1. CityReach Care Society

Project Description

Note: This project will take place online and in person

Context/Background

Food for Families is a free, nutritious foodbank for low-income households in the Greater Vancouver Area. We serve wholesome and healthy food including fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins and grains.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, our programs focused on fresh food access for families with children. In response to a sharp escalation in food insecurity related to Covid-19, we broadened our programming to include:

• Seniors
• Single adults
• Couples without children
• Families with aged out children

As we adjust to life in the "new normal," the CityReach team has noticed that community members without young children continue to access food through Food for Families. The participant attrition rate is low, even after we began to limit visits for child-free households (twice monthly, rather than weekly). We know our guests come from across Vancouver, and even surrounding regions, but we have a limited understanding of their circumstances and motivations. Why do they come to CityReach when they may face transportation barriers and distance considerations? How well is our food programming serving them, what do they like and what don't they like?

As we build out our programming to include more intergenerational community building, what would this population like to see in our programs and services?

Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project

Food for Families was established to increase fresh food access for severely food insecure families with young children. Since opening our programming more broadly, we have seen that there is a child free population of adults and seniors who are seeking food access support. The normal ebb and flow of food donations means that donations are sometimes in decline (presently), and sometimes they are more abundant. We are trying to better understand the reasons people come to Food for Families, so we can make informed decisions about future programs and services.

• Does CityReach have the capacity to support child free households in the long term?
• How can we support the general community without "displacing" severely food insecure families with children who need accessible fresh food access?
• As we look towards community building work, how might we develop programs that meet our guests' needs and preferences?

The focus population for the Fall 2023 LFS 350 students is older adults/seniors. We anticipate future LFS 350 collaborations to focus on different demographics within our membership.

Main Project Activities

• Identify 5 key questions to ask participants and develop ways to creatively get authentic answers
• Engage program participants in multiple languages if possible; provide anonymity so guests can share their experience freely
  • CityReach sees 130 seniors and adult families on the 1st and 3rd week of each month. Ideally students will engage 30+
  • Students can discuss with community partner and decide on the ideal number of site visits
• Design and translate community engagement activities to gather feedback in a fun way
• Document findings in a concise infographic

Main Project Deliverable(s)

• 1 set of survey/engagement questions
• Translations of survey questions (if group members have non-English language skills)
• 30+ program participants engaged
• 1 infographic summarizing findings

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Language(s): Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Toisan/Taishanese); Arabic, Spanish Ability to engage the community

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• Ideally the 1st and 3rd Tuesday 4:00 to 5:15 at our CARE TENT
• Students can discuss the ideal number of times they should plan to be on site, and the ideal number of group members who should be on site at one time

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• Yes
• The CRS process should be initiated before the first community partner meeting.  
• CRS instructions will be posted in Canvas. Please contact your TA or the course coordinator if additional support is needed.

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Developing the activity plan and timeline: Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Finalizing the deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner

Related Volunteering/Community Service Opportunities for Students

• If there is time, volunteer for a shift.

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.

• www.cityreach.org website and social media
• McKnight, John. Asset-Based Community Development: The Essentials (4 page document)
• Community-Centered Food Support and Care for All: A Convening Report (2021)
• Sing, N. (2022). Seniors in Vancouver’s Chinatown are battling poverty and racism to put food on the table

Additional Materials

• Respectful Dialogues Guide (UBC Equity and Inclusion Office)
• Kretzmann, J.P. & Knight, J.L. (1993). Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets (available from UBC Library)
• "Assessing Community Needs and Resources," Community Tool Box (University of Kansas)
• Riley, D.A. (2018). Place-based Storytelling as a Foundation for Neighborhood Planning and Community Development
• Resilient Neighbourhoods Toolkit (City of Vancouver)