Local Food Projects - Best Practices

How to foster positive impacts with your local food project:

Here are few things that can help to have greater impacts with your local food projects:

  • Offer regular activities so people can have multiple opportunities to learn through the year or can receive regular support (sporadic activities will not be prioritized with NRBHSS local food projects funds)
     
  • Target more than one objective and offer different type of activities if human resource permit (food knowledge and skills building, food support, break isolation, etc.)
     
  • Target difficult to reach populations such as drop out students, people with no job, people with mental illness or disabilities
     
  • Ensure your project is complementary to other activities and programs offered in your community
     
  • Develop partnerships with relevant organizations, programs and services
    Example: Stores, local hunters, CLSC (social services, ISPEC program, services for persons lacking autonomy), employment services, non-profit organizations
     
  • Connect people who request food assistance with other services they may need by developing partnership with local employment services or social services.
     
  • Involve your target population to plan and improve your initiative
     
  • Seek regular feedback from participants on how your project is contributing to their wellbeing.
     
  • Ensure the financial sustainability of your project on the long-term.
    Example: seek funding from more than one funder; develop partnerships with other organizations to receive food donations or in-kind or low cost leasing of space, material, vehicle or human resources; include self-financing activities in your programming (e.g. selling affordable and healthy meals, fresh grown vegetables, etc.).