Project Title
Research and Grant-writing Support for the Essential Food Hamper Program
Organization Name
Organization Information
Organization Name
Mission and Vision of Organization
- Here at Unique Get Together Society, we see the value in everyone.
- We are dedicated to empowering Indigenous, marginalized and underserved communities, individuals and families.
- Dedicated to strengthening their overall physical, mental, social-emotional, and spiritual development.
- To assist families, communities and individuals through our programs such as nutritional health, family support advocacy and subsidies.
- We are here to fight racial and other social inequalities with love and compassion.
"Stand up for truth, stand up for justice, stand up for equality and I will be there with you." - Martin Luther King Jr
Guiding Principles + Values
Our vision is to be empowered by love for humanity, the land, and for the things we do to support each other every single day. We want to create a safe place to promote individual integrity, inclusion, and diversity. That is what we were created to do: love each other no matter what, regardless of skin colour, religion, or values, without judgment, and be open-minded and accepting of each other to love.
Contact Information
- Primary Contact Person(s): Shawn Shabaquay (he/him), Grant Manager
- Email: shawn@ugts.ca
- Phone: 604-725-2483
- Address: 500-610 Main Street Vancouver BC
- Website: https://www.uniquegettogethersociety.com/
- Alternate Contact Person: Debra Abraham (she/her), UGTS Founder
- Alternate Contact's Email: debra@ugts.ca
Preferred Method of Contact
- Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
- Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
- Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons
Preferred Platform(s) for Student Meetings and Collaboration
- MS Teams
- Zoom
Project Description
Note: This project will take place online and in person
Context/Background
Recent data (2022) collected by PROOF at the University of Toronto found that 30.7% of off-reserve Indigenous Peoples were experiencing food insecurity across the ten Canadian provinces. This reflects a pattern of racialized household food insecurity in Canada; for example, 27.6% of Arab/West Asians, and 22.4% of Black people were living in food insecure households in 2022 (p.28).
The British Columbia data indicates that 14.9% of individuals lived in food insecure households in 2022, of whom 55.2% were reliant on wages, salaries, or self-employment income (p.47). A limitation of the PROOF research is its basis in the Canadian Community Healthy Survey (CCHS) and the Canadian Income Survey (CIS), both of which exclude individuals living on-reserve, while nearly half of status First Nations people in Canada live on reserve. In experiencing ongoing impacts of settler colonialism, including land dispossession and intergenerational effects of the Indian Residential School System, Indigenous peoples are far more likely to experience food insecurity than is captured in the latest PROOF report.
Unique Get Together Society partners with Foodmesh to assist families and individuals experiencing food insecurity through the Essential Food Hamper program. Hampers include non-perishable food items such as dairy products, vegetables and fruits. This weekly program is meant to support individuals and families who are in financial difficulties and struggle to afford essential family needs. Our distribution range includes Vancouver, Chilliwack, and Reservations throughout the Lower Mainland.
Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project
UGTS is advocating to create solutions and solve problems our marginalized communities are facing. Efforts to create safe spaces, educational programs, food support, and others, require financial resources. LFS 350 students will research grant opportunities relevant to the Essential Food Hamper program, and compile summaries of relevant research that strengthen the case for funding UGTS' food distribution program. In discussion with the UGTS grant manager, students will identify which grant applications the students will write.
Main Project Activities
- Research relevant grant opportunities
- Compile a spreadsheet of relevant grant opportunities, including application deadlines (if available) and other key details
- Develop grant application(s), including budgets - target number to be discussed with community partner
- Create an annotated bibliography of academic articles and grey literature relevant to the Essential Food Hamper Program/household food insecurity that UGTS can reference in grant applications
Main Project Deliverables
- Completed grant application(s) - target number to be determined with community partner
- Spreadsheet of relevant grant opportunities
- Annotated bibliography (target number of entries to be discussed with community partner)
If time permits
- A 2-3 page synthesis of key findings based on the annotated bibliography
- A guest entry for the UGTS blog
Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)
- Strong writing skills
- Grant writing experience an asset
- Budgeting experience/expertise an asset
- Cultural competence
- Familiarity with the social determinants of health an asset
Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?
- Dates/times for community partner meetings (including grant writing tutorial) will be discussed and decided with community partner
Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?
- No
How much self-direction is expected from the students?
- Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Mostly led by community partner, with some student input
- 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): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
- Finalizing the deliverable(s): Led by students
Related Community Service Opportunities for Students
- We are always looking for volunteers. Please ask about opportunities!
- So-called “BC” Food Gateway Community of Practice (virtual meetings once a month to discuss food justice topics relevant to participants across the province). Email Zsuzsi Fodor at bcfoodgateway@gmail.com to register
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.
- Grant writing tutorial with Shawn
- Unique Get Together Society website
- Familiarize yourselves with the previous UBC FNH 473 project about Indigenous food insecurity in British Columbia (video). Request the written report from your TA or the course coordinator
- Tarasuk V, Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA. (2022) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2021. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Retrieved from https://proof.utoronto.ca/
Additional Materials
Household Food Insecurity
- PROOF resources on Indigenous food insecurity
- Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) - Food Insecurity, especially "Reports & Resources" section
- BC Centre for Disease Control - Food insecurity reports & resources
- Kim, S. & van Enckevort, J. (2021). Community-Centered Food Support and Care for All: Transforming Dignified Food Access in Vancouver
- BC Poverty Reduction Coalition - reports
- First Nations Health Authority - Food systems program
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Alternative Federal Budget 2023
Grant Writing
- Grant Writing Guide (Ecclesiastical Insurance Office)
- SPARC BC - Splash & Ripple: Using Outcomes to Design and Manage Community Activities (this is also a required reading for LFS 350)
- UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning - Grant Application Toolkit
- UBC writing resources, e.g. "Argument and Persuasion," "Style" (from LFS 350 course website)
- SPARC BC - How to Understand the Cost of Living in Your Community
Expected Outcomes
Intended Short-term Project Outcome
UGTS will have readily accessible summaries of current food insecurity research that will strengthen fundraising and grant writing efforts in support of the Essential Food Hamper program.
Learning Outcomes
Through this project, I think students will learn about...
- The prevalence of household food insecurity in Canada
- The racialization and gendering of food insecurity in Canada
- Other intersecting barriers to food security that are experienced by marginalized members of society
- The fundraising and charitable funding landscape
By working on this project, I think students will develop skills and/or awareness of...
- Fundraising and grant writing skills and strategies
- Outcome measurement framework planning and budgeting
- Mobilizing knowledge for social change
- Summarizing and synthesizing complex information
- The diverse network of researchers and other actors who are challenging food insecurity in different ways
By the end of the project, I believe students will come to appreciate...
- The daily practicalities of working with a charitable organization
- How precarious funding impacts community programs planning
- Access to knowledge and its potential to strengthen community organizing