Surrey Food Security Collective Impact Project

TERMS OF REFERENCE

I. INTRODUCTION

In 2015, a group of community stakeholders concerned about food issues in Surrey convened as part of a collective impact workshop led by BC Healthy Communities and Innoweave. Through the process, it was determined that food insecurity is an urgent and complex issue that requires deep collaboration among diverse stakeholders and community perspectives to address, and the Seeds of Change Surrey initiative was born. With the support of a BC Healthy Communities coach, the group spent a year focused on building relationships, exploring the issue, defining the intervention points and creating a theory of how change can be affected at the neighbourhood level. In 2016, Seeds of Change Surrey was awarded a Growing Impact grant from Plan H, which provided funding and ongoing supports to continue developing, formalizing, and building on the project’s momentum.

Seeds of Change Surrey is an initiative of the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition (FAC), a coalition of agencies that aims to advance food policy in Surrey and White Rock.

II. VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS

Vision: Seeds of Change Surrey envisions an integrated and resilient local food system that enables physically accessible, culturally acceptable and affordable food for everyone, supports a sustainable food economy, and empowers food literacy and capacity building within the community (see appendix A).

Food security is achieved when all residents obtain a safe, personally acceptable, nutritious diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes healthy choices, community self-reliance, and equitable access for everyone (definition modified from the PlanH Action Guide for Healthy Eating and Food Security).

Seeds of Change Surrey aims to see a significant and measurable change in the number of people reporting food security as a result its work in the community.

Mission: We believe this vision will be achieved by working at the neighbourhood level to enhance the key drivers of food security, which we’ve defined as:

Availability, or the presence of healthy food in the community;

Access, or the ability for residents to physically access healthy food; Income, or the ability for residents to purchase affordable and desirable food options;

and Food literacy, or the ability and desire for residents to make healthy food choices and

know how to prepare and preserve it.

Goals: To achieve our vision we will:

Develop, incubate, support and/or align programs, policies and community projects that promote systemic change within the food system

Partner and collaborate with other organizations, community groups, neighbourhood champions and residents

Create metrics that effectively measure progress on population-level outcomes

ALIGNMENT WITH BROADER COMMUNITY GOALSAchieving the vision and mission outlined above supports implementation of the Surrey Sustainability Charter (2016), specifically the following desired outcomes:

Inclusion: All individuals and families have adequate access to culturally appropriate, sustainably grown food

Health and Wellness: Fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate food is affordable and readily available.

Health and Wellness: Community-based and small scale commercial food growing and preparation opportunities are available throughout the city.

Built Environment and Neighbourhoods: Opportunities for community food production are integrated into the private and public realm.

Economic Prosperity and Livelihoods: Food production and food enterprises of all scales are an integral part of the local economy.

The larger vision of a sustainable and resilient food system closely reflects all goals and actions outlined in the Metro Vancouver Regional Food System Strategy (2011) and Action Plan (2016). With regards to food security, the following goals within the Action Plan are particularly well aligned with the mission of Seeds of Change Surrey:

Goal 3: People make healthy and sustainable food choices Goal 4: Everyone has access to healthy, culturally diverse and affordable food

See Appendix B for a visual representation of our Theory of Change, or our understanding of how food security can be achieved.

III. GUIDING PRINCIPLES and VALUES

In order to achieve our vision, we will abide by these Guiding Principles: Engage in systems thinking, and create integration across the food system Employ an adaptive practice; embrace experimentation, learning, uncertainty and an

iterative approach Recognize the complexity of the issues and solutions Expect and embrace tension and contradictions in a respectful way Empower community members as experts in their own experience and support

community champions Foster social capital and connection Transform lives through a long-term investment in people Acknowledge Indigenous knowledge of food systems Hold intention tightly and plans lightly

IV. GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

Seeds of Change Surrey operates as an initiative under the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition. The governance structure is organized through a central Leadership Team, with four working groups: Availability, Access, Income and Literacy. Additional working groups may be formed for specific tasks.

A list of current Leadership Team members can be found in Appendix C.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

LEADERSHIP TEAMThe Leadership Team acts in a steering capacity for the broader initiative and is responsible for:

A coherent and compelling vision for the initiative Consistent and coordinated communications Shared measurement and evaluation Financial decision-making and accountability

The Leadership Team meets at least once per month, and members must be committed to attending on a regular basis. Accommodation may be made for “frontline” member organizations that have less flexible schedules or must respond to on-the-ground issues as they arise.

Chairperson(s):The Leadership Team will have a designated chairperson, or co-chairs. The duties of the chairperson(s) are to:

Set meeting dates and agendas Facilitate meetings and ensure a summary of discussions, action items, and key

decisions are sent out to the group Track and report on the revenues and expenditures of the initiative (or delegate)

Leadership Team

Availability Working

Group

Access Working Group

Income Working Group

Literacy Working Group

Impacted community

Funders and stakeholders

Support the introduction of new members to the Leadership Team (or delegate)

Process for Adding New Leadership Team Members: Identify and invite interested parties Meet with potential member for an overview of Seeds of Change Surrey and this Terms

of Reference New members will agree to this TOR and be added to the list of Leadership Team

Members in Appendix C (to be updated on an annual basis)

WORKING GROUPSWorking groups will seek to develop, incubate, support and/or align programs, policies and community projects that are relevant for the specific impact area. Given the interrelated nature of issues and solutions, Working Groups may work collaboratively on projects, though a single Working Group should be designated as the lead.

Working Groups will meet on an ad-hoc or regular basis, as defined by need.

Working Group Responsibilities: Engaging impacted communities in meaningful and appropriate ways Inviting new members to the working group, and ensuring all Working Group members

are aware of the broader {new group name} initiative, its vision and goals Ensuring the activities of the Working Group align with the vision and goals of the {new

group name} initiative, and incorporate measurement and evaluation that assists in assessing the overall impact of the {new group name} initiative

Working Group Roles: Chair or co-chairs, responsible for: setting meeting dates and agendas, facilitating

meetings and ensuring a summary of discussions, action items and key decisions are sent out to the group

Leadership Team Liaison, responsible for: ensuring updates and key decisions are considered by the Leadership Team at regular meetings. This individual should be a Leadership Team member, and may or may not be the chair of the Working Group.

Working Group Summaries:

Availability Working GroupThe Availability Working Group takes the lead on projects related to the presence of healthy food in Surrey. This may include: establishing new markets for healthy, local food; capturing and re-distributing food that would otherwise go to waste along the food chain; creating new opportunities to grow food; and/or supporting mechanisms to support lower food prices.

Access Working GroupThe Access Working Group takes the lead on projects related to residents’ physical proximity to healthy food in Surrey. This may include: creating neighbourhood-based food distribution points or programs; supporting land use and policy change; and/or expanding options to have food delivered.

Income Working GroupThe Income Working Group takes the lead on projects related to equitable economic development and the expansion of employable skills in the food insecure population. This may include: providing training programs to support skill development; developing short-term work experience placements as an employment bridging program; creating permanent job opportunities through community economic development; and/or supporting policy and advocacy around living wages and housing affordability.

Literacy Working GroupThe Literacy Working Group takes the lead on projects related to communicating the impact of our food choices on the environment, the economy and on our health. This may include: education programs to inform the general public on the issue of food insecurity; engagement activities that support individuals and families to make healthy food choices; and/or skill-building opportunities on how to access, grow, prepare and preserve healthy food.

FUNDERS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND IMPACTED COMMUNITIESStakeholders and funders are encouraged to become partners in the initiative through the Working Groups that are most relevant to their area of work. Working Groups are responsible for ensuring the relevant organizations, stakeholders, and impacted communities are adequately and appropriately engaged.

A list of all current and past funders are included in Appendix D. This list will be updated on an annual basis.

VI. ACCOUNTABILITY AND DECISION-MAKING

The {new group name} is guided by a Collective Impact model of collaboration, which is based on the following five principles:

1. A common agenda2. Mutually reinforcing activities3. Shared measurement4. Continuous Communication5. Backbone functions

The Leadership Team and Working Groups strive to achieve dialogue-based decision making, where open and informed discussion can build a common understanding and inform the best route forward.

We hold ourselves accountable to our stated values (outlined in Section III), and to the following principles against which we make decisions:

Use sustainable food system as a lens to guide actions Build capacity and foster empowerment of the community members with whom we

work Create space for a diverse range of stakeholders Build a common agenda with stakeholders and make decisions based on best available

evidence Embrace experimentation and help contribute to a body of knowledge Be accountable to ourselves, our organizations and the broader community Share leadership and space within the group; practice stepping up and stepping back

The {new group name} will provide an update to the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition FAC at each monthly meeting.

Fundraising and Fundholding

Sources is the host organization for the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition, and as such, will act as the fund-holder for fundraising efforts, where feasible. Because of the diverse funding opportunities and variation in requirements, other member organizations of the Leadership Team may be called upon to submit funding applications and hold funds on behalf of the initiative.

The Leadership Team Chairperson(s), or designate, will be responsible for a overseeing the overall budget for the initiative.

Appendix A: Vision of a Sustainable Local Food System

Appendix B: Theory of ChangeAppendix B: Food security for all residents in Surrey

Pilot Neighbourhoods: Guildford and Newton; reduce by 10% the number of people reporting food insecurity by 2020

Availability Access Income Literacy

Current and Potential Initiatives · Starfish Pack Kids’ Weekend Meal Program · Corner Store Healthy Food Shelf Audits · Homemade Preserves Social Enterprise and Job Training Program · Neighbourhood-based Urban Farm · Community Buying and Distribution Programs · Advocacy ·· Foster social capital and connection · Build toward a sustainable and resilient food system · Transform lives through a long term investment in people · Recognize residents as experts

· Support community champions · Create integration across the food system Guiding Principles

Individual Community Systemic

Healthy, affordable food is available in the

community

People can easily walk to or otherwise access food distribution points

Residents have sufficient income to

purchase healthy food

Individuals are aware of how to access, grow, prepare and preserve

healthy food· New markets for

healthy, local food · Capture waste along

food chain · New opportunities to grow food · Mechanisms to support lower food

· Neighbourhood-based food distribution points · More options to pick

up or have food delivered ·

· Job skills and experience for target

population · Job creation through

community economic development · Living

wage and housing

· Awareness of how to access and prepare

healthy, low-cost foods · Desire to eat healthy

food ·

Target Target Target Target

Appendix C: Leadership Team Members

The following are the organizations and individuals that comprise the Leadership Team for Seeds of Change Surrey, an initiative of the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition. Leadership Team members agree to this Terms of Reference and are committed to working collaboratively toward the achievement of its goals.

Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition City of Surrey Fraser Health Sources Surrey Food Bank Surrey School District DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society Grant Rice – community member Rick Ketcheson – community member

Komal Shaikh – community member

Appendix D: Funders and Contributors

The following is a list of all current and past funders that have supported Seeds of Change Surrey with financial resources. This list was last updated on July 25, 2016.

BC Healthy Communities and Innoweave Plan H: Healthy Communities Capacity Building Fund, a partnership between BC Healthy Communities and Healthy Families BC United Way Surrey Firefighters