If you’ve seen one food bank, you’ve seen … one food bank. Food Banks Canada collaborates with a network of over 5,500 organizations, each of which serves a community with distinct needs and operates in its own way. 

A shared set of values and best practices underpins this healthy diversity: every network member upholds Canada’s Ethical Food Banking Code. And now, each one is also working toward accreditation through Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence. 

Some food banks have already completed this journey. This month, we’re celebrating Pelham Cares.

What inspired you to be an early accredited organization? 

Our Board of Directors quickly saw value to becoming accredited and therefore were motivated to start the process. We also had a strong desire to be the best we could be, and realised achieving accreditation would help us become better at what we do.

Describe your approach to reaching accreditation. 

In reviewing the standards, we soon recognised that, as a smaller food bank with limited resources, we would not be able to have staff complete the accreditation process. We then decided to have a consultant work with us to complete the process.

What was your first step in the process?  

Our first step was to review all 82 standards to get a general overview as to where we stood.

Which standards were most manageable to meet? Why?  

Across all the sections, we found in many cases we were meeting the standard, we just didn’t have a policy to document what we did. Those we simply needed to prepare a policy that captured the existing process and then have that approved by the Board.

What/which standards did you find daunting?

Initially, we found the sheer number of standards daunting. It seemed like an impossible task, especially as when we started the process, most of the resources now available did not exist. The Food Banks Canada team was very supportive; however, it was also early days for them in the actual implementation of this new process, so we all faced a steep learning curve.

We also found some of the Board governance standards a little challenging at first. The Board struggled with the need to implement some standards, which they saw as just being extra work with no benefit.

How did you overcome this? 

We overcame this by slowing down and focusing on the positives of how many standards we had completed the necessary changes for (new policies/procedures, etc.) rather than how many we still had to do.

We overcame the Board objections by explaining how it was important to document activities we took for granted, because while the current team was doing them, without policies in place, there was no guarantee that future team members would still do them.

What surprised you through the process? 

We were actually pleasantly surprised to discover how many of the standards we were already meeting. As we are now in our 41^st year of operating here in Pelham, we assumed we did lots of things right. However, it was very gratifying to get the verification from the experts at Food Banks Canada.

What advice would you offer to other organizations seeking accreditation?   

Our advice would be to work through the standards once section at a time. It can be overwhelming at first if you look at all 82. Also, it is easier to stay organised by just focusing on one section. If possible, try to assign one person to manage the project. Different parts of the organisation will be involved for different standards and having one person coordinating will help keep things on track. This person can also play a role in keeping the Board up to date on the progress of the project.

There are a tremendous number of resources now available through Food Banks Canada in Workplace. Take advantage of these, as you do not need to “reinvent the wheel” and it will make the process faster, more efficient and far less stressful.

Finally, I would suggest that you have a plan for how you will share the new polices and procedures with the organisation after receiving accreditation. There are real benefits to this program, however they only happen if everyone is actually aware of the new policies. Implementation is just as important as the polices themselves.

What value does reaching accreditation provide to your organization? 

1. Without a doubt the biggest benefit to us in reaching accreditation is the improvements to our client experiences. The little improvements we made in a variety of areas all combined to enable us to do a better job serving our clients.
2. An additional benefit has been and increase in organisational efficiency. By adopting best practices through the various standards, we have become more efficient and effective in how we operate.
3. Through the process of reviewing and approving all the policies (both new and existing) that allowed us to achieve accreditation, our Board of Directors gained a much better understanding of all aspects of our food bank.
4. We are better prepared now to deal with the challenging feature we know all Food banks are facing, as we have put policies and procedures in place to better monitor all aspects of our operations on an ongoing basis.
5. Finally, thought-out our organisation, from volunteers to staff to Board members, we all share a greater sense of pride in Pelham Cares.

To the food banking system? 

For the food banking system, reaching accreditation helps ensure all member organisations are using best practices in their operations, which ultimately means better client experiences and overall sustainability in the food banking system.