Food First NL Seeks New Board Members

Food First NL Seeks New Board Members

Food First NL's work is taken on by a dedicated staff team (19 and growing!) and guided by an engaged, policy-focused, Board of Directors. That Board has a small number of open seats and is now seeking new members.

The Board of Directors meets quarterly with secretarial support from Food First NL staff. The Executive Committee meets at least quarterly as well. Terms are two years long and directors may serve up to three terms. Board members may be located anywhere in the province.

Talking About Traditional Foods with the Labrador Anchor Collaborative

 Talking About Traditional Foods with the Labrador Anchor Collaborative

The Labrador Anchor Collaborative Team sparks conversations around four connected questions whenever we visit communities: 

What’s your favourite traditional Labrador food? What are some barriers to obtaining country food? What traditional Labrador food would you like to see in our healthcare facilities, starting with our long-term care? How do you think it would make you feel to eat traditional foods in long-term care?

Client-Choice Models of Food Charity: Examples from Canada

Client-Choice Models of Food Charity: Examples from Canada

How achievable is it to adopt a “grocery store” model? And how can conventional food banks move away from pre-packaged hampers when they rely on limited public food donations?

We did some digging and found a bunch of examples of food programs from across the country. Each program shifted from the traditional pre-packed hamper model of food charity to a model centred on client choice and autonomy.

Read Feed: Holiday Giving

Read Feed: Holiday Giving

The holiday season is filled with calls for generosity, with food banks and food drives regularly making headlines and news feeds. This focus on charitable food giving can be uncomfortable for people focused on long-term solutions to food insecurity. We know that food insecurity needs income-based solutions. Yet the fact that food charities are not the answer to food insecurity does not lessen the fact that many people access them for food.

This month's read feed is about holiday giving, short-term responses, and long-term solutions to food insecurity.

Latest PROOF Report On Canadian Food Insecurity For 2022

Latest PROOF Report On Canadian Food Insecurity For 2022

PROOF’s latest Food Insecurity in Canada report is out, reporting on Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey (CIS) data from 2022. The results are clear: food insecurity is getting worse.

22.9% of households in Newfoundland and Labrador experienced some degree of food insecurity in the previous 12 months, amounting to 116,000 people. That’s the highest rate in any of the ten provinces.

Our Thoughts on the New N.L. Poverty Reduction Plan

Our Thoughts on the New N.L. Poverty Reduction Plan

The province announced its new Poverty Reduction Plan earlier this month. The announcement included a variety of program additions and changes and largely focused on childhood poverty, supporting seniors, income support, and employment support.

The Poverty Reduction Plan is a fine first step and could have a positive impact on those who are most vulnerable but, in this current crisis, that’s not enough.

The 2022 Newfoundland and Labrador Nutritious Food Basket in Context

The 2022 Newfoundland and Labrador Nutritious Food Basket in Context

The Provincial Government has just released the updated cost of a 2022 Newfoundland and Labrador Nutritious Food Basket. It highlights the costs of nutritious food in our province, and is the second release of data using the updated food basket developed for 2021, allowing us again to make year-to-year comparisons.

The Nutritious Food Basket is a standardized tool used to calculate the weekly cost of meeting the nutrient requirements for a family of four, consists of 61 foods from the 2019 Canada Food Guide, and is based on the National Nutritious Food Basket.

Read Feed: The 2023 Labour Edition

Read Feed: The 2023 Labour Edition

There's a real focus on labour right now, with labour organizing in the news and the celebration of International Labour Day on May 1st, including a large May Day rally in St. John’s. So this month we're focusing on food insecurity and decent work.

This content first appeared in the May 2023 newsletter.

Food on the Move is Searching for a New Base of Operations!

Food on the Move is Searching for a New Base of Operations!

Food First NL’s Food on the Move is outgrowing its current storage and preparation area and is looking for a new home. This space is used for all of our food storage (mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and some shelf-stable items), packaging, and market preparation.

We’re aiming to move into this new space by June 2023. We’re open to sharing a space with another organization but our ideal would be a space where we can grow and adapt to our changing needs.

The Community Food Helpline is Closing at the End of March 2023

The Community Food Helpline is Closing at the End of March 2023

At the end of March, 2023, the Community Food Helpline will be closing. Here’s more information about why, which services will be available until the end of March and beyond, and how to get involved.
We would like to send heartfelt thanks to all of our partners, supporters, and staff of the Helpline over the past nearly three years. We couldn’t have done it without all of your dedication and contributions.

Setting the Table: Recommendations for the Government of N.L.’s Social and Economic Well-Being Plan

Setting the Table: Recommendations for the Government of N.L.’s Social and Economic Well-Being Plan

Back in October 2022, Food First NL partnered with PROOF, Nourish, and the Coalition for Healthy School Food to submit our recommendations for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Social and Economic Well-Being Plan. Our public policy recommendations approach social and economic well-being through a food systems and food security lens. Our hope is that these recommendations will encourage the provincial government into immediate and bold action as they develop and implement the plan.