Food banks canada case study

Case Study 2 Food Banks Canada: Revisiting Strategy 2012* Gene Deszca Tupper Cawsey School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University It had been five years since Katharine Schmidt had taken over as Executive Director of Food Banks Canada in late 2007. The organization had made significant progress in that time. Donations of food and funds at the national level were up substantially, strong and committed staff members were now in place, the organization’s advocacy activities for the hungry were being received positively and they were becoming better known and respected for their work. However, the reality was that they were still a small organization when compared with the size of other national not-for-profits, and the size of a number of the affiliate organizations that they represented. There was so much that needed to be done to address hunger issues in Canada. Were they going about it in the best way and were they strategically targeting the right sorts of activities? Schmidt may have stimulated interest in the topic, but she wasn’t the only one asking questions about “what next?” Five years seemed about the right time for such a review. Food Banks Canada’s Board and Member Council were generally very pleased with the progress achieved under Schmidt’s leadership, but they too were pondering what the organization’s next steps should be. The Board had formally committed itself to conduct a strategic review and develop a strategic plan for the 2012 to 2017 period. As CEO, Schmidt knew the Board would look to her for leadership on this matter The current federated structure offered lots of potential, but Schmidt was troubled by how best to reconcile the varying perspectives voiced by certain stakeholders, particularly affiliated food banks. There had been concerns raised privately regarding Food Banks Canada expanding its strategic and operational roles, especially among some of the large food banks. How should they strategically address matters relative to food donations, fundraising, public advocacy and capacity building at the member affiliate level? What should be the roles of Food Banks Canada and what should be the roles of the Provincial and Local affiliates? Were they structured appropriately to deliver on these roles? Finally, if changes needed to be made, how should Schmidt go about managing them? What counted, of course, was the alleviation of hunger for millions of people, not just the growth and health of Food Banks Canada. As Schmidt reflected on their progress and the options, she wondered “what recommendations should be made to the Board and how should we approach the implementation challenges?” Hunger in Canada The first food bank in Canada opened its doors in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta. While food banks were originally intended to be a temporary measure, the need for them continued—and in fact grew. Hunger and poverty are inexorably interrelated and the number of people visiting food banks in Canada on a regular basis has continued to climb over the years. Almost 900,000 Canadians were being assisted by food banks every month with 93,000 people accessing a food bank for the first time Food bank use was 9% higher in 2010 than it was in 2009 and was the highest level of food bank use on record 38% of those turning to food banks are children and youth, 52% of households helped receive social assistance and 18% have income from current or recent employment 35% of food banks ran out of food during the survey period as a result 55% of food banks cut back on the amount of food provided to each household 79% of Canadians believed that hunger was a problem in Canada† Though Canada is a rich, developed country, hunger is a daily reality for a large and growing number of citizens. The people helped include families with children, employed people whose wages are not sufficient to cover basic living essentials, individuals on social assistance, and Canadians living on a fixed income, including people with disabilities and seniors.‡ Programs run by food banks that provide essential food and consumer care products include soup kitchens (hot and cold meals), hamper and snack programs, college- and university- based food programs for poor students, and community kitchens and gardens. In addition, the people who turn to food banks often need other types of assistance. Some food banks have responded to such needs by providing services such as skills training and job search assistance, housing and childcare referrals, and community advocacy. Most food banks and food programs depend heavily on volunteers for much or all of their operational activities. In fact, close to 50% of food banks are run solely by volunteers. Their work is made possible through contributions from individual donors, corporate sponsors, community support, parent organizations, and Food Banks Canada. The issue of hunger in Canada is being tackled predominantly through a network of over 3000 + food agencies. All food banks in Canada run independently with their own Boards of Directors and charitable status. While the majority of food banks chose to be part of the national organization—not all did. Eighty-five percent of the individuals assisted by a food bank are assisted through an affiliated organization to Food Banks Canada. Some of the affiliated food banks, such as Daily Bread in Toronto or the Greater Vancouver Food Banks Society were larger than Food Banks Canada in terms of revenue, the volume of food distributed, and staff levels, but the majority were smaller. Food Banks Canada: History and Renewal§ The organization began as a small group of local Canadian food banks that formed the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) in 1987. The original goal of the association was to better address household food security by increasing public awareness, lobbying for social policy change on behalf of food banks, and improving access to food for those in need. Local food banks had existed for years, but many had recognized that demand was increasing and they needed to increase their coordination of efforts and to deliver integrated messages across Canada on poverty and hunger. Public awareness of the issues needed to be enhanced, and many food banks wanted to increase their influence on government policy. Further, many national food product manufacturers and distributors asked for national systems for the distribution of surplus food to Canadians struggling with hunger. Some food bank managers believed efforts by the national organization could increase the volume of food available to agencies and provide for more efficient coordination and distribution of the food to member agencies. The formation of the Canadian Association of Food Banks was seen as a step in this direction. The CAFB was governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who were representatives from food banks across Canada. Often the members of this group had divided loyalties between what was best for the fight against hunger in Canada and what was best for their home food bank. By 2005, the majority of CAFB Board members believed that the organization was failing to achieve what was possible. Issues related to governance, vision, and mission dogged the national organization. There appeared to be significant challenges with coordination and integration of efforts across the country. Awareness raising and policy lobbying activities were not as effective as hoped. Donations to the national organization appeared undeveloped. CAFB had inadequate resources and uncertain objectives. The Board of the CAFB recognized that change and revitalization were essential. It conducted a strategic review in 2005–2006. After this review, it voluntarily restructured itself (see Exhibit 2) and began the process of rebranding of CAFB. The 2007 national board governance model was designed to encompass broader skills sets, be much more representative of local food banks, and impartially pan-Canadian in its focus while having greater autonomy for forward thinking and strategic implementation. As a key part of their renewal agenda, the CAFB Board searched for a new Executive Director and in the fall of 2007 hired Schmidt. Her initial mandate was to lead the restructuring and rebranding initiative, reenergize and guide the national organization, and improve the resources at hand. The organization was rebranded through this process from Canadian Association of Food Banks to Food Banks Canada. By 2012, the rebranding of the Canadian Association of Food Banks into Food Banks Canada had made significant progress. Schmidt and the Board had successfully reorganized its governance structure, refocused the organization’s strategy, and hired a new staff team to help her achieve a turnaround. The stated mission of Food Banks Canada that was developed in 2007 was to meet the short-term need for food and find long-term solutions to reduce hunger.¶ As a result of the changes, Food Banks Canada had increased its annual revenues from $1.0 million to over $4.6 million in donations, and delivered two times more donated food per year to affiliated food banks than in 2007. In addition, Food Banks Canada’s work in advocacy on hunger-related issues had been advanced through their research, their annual reports on food bank use, and expanded lobbying of the federal government. These actions had heightened national awareness and increased its influence with both the government and major corporations involved with food. Positive media coverage that accompanied the publication of these reports had played a significant role in increased public awareness. By 2011, Food Banks Canada had more fully developed a number of key programs to advance its agenda. Three of the more significant were: National Food Sharing System (NFSS)—this program acquires and shares large industry donations of food and consumer products and coordinates national-level and large-scale food drives for the food bank network of more than 450 affiliate members across Canada. Hunger Count Reports—both affiliated and non-affiliated members participate in these research studies on the number of people accessing food banks. These are published annually, distributed to the press and used for government advocacy. Hunger Awareness Day—a national initiative with food banks across the country participating, which is designed to heighten public awareness of critical issues related to food access and security for Canadians living on low incomes. While Food Banks Canada had grown its profile and was viewed by government and other important stakeholders as a credible professional organization that was having a positive impact, they wanted to do more to enhance their value to the food bank community and the people they served. Direct work on alleviating hunger was done directly by local food banks and Schmidt pondered how best to assist them. In fact, the amount of money and food raised by Food Banks Canada was relatively small, when compared to the total amount of money donated to and the total volume of food collected by local food banks. Major food banks in Canada had more resources than the national body and a few believed they were competing with Food Banks Canada for donations and media attention in ways that were not helpful to their mission. Katharine Schmidt Schmidt saw her career path as one marrying her interest in public service, food, and poverty issues. After a BA in Family Studies, she spent ten years with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, culminating in involvement with the Ministry’s strategic plan. Her work in leadership development with rural groups prepared her to head up a strategic initiative by the Ministry, seeking greater cooperation among agricultural producers, food processors, food distributors and retail channels for greater effectiveness within the sector. A desire for personal change and development led her to take a leave, and enroll in Wilfrid Laurier University’s one-year MBA program. Upon graduation, she accepted employment with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, on a one year secondment from the Ministry. This was followed by a move to Food and Consumer Products Canada for seven years. These seven years provided her with a broad exposure to major firms, key influencers, and a heighted awareness of the corporate side of the food sector. “It was a big decision to leave government after 10 years. I believed it would be a great experience to be able to work for a major national industry advocacy group building on my experience with the agri-food sector. Then, in 2004, I decided it was time for another change—one that would allow me to apply my new experience and contacts while getting back into helping people. When the Food Bank of Waterloo Region was looking for a new Executive Director, I jumped at the opportunity. While in that role I began to really understand some the underlying causes of hunger in Canada, I became aware of the need and importance for a strong national organization that could advocate for Canadians.” Schmidt’s work as Executive Director of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region brought her directly into contact with community needs related to household food security and access, the food bank community, and the broader dynamics related to the national food bank organization. She saw that a strong national organization could provide leadership across the country and that it could advocate with the federal government. She was pleased with the decisions made by the membership of CAFB at the 2006 annual general meeting to bring in a new governance structure and new Board as steps to strengthen the organization. The new Board of the national organization hired Schmidt because of her successful performance as Executive Director of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region and her performance while working with Food and Consumer Products Canada and earlier agencies and industry groups. Food Banks Canada: A Federated Structure As part of the strategic initiative of 2006, the Board of Food Banks Canada adopted a new federated governance structure. The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) had been an affiliation of independent food banks run by representatives from each member food bank. As one Board member recalled, “The governance issues facing the CAFB were significant. As designed, each food bank affiliate had a vote on major issues. Quebec had many more food banks than any other province. That meant that Quebec had over a thousand votes, Ontario had around 120 while Alberta had 2 votes, New Brunswick one and Nova Scotia one. Not only was this not representative but it was almost unworkable.” Under the new membership structure, rather than local food banks joining Food Banks Canada directly, local food banks would join a provincial association. Once they joined the provincial association they would become affiliate members to Food Banks Canada. The organization would seek input and involvement from its membership by having each provincial association identify two representatives who would be their nominees on the Member Council. The Member Council was designed to help ensure that the voices of food banks from across the country were heard by the National Board, and vice versa. It was intended that this body would play an important role in facilitating communications and coordination between the national organization and affiliated member organizations on plans and programs being implemented across the country (see Exhibit 2b). The 20 representatives on the Member Council were drawn from the provincial bodies and affiliated food banks. Many of the 20 representatives placed on Member Council had been on the previous CAFB Board. Schmidt, as CEO of Food Banks Canada (or her nominee) also sat on this council. The new structure also had a reconstituted National Board that focused on the strategy and governance of the national body. The National Board initially had 16 members, And participation on it shifted to individuals drawn from corporate Canada, the food industry, and highly capable and committed individuals with specific skills needed to advance the interests of the national body (e.g., skills in finance, HR, marketing, communications, strategy, and legal). In order to have affiliate representation on the National Board, two members were drawn from Member Council to serve on the Board. The purpose of the reconstituted National Board was to focus its attention on the advancement of the work of the national organization, which they would be able to do with increased independence, now that they were not there to simply represent the issues of particular geographic areas (see Exhibit 2 and 2a). Moving Food Banks Canada Forward 2007–2012 Schmidt set out to build an effective management team. From January 2008 to January 2012 she first reduced staff from five-and-a-half full-time equivalent to two and one half. Then, over a period of three years, she added eleven- and-a-half full-time energetic, talented individuals committed to the food bank cause (see Exhibit 3). Concurrent with the hiring of key personnel, Schmidt led the rebranding effort. The name “Canadian Association of Food Banks” implied a collectivity with little central purpose or coordination. The new brand, captured by the new name, Food Banks Canada, became critical to increasing visibility with corporate partners and to symbolize the shift in strategic direction. In early 2007, Food Banks Canada had little visibility with the public or even the food industry. At that time, all food banks strove for visibility and wanted to become the recognizable representative for food and hunger in their respective areas. While Food Banks Canada had complimentary goals as that of the local organizations, some local food banks perceived it as a competitor for recognition and attention, and resources. Schmidt and the Board believed that their rebranding initiative had met with some success. This was supported by an independent branding study they had commissioned, but the data showed it represented an ongoing challenge. When affiliates marketed their activities under different names it added to the confusion in the public’s mind as to who was doing what when it came to providing food for those living in poverty. If you were in Toronto, you would see the Food Banks Canada logo but also that of Daily Bread Food Bank, North York Harvest, and Fort York Food Bank. If you were in Minto, Ontario, Food Banks Canada could be perceived to be competing with the Minto Community Resources Centre, and so on. This natural tension between needing to promote local needs versus creating broader national awareness was often a source of conflict. Some independent food banks’ staff questioned whether they wanted Food Banks Canada to be the brand name for hunger relief and what the benefit was to them. In addition to talent building and rebranding, Schmidt spent time food raising and developing systems to collect and distribute food from national donors. When for example, Kraft Canada phoned and said “We have 70 skids of a product for you if you pick them up today,” Food Banks Canada needed the trucking capacity to pick up the goods and then a fair system of distribution of those goods to local food banks. Further, these systems had to be acceptable to member food banks, address risks in the food safety area, and minimize any waste that occurred due to inefficient food handling. As one Food Canada representative said; “a system was in place, but it was poorly and ineffectively run. There were delays, and perhaps, a lack of professionalism and expertise. At the same time, I would say that, before the spike in gas prices in 2008-09, free transportation was much more available to us, particularly via trucking companies.” As a result of problems in this area, the organization developed and implemented training programs on food safety and handling that it operated nationally for people working in food banks, particularly those from small agencies. In 2011, this was the only program that Food Banks Canada operated that was directly supported by federal government money. While training provided part of the reason for the improvement in food quality and quantity, a great deal of the credit went to strengthened relationships with national food companies and new, sophisticated systems for the collection and redistribution of food donated at the national level. Schmidt spent significant time food and fundraising. In 2009, Food Banks Canada initiated a partner program for corporate donors.** As a result, the amount of food raised at the national level grew from 7 million pounds in 2008 to 14 million pounds in 2011.†† A member of the leadership team stated, “National and even international corporations want to work with an organization that can handle food at the national level. Affiliate members want Food Banks Canada to coordinate things better and help them, but they also wanted to retain their autonomy and manage corporate relationships on their own.” While progress had been achieved with food supply, progress had also been made in fundraising and related systems and procedures. The Director of Development and Partnerships observed: “When I started my role at Food Banks Canada there were no policies or systems. There were a few large, supportive companies with 10 to12 of them giving $10,000 to $12,000 each. Now there are 40 to 50 firms with some giving as much as $50,000 to $100,000. One company’s contribution is $250,000 per year” (see Exhibit 4 for a summary of their financial position). In 2011, Food Banks Canada affiliate members’ food banks provided direct services to 85% of the people accessing emergency food programs nationwide. The food and money supplied to them by Food Banks Canada totaled 7% (or 15 million pounds out of 200 million pounds of food) with the remainder coming from food or fundraising initiatives at the local or, to a much lesser extent, provincial level. Role of Provincial Bodies By 2012 each of the ten provinces had a provincial association, though these varied widely in their level of development. A few provincial bodies had yet to obtain their charitable status from the government and some had little to no permanent staff. A key challenge Food Banks Canada faced was to identify a strong case for the support of the work of certain provincial bodies by donors. Food Banks Canada had a protocol in place when it engaged with donors to ask them to provide support at all three levels (local, provincial, national). However, they were finding that national donor organizations preferred to give nationally or locally, and were less interested in donating to provincial bodies. Where to Now? Results of the Member Survey‡‡ In the winter of 2011, 410 Canadian food banks were surveyed. One hundred and seventy four surveys were completed and analyzed by an independent survey research firm. Seventy-eight percent of respondents were either a member of a food bank Board, the executive director, or a manager of a food bank. The survey reported that Food Banks Canada was well known and well regarded by Canadian Food Banks. Ninety-three % of respondents reported that Food Banks Canada provided value in the fight against hunger in Canada and 79% reported that their organizations received direct support from Food Banks Canada. In general, respondents felt that provincial food bank associations were performing well. Eighty-two percent said they were satisfied with the performance of the provincial associations. Their value lay in direct help and in representing food issues to others. Larger food banks were less likely to say they were “very satisfied” with provincial associations. Of concern was the fact that 19% of respondents reported that Food Banks Canada provided little direct value to them. Those representing communities over 100,000 people saw the least amount of value in Food Banks Canada to their organizations. Raising awareness of the hunger issue in Canada, at all levels, was viewed as the top priority, with 43% of respondents choosing raising awareness of the hunger issue in their community as number one. This was followed by raising awareness of the work the food bank community does and developing fundraising campaigns in their communities. The top priority for Food Banks Canada, while still clear, was more debatable. Raising awareness of the hunger issue in Canada was chosen as top priority by 29% of respondents, followed by acquiring large-scale donations and federal government advocacy. For the most part, program participants were satisfied with the programs/activities Food Banks Canada offered, and in particular, they valued their participation in and use of HungerCount, Hunger Awareness Day, and National Corporate programs. Some programs had high awareness but low participation. More than half said they were aware of but had never participated in programs/activities like the Community Kitchen Fund or the National Membership Conference. Respondents used the Food Banks Canada newsletters and HungerCount and Hunger Awareness Day materials but did not use the Online Resource Centre as much. While respondents reported that they did not use nutrition materials much, those materials were identified as the top priority for new tool development. More materials on fundraising and public service announcements were also wanted. Client story books received the least amount of support. Exhibit 5 reports on the top priorities identified in the survey. Strategic Choices Being Considered Members of the Food Banks Canada leadership team differed in where they thought the organization should focus. One member of the leadership team commented: “Over the next five years it will be critical that we increase our efforts advocating at the federal level. Capacity building within the Canadian food bank community is also vital to ensure food is getting to those who need it most, but we also need to maintain and enhance food acquisition and distribution activities.” This focus reflected her belief that “food donation programs with bigger organizations lent themselves to being institutionalized and systematized and were effectively underway, potentially freeing some resources for other critical activities.” However, she recognized that such a shift was not without risks and needed to be managed carefully, so that donors did not feel ignored or undervalued. Another member of the Leadership Team pointed out the challenges of funding the future priorities based on donor interest and preferences: For the foreseeable future, the organization needs to be involved in both advocacy and food and fundraising, including donations in-kind such as transportation services to distribute food. Food is substantive and donors are often interested in supporting food acquisition and sharing. We find that policy development, research and government advocacy is a more difficult “sell” to donors. Over 10 years, we might build up an individual donor base interested in giving to a national organization doing advocacy. But we are a long way from that. With limited resources, and donors being interested in some parts of our mandate more than in others areas, it will be difficult as we move forward. A third perspective from another member of Food Banks Canada’s leadership team believed that: “If Food Banks Canada is going to maintain legitimacy, it has to be seen as an organization that is about getting food to people. It has to protect the charitable aspect of the food bank network from getting lost in a social justice debate,§§ but at the same time maintain an appropriate level of advocacy.” As a result Food Banks Canada needed to be seen as raising food and putting it in the hands of those in need, while retaining its commitment to provide a focus on policy and legislative change. Advocacy needed “to be approached in ways that do not alienate corporate and political figures. As he put it, “Poking one’s finger in another’s eye is not likely to produce support for one’s cause.” He further believed that Food Banks Canada’s current model was sustainable. The Board The current Food Banks Canada National Board had 16 members, including two representatives from provincial member food banks. The other 14 members were well connected with food producers and government and had demonstrated their commitment, in part, through their past contributions. Board members received no compensation and all were asked to make a financial commitment to Food Banks Canada, according to their means. Board membership required a significant time commitment which all members honored. They were well balanced in their diversity of skills and backgrounds (accounting, finance, marketing, communications, human resources, legal, business, and nonprofit) and geographic representation. The general sentiment of National Board members, national staff members, and most of the affiliated organizations that were on the Member Council, was that the National Board had developed into a hardworking, well prepared, competent, independent, and highly collegial group. Schmidt attended all Board and Board committee meetings but was not a voting member of the Board. Robin Garrett, elected in 2006 to the Board, became its Chair in 2011. She had a long involvement with the national organization and its predecessor, beginning in the late 1990’s when she was with the Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers Association. She had 16 years of management experience working with national and regional organizations and was currently the President and CEO, Tourism Partnership of Niagara. Garrett believed that Food Banks Canada had come a long way but needed a stronger national presence to exercise influence and attract resources: “The most successful federated not-for-profits, in my belief, are those that have a strong national organization, with clear roles throughout the organization—from the front- line operators, through to the provincial organizations, with the national organization on top. It is about aligning and coordinating work, allocating and maximizing resources so we can give back maximally.” Garrett observed that the roles within the food bank community were developing but that a shared understanding and agreement was not yet fully developed. There was some discomfort at the provincial level as to their roles and ability to deliver on assigned roles. She noted that there were a couple of very strong provinces (Nova Scotia and Quebec), but there were others that were weak and some that had very little infrastructure. In addition, food banks across the country varied tremendously in their sophistication. Garrett believed the above factors created anxiety over roles and concerns related to the livelihood of paid staff members at the local and provincial levels. These factors also gave rise to some resentment in larger member organizations over the emergence of a strong national body, and the power shift that this entailed. This, in turn, created a real risk of turf wars. When it came to fundraising and food raising campaigns, Garrett felt that the food banks needed a common message, with Food Banks Canada playing both a lead and coordinating role. You get better bang for your buck when there is a clear national campaign focusing on people in need. We can share resources and materials. There are 500 food banks all doing fundraising campaigns. Can you imagine the effectiveness gains and the savings that would be possible, if we combined and integrated our efforts though a national campaign? Food Banks Canada needs to launch national campaigns. We need to go after national corporate donors for such national campaigns. The message and materials need to be developed nationally and then used at the local levels, with Food Banks Canada synchronizing the campaigns. Wow, now all Canadians would hear the same message. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a single web site for food banks where money is raised? However, this was not a sentiment shared by some of the strong food bank members and this expressed itself in resentment over Food Banks Canada ramping up national activities in some of these areas. They saw these as an intrusion on provincial and local food bank responsibilities, where there was a desire to own the direct connection with donors and the delivery system. One of the side effects of this was that donor lists developed by local food banks were not readily shared. There were significant differences in systems and resources among local food banks, which pointed to the need for capacity building at the local and in some cases, provincial levels. Garrett wondered if there needed to be different approaches to service delivery, so that the smaller food banks could be directly supported by the larger, more sophisticated bodies. Once again, the issue was one of alignment. In the end she believed that Food Banks Canada had to create initiatives in the advocacy, food raising, fundraising, and capacity building areas that demonstrated how it could add value to all, if roles were clarified and aligned. Brian Fraser, appointed to the Board in 2009 and now Vice Chair, was a corporate lawyer and partner with Gowlings, a major law firm. Fraser was asked for assistance by Food Banks Canada on a branding issue. Pro bono work, combined with a deep interest in what the national organization was attempting to accomplish, along with exposure to Schmidt, led to his recruitment to the National Board. Fraser believed that the transformation of Food Banks Canada, and even the Board, could be traced to the effectiveness of Schmidt as the Executive Director. He stated that she had played a constructive role in board member recruitment and had been instrumental in building this strong and independent board, providing it with excellent support while at the same time welcoming careful critical assessment, and independent thought. Fraser reported that a key risk area was the potential that Schmidt might leave and the need to prepare for her successor. He believed good progress had been made in the relationship with the Member Council and with large food banks, such as Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank. Given the small size and limited resource base of Food Banks Canada, it had to continually work to build its brand as the national “go to” organization in matters related to hunger. One risk area he mentioned was the competition in fundraising from non-affiliated agencies who sought to raise money and food contributions for the hungry. He believed that while some of these were well intentioned, others were questionable as to motive. As well, they created the risk for fragmentation occurring in the food bank community. As for the future strategic direction, Fraser’s view was that advocacy efforts, which were currently at an early stage of development, should receive increased attention. Capacity building of less capable local food banks was the second priority that needed action, because it would bring value directly to the food bank community. Finally raising food and money continued to be important because it was an ongoing challenge to keep the attention and interest of food manufacturers, knowing what they were looking for, and feeding their agenda in ways that were also consistent with Food Bank Canada’s agenda. Fraser stated that Food Banks Canada needed to be seen as an effectively run national organization in order to appeal to the corporate audience. Member Council Perspective The Member Council representatives offered somewhat different perspectives on what Food Banks Canada’s focus should be. One member who expressed serious concern for the future direction was Dianne Swinemar, Executive Director of Feed Nova Scotia. Swinemar led one of the strongest provincial bodies and she was of the belief that the role of those weak provincial bodies was in urgent need of strengthening. Swinemar was hired in 1991 by what was then a metro-based food bank operating in and around Halifax. As such, its approach was similar to that of the much bigger Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, Ontario. In 2002, Nova Scotia food bank members met and restructured themselves around a strong provincial model, placing Feed Nova Scotia in the lead role and Swinemar as the CEO. They rebranded themselves, took on a 24/7 help line, and took on fund, food, and awareness raising for the province as a whole. As a result of these changes, the effectiveness of these services in Nova Scotia improved significantly. Swinemar believed this was because the communities, donors, and smaller food banks understood why these changes made sense. Swinemar had played a leading role when Food Banks Canada restructured itself, chairing the transition team at the time. She felt progress had been made but she was also of the view that the current National Board and staff were still really struggling to have their actions match the vision identified at the time of Food Banks Canada’s restructuring. Swinemar believed that the missing ingredient was strong provincial organizations to coordinate activities, and she did not believe Food Banks Canada could successfully provide service and support to 400–500 member agencies with such different levels of sophistication. With the exception of Nova Scotia and Quebec, Swinemar believed the provincial organizations had not developed into the bodies envisioned at the time of the reorganization and that Food Banks Canada was not championing and supporting their evolution. It was her sense that politics might be getting in the way of them integrating their efforts in order to provide leadership and logistical support and other ingredients needed to enable local organizations and their volunteers to effectively deliver services. She concluded that Food Banks Canada found it easier to send messages and work directly with the front line, rather than work with and build the capacity of the provincial bodies. As a result, many provincial bodies were weak and some had no staff and were barely on life support. Swinemar saw Canada as a mosaic and believed that it would always be an uphill struggle for Food Banks Canada to really become a vibrant national organization, if it did not possess strong provincial arms. Wendi Campbell, head of Food Bank of Waterloo Region and a representative on the Member Council,