seeing Good Shepherd's work in action brings our research to life. When we respect our partners' independence and honor their expertise, partnerships thrive, and we often earn trust in return.
Want to measure trust in your own network? Check out our agency-network assessment, which includes questions that can help food banks gauge how well you're earning and extending trust. If you want to learn more about trust and Good Shepherd's story, check out our new book, Activating Moments for Change, or listen to our recent podcast about trust. Get ready to activate change and build trust in your community!
What a great experience in New Orleans! Thank you to the Feeding America national office for providing space for people to share ideas, become inspired and resist “vs thinking”. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, this helpful encouragement is making its way into our daily conversations! We are proud and honored to be connected with such a fantastic network of change-makers.