In early 2024, Food Banks Canada launched a set of national standards covering all areas of food bank operations. These benchmarks strengthen accountability and trust, ensure good practices, and equip food banks to serve their communities as effectively as possible. So far, over 390 food banks have achieved accreditation in the Standards of Excellence. 

It’s a major endeavour, but nobody has to undertake it alone: food banks are encouraged to ask questions, learn about opportunities to apply for funds, or request assistance at standards@foodbankscanada.ca. Also willing to lend a helping hand are Standards Ambassadors: people who have been through the accreditation process and who have generously offered to share their experiences, tips, and templates with the broader food bank network on The Exchange.* 

When the Standards of Excellence emerged, Pelham Cares jumped at the opportunity. Founded over 40 years ago in the town of Pelham in the Niagara region of Ontario, the operation had recently expanded, and Board president Greg Lewis was looking for ways to emphasize its integrity and professionalism. 

“When the Standards came out, we realized this was an opportunity to learn best-in-class ways to improve the things we were doing right, correct the things we weren’t doing right, and increase the level of service to our clients,” says Lewis. As a result, Pelham Cares was the first food bank in Niagara to be accredited. 

Even with accreditation now under his belt, Lewis still remembers the overwhelm he felt when he downloaded the Standards tracker. Taking it one section at a time was key to staying on task.  

First, the organization celebrated the areas where they were already doing really well: legal and financial. “The positive surprise was how many things we were doing right; often, it was just a case of documenting what we were already doing,” says Lewis.  

Next, they looked at areas for improvement; in their case, governance and administration was a challenge. They chunked it into smaller to-do lists and got to work. Lewis says the process helped the organization as a whole gain a better understanding of how things work, leading to an improved sense of satisfaction about working together.  

After accreditation, the next step was to implement and maintain the Standards. Pelham Cares introduced their new policies at a volunteer-appreciation event and ensured each group was familiar with the standards most relevant to their work. They also created binders as a reference tool. Finally, Lewis asked the board secretary to add policy-document reviews to the agendas for upcoming meetings, to integrate the review process into regular board business. 

“It’s become our new normal,” he says.

During a virtual drop-in session hosted by Food Banks Canada, Lewis shared his experience of Standards adoption and integration. His advice included:  

Get your board on board: As president and board chair, Lewis knew that fellow board members needed to see the advantages of adopting the Standards, which ranged from integrity with local donors to a sense of accountability within a larger organization. Pre-existing resources from Food Banks Canada helped to convey the rationale and benefits. 

Consider hiring a consultant if you don’t have the internal resources: Lewis put together a proposal to hire outside help, noting the tasks a consultant could do, and secured a Food Banks Canada grant that helped pay for the work. (That grant program is still running.) He also recommends investigating resources available from provincial food banking associations and Food Banks Canada. 

Get organized: Prevent confusion or panic on the team by tackling one section of the standards at a time, and by assigning someone to be responsible for updating everyone on progress. 

Keep documentation simple: Rather than assuming you need to write a complex document from scratch, consider your existing procedures. Are any of them in the spirit of the standards? Maybe they just need an edit. Also consider that two paragraphs might be as good as two pages in communicating your standard; in other words, keep it short if you can. Not only will it be less work, but more people will actually read and follow a shorter document. 

To access recordings and resources from previous virtual sessions with Standards Ambassadors, contact knowledge@foodbankscanada.ca.  

*To register for accounts on The Exchange, a digital sharing platform for eligible food banks, write to knowledge@foodbankscanada.ca