The Good Food Box Manual: How to Start a Progam in Your City

8/9/2019 The Good Food Box Manual: How to Start a Progam in Your City

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Good Food Box:A MAnuAl

H T Start A Pr gram I Y r C mm ity

First Edition by Mary Lou Morganand Kathryn Scharf

Second Edition by Ren Biberstein

and Mark-Jan Daalderop

THe


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2008 F Shar T r t

P b ish by:

F Shar T r t90 Cr atia Str tT r t , o tariCa a a M6H 1k9

416.363.6441i f @f shar . t

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ISBn 978-0-921030-28-7

FoodShare would like to thank the Heifer Foundation International for making this second edition possible.

W wo o i to c ow g th ci pport o th O t rio Mi i try o H th or thedition. The opinions, results, and conclusions presented in this manual are those of FoodShare, and noo ci or m t y th Mi i try o H th i i t , or ho o i rr .

W g y thoriz th r pro ctio o portio o thi m or o -pro t, c tio p rpo


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3Table Of COnTenTs

TABle oF ConTenTS

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................5Preface and Acknowledgments by Zahra Parvinian ..................................................................7

Introduction to the First Edition by Mary Lou Morgan ............................................................10Introduction to the Second Edition by Debbie Field ...............................................................13

u rsta i g Th G F B : Is This Th RightPr gram F r Y r C mm ity?

History of The Good Food Box .............................................................................................17Philosophy ............................................................................................................................18Good Food Box Guiding Principles .......................................................................................19Week in the Life of FoodShares Good Food Box Program .....................................................20

O r C tom r : Who r th y why o th y p rch Th Goo foo bo ? ....................22Goo foo M r t , a oth r Optio ....................................................................................24

Starti g Y r o G F B Pr gramChoo i g Go or Yo r Progr m ................................................................................25I e ti yi g Your T rget Group M ki g the Progr m suit Their nee .................27The Fresh Produce Distribution Industry .................................................................28Competitive a ly i ...............................................................................................29Marketing Plan The 5 Ps ...................................................................................... 31Management Structure .............................................................................................35Stages of Expansion .................................................................................................36Financial Plan ..........................................................................................................41

G i T Pr c S rci g A Ma ag m tProduce Sourcing ....................................................................................................45Buying Practices ......................................................................................................46box Co te t Pro uce Mix ...............................................................................48Or eri g spre heet Tech ique .....................................................................51Presentation of Boxes ..............................................................................................51s mple box Co te t ...............................................................................................52Produce Management Basics ...................................................................................53Org ic Goo foo boxe ......................................................................................54


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H ma R s rc s a V t r C r i atiVolunteers ........................................................................................57Staff ..................................................................................................57Goo foo box drop-o Coor i tor .............................................58

Packing Day Volunteers

....................................................................60Coor i ti g P cki g d y .............................................................. 61

Th G F B n s tt rWhy a n w tt r to th Goo foo bo ? ............................................ 63Writi g n w tt r Th t sp to Yo r C tom r .................................... 63n w tt r R o rc .................................................................................. 64do th n w tt r G t R ? ................................................................... 64

Pro les of Other Good Food Box ProgramsMontreal ..................................................................................................... 65Saskatoon .....................................................................................................67I i ......................................................................................................... 68

Th ev ti f th G F B xThe Origi o the Goo foo box Progr m ......................................71FoodShare Programs 2008 ................................................................75

App ic sGoo foo bo Coor i tor P c g ..........................................................81s mp Or ri g spr h t ..................................................................... 84fr q t y a Q tio ........................................................................ 85Produce Buying Policy .................................................................................87Goo foo bo Or r form ....................................................................... 89Produce Storage Guidelines ........................................................................ 90Good Food Box Sales Figures .......................................................................91Local Produce Statistics ................................................................................93Goo foo bo Y r y s Tr

.............................................................97

Goo foo bo n w tt r ........................................................................101Good Food Box Flyer .................................................................................105Annual Good Food Box Farmers Meeting Flyer ..........................................107


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5

The Good Food Box is a non-pro t fresh fruit and vegetable distributionsystem operated by FoodShare Toronto. It runs like a large buying club, with centralized purchasing and co-ordination. Individuals place orders

for boxes with volunteer drop-o coordinators in their neighbourhood and paybetween $12 and $32 for their box, depending on the version they choose.

FoodShares customers purchase top-quality fruit and vegetables from local farm-ers and the Ontario Food Terminal, which volunteers pack into boxes at FoodShares warehouse. Each box contains the same mixture of produce, though the contentschange with each delivery, depending on what is in season and reasonably-priced atthe time. FoodShares truck drivers deliver the boxes to the neighbourhood drop-olocations, where the local volunteer coordinators ensure that customers pick up their

boxes. Established in 1994 with just 40 boxes, the Toronto Good Food Box programnow distributes just under 4,000 Good Food Boxes each month.

e Good Food Box Guide is designed to provide direction to individuals andorganizations who are interested in using this type of system to improve food accessfor themselves and people in their communities, particularly those living on a low-income. It also encourages community development, promotes healthy eating andsupports the local agricultural economy.

Over the last 14 years, Good Food Box organizers have learned many lessons aboutthe philosophy and logistics of running a large-scale distribution system, with bothcentralized coordination and community-based input and support.

e guide begins with a look at the history, philosophy and principles of the GoodFood Box program. is is followed by information on how to market the GoodFood Box, how to nd funding, how to promote the program and what equipmentand resources are needed.

Also in the manual are sections on produce buying, volunteer management andcreating a newsletter. Examples are provided of newsletters, promotional pamph-lets, pro les of other Good Food Box programs, sample box contents, work rhythms

and growth mechanics. Since 1994, dozens of other Canadian communities havedeveloped their own versions of the Good Food Box, responding to local needs andcircumstances, all working towards increasing access to good, healthy food.

exeCuTIVe SuMMARY

e x e C u T I V e S u M M A R Y

exeCuTIve suMMaRY


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Many thanks to the Good Food Box team for their dedication and all the colthat each sta member gives to the program.

anks also to Daniel Ho man, the Youth Program Coordinator, for the care h

takes in integrating all the youth interns into the Good Food Box program.

ank you to Jess Gomez and Sybil Pinnock, of the Kitchen and Catering prgrams, for the amazing home cooked snacks and lunch they prepare for everyone.packing day would be possible without them.

ank you to Mike Nevin, our Composting Facilitator, who makes sure that all oforganic waste generated by the Good Food Box program is turned into soil and useour Urban Agriculture team in community gardens. anks to Angela ElzingaCheng,Ravenna Barker, Ayal Dinner and Ian Aley for their work in animating Good FMarkets, bringing fresh produce stalls to neighbourhoods throughout the city.

e work of promoting healthy food in our schools is enhanced by the outree orts of the student nutrition team. ank you to Lori Nikkel, our Student NutritioManager, Meredith Hayes, our Field to Table Schools Coordinator, and the TorontoPartners for Student Nutrition sta members: Fiona Bowser and Ulla Knowles.

ank you to Gloria Padilla, FoodShares Financial Manager, Nora Long, our GooFood Box Bookkeeper, Zola Dyer, Donor Relations and Foodlink Coordinator and Anna La, Fundraising and Volunteer Coordinator, who all maintain the nancial anfundraising infrastructure of the program.

And of course, a big thanks to Debbie Field, FoodShares Executive Director, foshe has done to develop the Good Food Box program over the years and helpisecure funding for its operation.

e Good Food Box could not happen without the cooperation of all of our staall of the hundreds of volunteers who help us pack the boxes each week and coothe drop-o locations.

We also want to thank Heifer International, especially Colleen Ross and Chris Kger of Heifer Canada, for the funding of this second edition of the Good Food

Manual. e rst edition, originally funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health, waspopular that it went out of print and we have been photocopying it for years forthat request a copy.

We rst began working with Heifer International seven years ago when they funour bee project, which has been so successful. We thank Heifer Canada for fundinto pass on the gift of how to organize a Good Food Box program.


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e vision of Heifer International is a world of communities living together inpeace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. rough Heifers pass-ing on the gift philosophy, communities and families share their livestock, know-ledge, resources and skills, creating and expanding networks of hope, dignity andself-reliance. Heifer works in Canada, and around the globe, towards social, eco-

nomic and political justice.

Heifer International commits to helping families, communities, organizations,partners and movements in their struggle to achieve food sovereignty and sustain-able livelihoods. It supports sustainable food systems, the recovery of cultures, localknowledge, spirituality and the environment, fostering justice and equity throughparticipation, solidarity, and advocacy. For more information please see www.heifer.org.

Mary Lou Morgan and Kathryn Scharf wrote the rst edition of this manual andhave since moved on to new jobs and new opportunities. Mark-Jan Daalderop andRen Biberstein took the lead on this second edition. Many thanks to Mark-Jan andRen for all their hard work on making this manual happen. anks to Anna La and Adrienne De Francesco for their meticulous copy-editing. A special thanks to LauraBerman of GreenFuse Images for designing this manual and producing beautifulphotographs for FoodShare.

In my years at FoodShare I have had the pleasure of passing on the gift of how we operate the Good Food Box to many people across Canada. Just recently we havebeen supporting a group in Montreal who have started a box program there. It is sosatisfying to know that others want to start a Good Food Box program in their com-munity. We hope this manual answers your questions and that you are successful inyour process.

Good luck in creating your own Good Food Box program; may it be a rainbow,lled with healthy produce, beautiful experiences and wonderful people.

Zahra ParvinianGood Food Box and Kitchen Program Manager

July 21, 2008

PRefaCe and aCknOWledGMenTs


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10 THe GOOd fOOd bOx

InTRoduCTIon To THe FIRST edITIon

I n T R o d u C T I o n

T o T H e F I R S T e d I T I o n

November 5, 1997

In many ways, the Good Food Box is FoodShare Torontos seminal project. Athe other FoodShare programs build on its strengths, echo its philosophies ancircle around its rhythms. With virtually no advertising besides word of mou

we have grown from the original 40 boxes packed in February of 1994 to sellinunder 4,000 boxes each month.

I believe our strength lies in the food itself. Eating a gorgeous shiny purpleplant or a sweet apple, the sight of a farmer proudly presenting mixed baskeyellow and red heritage tomatoes, picking a beet from the dirt, a meal shared these experiences have the power to awaken our senses, feed our basic need forand connect us to each other. ese experiences are especially important to people

the city, who may be living in stressful conditions, are disconnected from natureseparated from each other.

Time and time again, I have seen volunteers who come to pack the Good FBox go home after six hours of hard physical work exhausted but exhilaratedoften these volunteers make a point of thanking us on the way out the door.ing us for the chance to meet and eat with others, for the chance to do mean work and for the opportunity to contribute to our community. On the receiving enmothers report their childrens excitement when the Good Food Box arrives, peopproudly phone to tell us of their success with the latest recipes and people comon the stories of where our food comes from. I believe the colours, quality and

sonal nature of the produce is directly responsible for these good feelings. Work with others, being connected to our neighbourhoods and to a larger network of lminded people, also enhances our well being.

At FoodShare, we didnt start out to create an alternative food distribution syst After all, Canada has chains of powerful and e cient retail grocery stores and thsands of successful corner stores. Produce from all over the world is availableand Canadians spend on average, only 14 percent of their income on food; this islowest amount in any developed country. Canadian farmers produce food e cientland there is often excess food produced. Canadians also export billions of doll worth of food to other countries.

ese facts would lead us to believe that everything is ne with our food syand that in Canada no one should be hungry or malnourished. In fact, many childgo to school without breakfast. In Toronto, 120,000 people visit food banks eamonth; food banks have opened at universities and even in farming communitiReports of high cholesterol and obesity in young children are constantly surfaci


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11InTROduCTIOn TO THe fIRsT edITIOn

Most of these problems cross all income levels. In the long run if everyone improvestheir diets, our populations health would improve and health care costs would fall.

Can programs like the Good Food Box make a di erence in the food, health andagricultural system? What are the issues and challenges we face? Over the years at

FoodShare we have listened to parents struggling to feed their families and learnedthat the reasons are complex. Paying for food is a problem when you dont haveenough money, unless you are a very skilled shopper and a resourceful from-scratchcook. A common myth is that a roof over your head and food in the cupboards arepeoples rst two priorities. In reality, when there is not enough money, food doesntmake it onto the list of priorities. It becomes the elastic band for all other pressures.Families pay for shelter and emergencies rst. Rent, a hydro bill or medical expensescome before food. Field trips at school or running shoes sometimes take precedenceover home cooked food, as parents want their children to belong.

Changing personal situations like cuts in welfare rates, caring for sick or agingfamily members and the rising costs of living can leave people with less money to buyfood. Some people may not have a place to cook, store or grow food. People may be illor have personal situations, which make it hard for them to get or prepare nutritiousfood. Some people have lost the opportunity to learn skills that used to be passeddown through the generations; immigration and family breakdowns are some of thereasons this happens.

We all know we should eat better. e Canada Food Guide, dietitians, e CancerSociety and e Heart and Stroke Foundation, all talk and write about improvingour diets, but e Good Food Box delivers. e increasing popularity of the GoodFood Box reinforces our own strong belief that this straightforward approach works.People who have received the Good Food Box more than 6 times report an increasedconsumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and a positive change in acknowledgingthat a healthy diet is possible even on a limited budget.

Parents and children are overwhelmed with advertising for fast foods. e foodindustry spends millions to promote processed food because that is where pro ts arehighest. We are promoting the bene ts of fresh produce, food in its most basic state,prepared and eaten at home. e newsletter gives recipes, nutritional information,stories about the history of food, explanations about where our food comes from andhow it is grown. We have developed strong relationships with local farmers and our

large volume purchases have earned us respect.

Our primary focus is to purchase food that is in season and is grown as close tohome as possible. ere are several reasons for this. Local food is generally morea ordable and money is not spent getting the food to a market hundreds of thousandsof miles away. After we nd out what is on the market we supplement the productselection to provide the variety of fruits and vegetables that we have all grown accus-


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tomed to. With experience, we get to know and trust the farmers and suppliers.also feel that food grown close to home is produced under conditions and standover which we have some measure of control. Fair labour laws, reduced pesticidand environmental standards are important to us. e Ontario government has aplan to reduce pesticide use by half by the year 2000 and encourages farmers t

environmental farm plans.

e rhythms of the Good Food Box have established themselves over the yeaOrders and payments are taken, collated, produce is ordered, food received, packand delivered. e Good Food Box is paid for in advance and delivered to a nebourhood drop-o point, which is run by a volunteer drop-o coordinator. Volunteers also help to pack the boxes. In all these ways the Good Food Box breakbarriers to getting a ordable, nutritious food. Its a simple idea that a communitytake and adapt to its own reality. Good Food Box programs have started in manyies and towns in Ontario by people who are interested in food security issues.

In October 1997, groups running Good Food Box programs across the provincgot together to discuss our similarities and di erences. We compared customer nubers, types of boxes, buying sources, newsletters and volunteer supports. It was aderful opportunity for us to meet. Our solution-oriented approaches to the problemof food insecurity are complex and integrated. Many are experimenting with growifood, providing job readiness skills to volunteers and even setting up small commity supported businesses like Niagaras Gift Baskets and FoodShares Field to TaCatering Company.

Our common ground involves the connection between growing food and eatinit, the relationship between family and the community and the interplay of healtnutrition and money. Our bottom line is that we believe that food is a cause foand celebration.

Mary Lou MorganFounder of the Good Food Box


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InTRoduCTIon To THe SeCond edITIon

I n T R o d u C T I o n T o T H e S e C o n d e d I T I o n

July 21, 2008

Much is the same, yet some things are di erent than they were in 1997 when FoodShare published the rst edition of e Good Food BoxGuide.

In Toronto, the realities that led to the development of the Good Food Box stillexist. Poor access to a ordable, healthy food for low-income communities, limitedmarket access for local farmers and promotion of pre-packaged, convenience foods bythe dominant players in our food system, all remain profound problems.

But things have changed as well.

First and foremost, the food crisis has escalated in ways that even the most pes-simistic food critics could not have predicted. Who in 1997 could have foreseen foodriots in 2008, caused by soaring food prices? World hunger aggravated by growingpoverty has resulted in increased food insecurity instead of the promised end ofhunger. Meanwhile tens of thousands of Indian farmers have committed suicide inthe past decade1 and the Farm Line2 hotline was set up to support Ontario farmersin dealing with nancial and emotional di culties, including the escalating rate offarm bankruptcies. We are also witnessing a pandemic of obesity 3 and diabetes, partlyfueled by a corporate fast food system that cares more about pro t than health.

Rising gas prices, biofuel mania, global climate change, drought, trade imbalances

and continued war have created a staggering global food crisis:

1.1 billion people go to sleep hungry every night; For the rst time in human history, the same number of people, 1.1. billion, go to

sleep over-nourished from too much of the least healthy foods4; Agriculture is increasingly economically and environmentally unsustainable.

At the same time, interest in healthy and local food has grown exponentially overthe past decade. Everyone is talking about food and the need to change the food sys-tem. Many of the practical lifestyle solutions, grassroots programs and policy propos-als promoted by FoodShare a decade ago, are now accepted as main stream solutions.Canadas food guide has changed; a healthy diet is now based on a more servings of1 Food First: A Bitter Harvest: Farmer Suicide in India, Development Report, 2007 (https://www. oodfrst.org/en/ node/1611)2 Farm Line: When You Need Someone to alk o, 2008 (http://www.the armline.ca/whoweare.html)3 Health Experts: Obesity Pandemic Loom, 2006 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14657885/)4 Gary Gardner and Brian Halwell: Over ed and Under ed, World Watch Paper, 2000 (http://www.well edworld.org/PDF/ Over ed%20and%20Under ed.pd )


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Food Box prioritizes local buying. ere could be environmental bene ts too, by working with farmers to reduce packaging and transportation and to promote sus-tainable growing practices. Since the Good Food Box does not deliver directly toindividuals but only to groups of ten or more, there are also social bene ts in termsof building community cohesion.

Government funding would reduce tensions between the needs of low-incomeconsumers and farmers, by providing funds to ensure that farmers get a fair price, while still keeping the Good Food Box price a ordable enough for low-income con-sumers.

e bene ts of the Good Food Box have only increased in the fourteen years sinceit began. Although it is a small community based program, the Good Food Box isbuilt on the principle that everyone deserves subsidized, healthy food and has greatpotential to in uence policy solutions for a myriad of food security issues.

In order to share our experience, we were delighted when the Heifer Foundationssupported us in republishing the Good Food Box Guide, one of the eight manuals we have published to share what we have learned about how to organize successfulgrassroots food programs.

e Heifer Foundations concept of passing on the gift is central to the practiceof non-pro t organizations so that others dont have to reinvent the wheel. It is nota cookie cutter model, as each communitys situation is di erent and therefore eachprogram across the country varies, sustained by the their own organizational and

nancial realities, but we hope this manual will serve as a resource for inspirationand learning.

A few years ago I participated in a panel at the Food Security Conference in Alberta, with a Registered Dietician from Community Food Connections in Medicine Hat, Alberta. She held up three manuals FoodShares Good Food Box Guide, e ABCsof Baby Food: Making Baby Food from Scratch and How Does Our Garden Grow: A Guide to Community Gardening Success. We had never met before, but she hadfound our manuals helpful in the creation of their Good Food Box, baby nutritionand gardening programs.

ough we can pass on the logistics of how we organize packing day, it is harder to

pass on our sustainability model. People always ask about how they can nance theprogram. Across the country we all struggle with the economics of operating foodprograms since there is no federal and very little provincial or local funding. We wish we could pass on the gift of a model of nancial sustainability. In our case, livingin a large city, we can access private donors, foundations and grants from the City ofToronto for the Good Food Box program.


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In the United States, the Department of Agriculture funds community-based fooprograms like the Good Food Box. When we started the Good Food Box we reca few years of Provincial funding through a partnership between the Ontario Mistry of Agriculture Food and Rural A airs and the Ministries of Education, Cmunity Services and Housing. Agriculture and Health are Federal and Provincia

issues and it is important that they are involved.

To grow the Good Food Box we need increased funding. e more boxes wetribute, the more funds needed. ose starting a program will need to nd sourof sustainable funding. In the long run, we hope government funding will be thto help. In the short term, we encourage groups to seek funding from everyonfaith-based organizations, individuals, the private sector, family foundations and thgovernment when possible.

We hope this second edition of the manual will help to increase interest in staGood Food Box programs and that readers nd it useful. Please stay in touchus as we work toward government support for food programs and as we build asustainable, equitable and just food system.

Debbie FieldExecutive Director


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of farmers from whom we purchase directly, especially for our organic boxe larger our orders are, the more feasible it is for farmers to work with

Th Phi s phy B hi th G F B

We believe that everyone deserves a ordable, healthy and sustainably prduced food. Communities should not be dependent on handouts of food, noshould handouts be necessary. In the long run, government needs to make foa right and subsidize basic foods for the entire population. In the meantimcooperative models of food distribution, like the Good Food Box, are creatto improve access and a ordability of fresh produce and to help strengthlocal farm economies.

Over the years, we have broadened our focus to look at the entire foodtem how food is produced, distributed and consumed. We see hunger

just one symptom of a food system that is geared to treating food primaria commodity. FoodShare believes that access to food is a basic human rbecause, like air or water, it is fundamental to our health and survival.the question is how to make this right a reality. Should food be subjectethe same rules of market distribution that govern, say, soap or toothpaste?should governments help to ensure that basic foods are available to everyonethe same way that the health care system in Canada provides subsidized hecare to all Canadians? We believe there is a role for not-for-pro t food distrtion mechanisms, of which the Good Food Box is one example, in helpingensure that all people have the basic human right to access food. We bethat the government should support programs like the Good Food Box

make this right a reality.

What weve come to realize is that the what and how of food accalso important and that its not just any food that were talking about. We tpromote an awareness that fresh, whole foods are key to health, well-beingdisease prevention, and to illustrate this principle through all our programs.

How people get their food is also important. Food distribution systems thinvolve communities and help to create neighborhood leaders have a grepotential to enhance individual and community empowerment, by leadingpeople to feel that they have control over this very basic part of their livour programs are based on this community building principle. Again, becauof its material, cultural and social importance, food is special in its powemobilize people to action.

e Good Food Box while subsidized by FoodShare through individuadonations, foundation and government grants aims to give its customers

Food securityexists whenall people, atall times, havephysical andeconomic accessto sufficient, safeand nutritiousfood to meet theirdietary needs andfood preferencesfor an active andhealthy life.

Food and AgricultureOrganization of theUnited Nations


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stake in the food distribution process. It is not a for-pro t enterprise, nor is itbased on charity. It is a bulk-buying club that uses public subsidy to try andcreate a positive situation for consumers in the city and for farmers, by allowingfarmers to earn better prices for their crops, while allowing consumers in thecity to pay wholesale prices. Like all of FoodShares programs, it does not dis-

tinguish between rich or poor, because we believe that everyone needs to eathealthier foods and increase their consumption of vegetables and fruit. Wehave learned from years of work in low-income communities, that people livingon a low-income dont like participating in means-tested programs.

It is obvious that the Good Food Box program cannot solve the problemsof food insecurity alone. However, we see the Good Food Box as a good start. At the very least, the box can improve peoples access to healthy food, supportfarmers, bring people together and strengthen communities. We hope it can bea conversation starter about the kind of system we want to build in which every-one has access to healthy, a ordable, local and sustainably produced food.

G F B G i i g Pri cip sStart with the food!

Food included in the Good Food Box is of the highest quality. It is gearedtowards being personally and culturally acceptable to the widest group ofpeople possible, and is selected and arranged in order to appeal to all of thesenses. Aesthetics matter. Handle the food carefully. Choose produce for col-our and variety and thoughtfully arrange the produce for maximum appeal. Abeautiful box re ects the fact that the Good Food Box is not a handout but ahigh quality product.

Improve the affordability of healthy food Customers pay for a portion of what it costs to produce the Good Food Box,

FoodShare and its various funding sources make up for the rest. Customersbene t from the cost savings of bulk buying and the time saved from this dis-tribution method. is means purchasing high quality, fresh food is within thereach of many more people than through the regular retail system.

Make the Good Food Box fun A large part of the Toronto Good Food Boxs success arises from the sheer

fun that people have receiving the box. Opening the box is a surprise eachtime, Whats in it this time? Customers have even reported that their chil-dren are more interested in and willing to eat the Good Food Box food becauseof the novel method by which it arrives.

A person whohas health hashope, and onewho has hopehas everything."

Anonymou


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Support local and organic agriculture We believe that to create a sustainable and a ordable food system we need to

in our local farmers and support sustainable farming practices. A healthy farm eomy helps to boost urban economy and helps to ensure we have access to a olocal produce. In order to support one another, city dwellers and farming commu

ities need to work towards a shared vision for food access. e Good Food Box can opportunity for customers to learn more about their local farmers and in uenthe variety of produce and how it is grown.

Make participation easy for everyoneBe aware of, and make the box meet the needs of low-income people and p

on social assistance. For example, in Toronto communities, that means requestinpayment in advance and delivering toward the end of the month, when money asupplies are running low. Families with little money for food take a risk when pain advance to purchase a Good Food Box, so quality is of utmost importance.box arrives full of wilted vegetables, this can have a severe impact on a familyfor a week and can dissuade a family from future participation. Damaged foodalso call up associations of seconds, furthering stigmatization and reducing tchance of positive word of mouth advertising an important component for succMost importantly promoting increased fresh fruit and vegetable consumption is worthy goal for people of all income levels, and the participation of diverse peothis program is a major component of its success.

Balance revenue & subsidy to achieve nancial sustainability Ideally a Good Food Box program will both improve access to fresh produc

generate the revenue necessary to cover all costs. is is rarely possible due to

nancial limitations of low-income communities, the cost of supporting volunteersand local farmers and the cost of creating educational materials. A combinationsubsidy and revenue are likely necessary.

A w i th lif f F Shar s GF B T am

Here is a description of a typical week here at our FoodShare warehouse.

e sun rises on a snowy and cold Wednesday morning. e Good Food Boteam arrives, they exchange comments on the weather, ll the co ee maker wfresh grounds and prepare for the beginning of the Good Food Box cycle. emachine chimes with orders, inboxes are lled, and the telephone rings with custers calling from living rooms and o ces. e database quickly lls with orders, wthe team meets to plan the contents for each of our seven di erent boxes.


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Here is a chart summarizing our work rhythms for the week.

Weekly Work Rhythms Chart (Based on a Good Food Box schedule of one delivery per week)

o r C st m rs: wh Ar Th y a whyd Th y P rchas a B ?Our experience leads us to believe that a typical Good Food Box customer

middle aged female, who takes on the responsibility for providing food for heand a spouse or family. ey live in Toronto and their family earnings fall beloware at the median income. ey are motivated to eat healthier and provide healfood for their families, are knowledgeable about the bene ts of supporting localculture and demand a box that contains local and/or organic produce. ey alcome from a variety of cultural backgrounds and are interested in items they ca

in their home-cooking. ey are interested in the Good Food Box because it ovalue, is convenient, and gives them a feeling they are supporting a shared visifood access.

In November 2007, a survey was distributed to Good Food Box customers ovtwo-week period. Its purpose was both to inform the content of the Good FoodManual and to help FoodShare better understand the demographics and opinions

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Staff meetingReceive pro-duceProduce ischecked for quality andsize to makesure there isenough for each uniformboxPreparationof packingsigns, printingof newslettersand contentsheets

Prepare the pack-ing assembly linesand pre-packagingstationsGreet volunteersPack boxes untilfnished

Drivers deliver boxes to coordina-torsClean upCreate truckroutes for theweek

Drivers deliver boxes to coor-dinatorsAll orders mustbe in by 12noon for thenext weekFeature veg-etable selectedbased on whatis in seasonand local

Start callingfarmers to seewhat is availablefor what pricePlan and writenewsletter Take inventoryand restockingof packagingmaterials

Create boxcontentsOrder produce


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Good Food Box customers. 354 Good Food Box households returned the survey, or24% of those surveyed. Here are several of the questions and responses that you may

nd interesting.

What are your main reasons for purchasing a Good Food Box?

Reason Responses Percent Support local farmers 304 86%

Low cost 226 64%

Helping me eat better 211 60%

Freshness 209 59%

Convenience 194 55%

Quality 187 53%

Supporting organic farmers 153 43%

Connection to my community 134 38%

Other 50 14%

Total 1,668

is reveals that the top three reasons customers purchase the Good Food Box arealso FoodShares top three program goals: to support local farmers, make food morea ordable and promote healthy eating habits. Among the reasons cited, there was alsoa high appreciation of the boxs contents; over 50% of those who responded notedthat quality, freshness and convenience were reasons for buying the box. Reasons inthe Other category included: wanting to nancially support FoodShare, wanting toreduce packaging, the surprise and variety of the box, being forced to cook more andsupporting non-GMO (genetically modi ed organism) products.

What is your favorite thing about the Good Food Box?It is local and organic (comment from customers of the Organic Good FoodBox).

e cost is low.It keeps me healthy by forcing me to eat more vegetables or cook more.

It teaches my children about nutrition. Its convenient and saves time.Its delivered to my house (in the case of some coordinators and Meals on Wheels participants).

e newsletter and the recipes, especially, are excellent.


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e volunteer drop-o coordinator is great and picking up the box provideschance to visit (one respondent said that their coordinator organized weeklypotlucks for Good Food Box customers).

e quality of the produce is high (some said higher than most stores).It supports FoodShare.

It makes me feel connected to my community. Its an exciting surprise each time. Many said its like Christmas.e variety of the box.

It forces me to try new things.

G F Mar ts, A th r Pr cdistrib ti Ch ic

Good Food Markets share the same philosophy and principals as the Good Fo

Box program. e main di erence is that instead of distributing the produce in boxthe produce is sold to community organizations to sell to their neighborhoods inform of a market. Many communities are interested in having markets but maklinkages with farmers who would nd it nancially viable to invest in the start-small markets is very challenging. For this reason the Good Food Markets haveability to ll this need. Over time patronage and popularity will increase, thus cing a potential site for a farmers market. If you are interested in learning moreGood Food Markets please inquire about FoodShares Good Food Market manual

Our research has shown that a Good Food Market customer spends on avera$7-10 each time they shop at the Good Food Market. Since the Good Food Boxbetween $12-32 per box, it may be that the Good Food Markets are a better vthan the Good Food Box for reaching lower income community members. GooFood Markets are often managed and further subsidized by community partne who also choose the produce that best suits their neighbourhoods needs.


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25

2

Ch si g G a s f r Y r Pr gramIn the beginning stages of FoodShares Good Food Box program, an advisory com-

mittee was put together with representatives from di erent sectors such as churches,farms and private businesses. A real learning process took place as each sector sharedtheir perspective. e farmers came to an understanding that the problem beingaddressed by the program was not simply about food distribution but also abouthunger and its complex causes like the lack of income, lack of access to stores, andcultural and individual attitudes about food. At the same time, the rest of the com-mittee learned about agricultural issues: how weather a ects crops, how systems anddi erent levels of distribution work and how food is graded.

As the group worked together, it realized that it had to modify its goals. Initially,the primary purpose was to set up a more direct buying relationship between theurban poor and farmers to shorten the distance between eld and table. ere wasalso the hope that seconds and other blemished produce that farmers could not sell inthe market place could be distributed at reduced costs to low-income communities. As it turned out, the early orders were on too small a scale to make it worth whilefor farmers to participate. As well, focus groups with low-income community mem-bers revealed that people were not interested in produce that did not look as good as what was available in stores. erefore, our approach shifted to purchasing vegetablesand fruits that people wanted to buy through the Ontario Food Terminal with thefuture hope of supporting local farmers once the Good Food Box program grew. As we expanded, we were able to make more direct relationships with farmers. In 2006, with just under 4,000 boxes per month, 54% of the produce FoodShare purchased was local, and 20% was purchased directly from farmers.

As the Good Food Box became more established and structured, the need for anactive Advisory Committee decreased and FoodShares sta and Board of Directorstook on this function. However, we would suggest from our experience that it is veryimportant that you establish an Advisory Committee when you start the Good FoodBox. e Committee could include representatives of low-income families, farmers,agency supporters, faith-based organizations, local politicians, business leaders andothers who might support the development of the Good Food Box in your commun-ity.

It is important to decide what the goals of your program will be before you begin.FoodShare has been able to deepen its goals because of the large number of boxes wepack (purchasing directly from farmers has become more feasible) and the increased

S T A R T I n G Y o u R

o w n G o o d F o

o d B o x P R o G R

A M

sTaRTInG YOuR OWn GOOd fOOd bOx PROGRaM

STARTInG YouR own Good Food Box PRoGRAM


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number of di erent boxes we o er (such as organic, pre-cut and portioneproduce and fruit boxes, which better serve a diverse clientele). We started wa focus on healthy, a ordable food that would be used by the widest rof cultural groups. We have since broadened our goals to include purching produce from local farmers, supporting sustainable farming practices and

increasing convenient prepared produce for aging, ailing or busy individuals We would also eventually like to work with local farmers to grow culturspeci c crops, like okra and calaloo, in order create boxes that would appevarious cultural groups. Below is a list of goals you may want to considerplanning your Good Food Box program.

Making fresh food affordable, especially for low-incomecommunities

To o er competitively priced produce, you will likely need to source produthrough high-volume, consolidated supply-chains, which o er lower prices onproduce. To meet the needs of your consumers, you may also want to otypes of produce that are used by most customers on a regular basis, evthey are not seasonal. Note that produce purchased directly from farmers cin some cases, be less expensive than through a consolidated supply chain we at FoodShare are always looking at these direct options when possible.

Promoting healthy food We o er a box of quality fruits and vegetables that improves overall hea

by encouraging the consumption of more servings of fresh vegetables and frueach day. A health focus can be enhanced if you provide nutritional informtion and recipes with your boxes. You may also want to include produce

a low glycemic index or provide organic produce known to have less chemresidues.

Supporting local farmers We do our best to prioritize local produce, putting it in the box when

it is feasible. Even in the winter, stored local items such as carrots, onionapples are available. Since the variety of produce during the winter montis very limited and the local supply of Ontario fruits, even in the summonths, is limited, FoodShare has never produced a Local Only Box. Hoever, because the demand for local produce has increased, we are discussing

idea of a local box as one of the options for customers. Keep in mind thating farmers willing to supply you with produce depends on how economicais for them to transport it to you. e larger the box program the largerorders and the greater the likelihood that local farmers will nd it nancisustainable to deliver to you.


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27sTaRTInG YOuR OWn GOOd fOOd bOx PROGRaM

Supporting organic agricultureImproving access to organic produce and supporting farmers who grow

organically is important for maintaining soil fertility and decreasing ourexposure to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic produce, however, canbe prohibitively expensive for low-income communities and therefore you may

not be able to achieve your goal of improving the a ordability of produce if youchoose to source organic. FoodShare has opted to create a separate organic box, which has di erent aims than our regular Good Food Box. ere are, however,times when organic produce is available at a comparable price to that which isconventionally grown. In these situations we would choose the organic productover the conventional one.

Offering culturally speci c fruits and vegetables You may want to target certain cultural groups by creating boxes that contain

culturally speci c fruits and vegetables, especially if these groups have barriersto accessing this type of fresh produce. Working with farms to grow cultur-ally speci c fruits and vegetables, with the assistance of someone with growingknowledge of these crops, can improve access to culturally appropriate produceand provide employment and community development opportunities.

Increase convenience of eating healthily Pre-cut produce, in portions that are measured based on the Canadian Food

Guide requirements, can help make it easier for seniors or people recoveringfrom chronic illnesses to eat more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables.

I tifyi g Y r Targ t Gr p aMa i g th Pr gram S it Th ir n s Although a Good Food Box program is based on universal access to food, thereality is that you will also be serving the needs of very speci c groups (i.e.low-income families, farmers, or busy individuals who want to eat healthier). A successful program not only requires knowledge of your target group butan understanding of what would appeal to them. Here are of some sugges-tions to help you shape your program to meet the needs of your customers:

Understand why individuals in your desired group will use the pro-gram and be e ective at promoting these bene ts (i.e. mothers inter-ested in feeding their families healthy food, individuals with a keeninterest in eating healthily). At FoodShare, we know that a largenumber of our customers are low-income, single mothers. is means we often include information on child nutrition and recipes for kid-friendly foods.

Barriers toaccessing GoodHealthy Food

InsufficientincomeAffordablegrocery retailersare inaccessibleby affordable

transportationNo access toa kitchen toprepare foodInsufficient timeto prepare foodInsufficient skillsto prepare foodFood labelsare hard to

understandand are missinginformationnecessary tomake good foodchoicesInsufficientknowledgeof nutrition,agriculture, etc,

to make goodfood choices


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Understanding the existing barriers your target group face (i.e. if many indviduals living on a low-income feel that they lose their dignity by using pgrams speci cally geared towards low-income communities, you may want tconsider a program that is accessible to everyone).

Partnering with community or private agencies who have access to andknowledge of the target group you wish to serve (i.e. churches, communitycenters, health food stores, health centers) is extremely helpful. ese agencican o er resources, advice and support, to help you reach out to new custers. Building a partnership with a local agency to further subsidize the costhe box can help make the boxes more accessible to those living on veryincomes.

Adding other related programming at pick-up locations, like soup and mealprograms, nutrition classes or wider health education campaigns, can increasthe appeal of participating in the Good Food Box. If your program has th

resources you can also consider running these programs yourself.

Th Fr sh Pr c distrib ti I strye Good Food Box is an alternative way of distributing fresh produce. Unde

standing the current trends that are a ecting this industry will help you desigprogram that achieves your objectives while being competitive in the marketplaBelow are some current trends in the fresh produce distribution industry.

Consolidation of suppliers and distributorsIn order to lower the cost of produce and maintain a competitive advantage

other grocery retailers, many grocery stores are reducing their number of supplie suppliers that they choose must be able to supply a larger amount of prod

which results in a cheaper price per unit. Large suppliers in regions with longer ging seasons are attractive for grocers and reduce the amount of sta ng the grostore must allocate to purchasing since there are less accounts to take care of.drawback is that Canadian farmers with smaller operations have di culty gettintheir products on grocery store shelves.

is type of consolidation has resulted in a monopolized food system, with feowners who each have a great deal of control over what is sold and produced.rent situation is unfair to local farmers and is one of the reasons that new coopmechanisms like the Good Food Box are so important to farmers so that theyalternative venues to sell their produce outside the current distribution system.


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ConvenienceCanadians have less time, fewer domestic skills and less of an inclination to devote

time to food related chores than previous generations. As a result there is an increaseddemand for foods that can be prepared in a short period of time. is is not a newconsumer trend, however, it has evolved over time. When convenience foods were

rst introduced, consumers were willing to accept a lower quality and poorer taste forthe ability to prepare a meal in a short period of time. But today, consumers require-ments for convenience foods are more sophisticated than the speed of preparation.Today, convenience foods must also be easy to purchase and clean up, nutritious,

avorful and of good value.

Direct marketing of local producee direct marketing of produce, a food system where fresh produce is directly

distributed from producer to consumer, can be achieved through initiatives such asU-picks, food box programs and community shared agriculture projects. e goodnews is that these types of initiatives are increasing in number in North America. Anincrease in the number and popularity of farmers markets in Canada is evidence ofthis trend.

Sustainable agricultureFarming practices that protect natural resources and support the agricultural com-

munity have become increasingly important to producers and consumers in recentyears, as concern for the environment and safeguarding our food supply rises.

C mp titiv A a ysisFoodShare mainly competes against a produce distribution system that relies on

large scale consolidated supply chains that o er low prices. e produce from thesesupply chains often ends up in large super markets, which are most often accessedby car or public transit. A number of the Good Food Box drop-o locations arein low-income neighbourhoods, far away from any grocery stores. In some cases, aconvenience store is the closest food outlet to a social housing complex where peoplelive. e Good Food Box program tries not to compete with farmers markets, farmerfood box programs or private sector organic home delivery companies that providespecial box programs to individual consumers.

What advantages does the Good Food Box have over a largesupermarket chain?

Te Good Food Box ofers:fresh and healthy foodan overall lower cost of produce (see Table 1 below)


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a large percentage of local produce, sometimes directly from farmersonly high quality producethe convenience of delivery close to homea community activity that can decrease social isolationa program that customers can feel good about supporting

newsletters and other useful resources

Large GoodFood Box item

Grocerystore #1

Source/quality

Grocerystore #2

Source /quality

Grocerystore #3

Source/quality

6 Corn* $1.49 ON/ good $ 1.20 ON/ good $1.08 ON/ verypoor

1 Bag Carrots* $1.99 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good4 lbs Potatoes* $1.99 ON/ good $ 1.71 ON/ good $1.00 ON/ good

1 Bag BarlettPears*

$3.99 ON/ good $ 4.99 ON/ good $3.99 ON/ good

1 Bag Apples* $3.99 ON/ good $3.49 ON/ good $1.99 Not local/good

1 Cantaloupe $2.49 Not local/good

$1.49 not local/good

$1.49 not local/poor

1 Pint Mushrooms* $1.99 ON/ good $1.99 ON/ good $1.49 ON/ good1 lb PlumTomatoes*

$0.99 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good $0.79 ON/ good

1 EnglishCucumber*

$1.49 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good

2 lbs Onion* $2.49 ON/ good $1.49 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good1 Bunch Broccoli* $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ good $1.29 ON/ poor 1 RomaineLettuce*

$0.99 ON/ good $0.99 ON/ good $0.69 ON/ poor

1 Bunch Bananas $1.18 Not local/good

$1.18 not local/good

$0.99 Not local/poor

Total $26.36 $23.39 $18.37Savings/box $9.36 $6.39 $1.37

Savings/year (based on 2 boxesper month)

$224.64 $153.36 $ 32.88

Table 1. Comparison of the Large Good Food Box (cost: $17) to three grocery stores.This study was completed in August of 2007.

* Locally produced


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What disadvantages are there to the Good Food Box compared toa large supermarket chain?

e Good Food Box doesnt allow the consumer to select the fruits and vege-tables they want to buy. e Good Food Box team decides on the contents of thebox based on our goals, the best prices in any given week and our knowledge of ourcustomers preferences.

e Good Food Box price can still be too expensive for some communitymembers. Families with a low income may not be able to invest $17 for a Good FoodBox and may only have $5-10 of expendable income on hand at any time. eseindividuals would bene t from a Good Food Market more than a Good Food Box orfrom a program that is supported by a local organization that can add another levelof subsidy. For example customers could pay $10 and a local church could make upfor the $7 di erence.

Due to the delivery system, the produce can lose some freshness in transitand may cause a consumer, purchasing the box for freshness and quality, to return toanother food retailer.

e Good Food Box only o ers fresh produce, therefore a consumer will stillneed to make the trip to the grocery store for packaged items, the protein of theirchoice, such as meat, cheese, sh, beans or tofu and other items to ll out their diet-ary requirements.

Mar ti g P a Th 5 PsProduct

e box should sell itself. Price and quality are the two biggest selling points of thebox, and it is impossible to prioritize one over the other because they are so closelyintertwined. A top quality box avoids arousing any negative feelings that low-incomecustomers may have about receiving second-rate goods. us the box itself is its ownbest advertisement. Aside from the actual quality and value of the box, presentation iskey to producing a perception of value. is means that the box must be packed care-fully, with the heaviest items on the bottom to avoid damage (and subsequent spoil-age), and that contents must be arranged attractively. Have an array of colours visible,place vegetables like broccoli face up and ensure that the box itself is well cleaned.

is will lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising, which is the best kind.

PriceProduce sales are our largest source of income for the Toronto Good Food Box

over $500,000 per year. Of this amount, a portion is the margin. It is calculatedusing a percentage formula in order to determine the percentage of pro t.

Margin = (Selling price Cost price) / Selling price x 100


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If youre a for-pro t business and enough sales are made, the margin shouldall expenses and include a pro t for the company. Generally the higher the mathe less goods that have to be sold. Since produce is inexpensive, a huge volsales must be made to break even.

At the retail level, a margin of 33-100% is applied to produce, depending onthe market will bear. ere are many players and steps involved in the produce suchain and each step requires nancial input. A farmer grows and harvests potatothe ton and receives approximately 6.5 cents per pound. e packing house washand puts the potatoes in a 10-pound bag and adds another 15 cents and sells i wholesale company. e wholesaler then sells the bag for $1.15 to the supermar who in turn markets that same bag of potatoes for $1.99 to $2.99. Each sectortheir margin. e food system in Canada is very e cient and power is heavilycentrated at the retail level where the largest amount of money is made. e GFood Box and other FoodShare entrepreneurial programs compete in this setting.

FoodShare aims for a 25% or greater margin, depending on the box. e marcovers the cost of delivery, a portion of the operating cost and produce. Grantsdonations cover all infrastructure costs such as rent and equipment, including saies. In 2008, a $17 Good Food Box contained $12.24 worth of produce at whoprices. is includes the produce buyers fee. Another 10 cents is assigned to covecost of replacing the recyclable boxes and 10 cents for the newsletter. e remafunds cover the cost of delivery.

It is important to cover as much of our expenses as possible, yet still haveprices to attract a low-income customer. e Good Food Box costs $17 but havalue of anywhere from $18 to $30 in a retail store. e customer saves moneythe box delivered close to home and has banked money by paying in advancaddition, the food is of excellent quality. e savings are a signi cant incentivepeople to continue buying from the program. One of the central challenges is toprices low enough that you can sell the box to people who have little money.be a good enough deal good enough to persuade them to spend scarce monfresh fruits and vegetables when there are so many other competing needs.

In a strictly business situation all costs including salaries are covered by theprice. In our case, the margin that a low-income customer can a ord to pay cacover all the costs involved and so, the Good Food Box program, despite its e c

requires external funding. Growth in customer numbers will result in a bulk buyadvantage and an economy of scale, but there is a plateau beyond which it is ve

cult to reduce costs.

e scale and complexity of a Good Food Box program in a large urban cityToronto requires both a reasonable margin and subsidies in order to keep growi While volunteers are a central part of the project, they can only be responsible


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much. For example, to use volunteers to make deliveries could result in backinjuries or legal complications over the long term. Realistically, the coordina-tion of such a large eet of volunteers would itself demand a full time pos-ition.

Placement/Delivery areaDepending on your transportation and human resources you may need torestrict the area where you can deliver the Good Food Boxes. Targeting insti-tutions with higher tra c, storage capabilities and exible delivery times willhelp to maximize the number of boxes and make it easier for delivery. If you aremotivated to make healthy fresh produce available and accessible to those oflow-income, determine the areas in your city or town that have a greater needfor this program. We decided to focus on the Greater Toronto Area.

Promotion

FlyersMaterials that speci cally target low-income people often scream poverty,because non-pro t organizations often lack the resources to produce promo-tional materials. Early research for the Good Food Box showed that whenpeople saw a rough, hand-drawn, photocopied yer, they assumed that thequality of the produce would be inferior. is can present a problem if GoodFood Box supporters decide that they want to help promote the program intheir own building and draw up their own materials. It is a good idea to pro-vide people with the necessary promotional materials, so that the image of theprogram is consistent and is associated with quality. As in corporate advertis-ing, it is generally a good idea to try to keep a consistent look in your advertis-

ing in order to build a product image. If you have to change your logo orpamphlet, try to keep as many design elements as possible the same.

Signature boxesRe-usable plastic boxes can be printed with the Good Food Box logo and

can act as advertising.

MediaPursuing the local media is an excellent way to gain publicity. e Good

Food Box has had some excellent coverage by receptive journalists; for example,local television shows such as CBCs Marketplace and on TV Ontario haveprovided a public stage to promote the program. is type of advertising is freeand has proven e ective.

However, journalists may not always be capable of seeing or portraying moresubtle messages, and they may be more inclined to portray the pathos of pov-erty than community development or empowering messages. A negative mes-

Why itsimportant tobrand your

Good Food B

Good Food Boxeswith your groupslogo can:

Distinguish

your programfrom others.Be an

advertisementfor quality.Protect your

customersand yourgroup.

Be used in

displays andto advertise

your program.Be used to

market new products.


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sage about poverty can be counterproductive, preventing new people from signing uand making existing customers feel bad about their participation. However, once yoare aware of this tendency to create a charity message, you can make sure thainput to journalists is clear and represents the program and its participants in a d

ed way. In Toronto, generally, the stories that have produced the best response

been the ones that focus on the food, not on the people involved (the latter tendilead to patronizing or embarrassing character studies).

It is true that once the media is involved with your program, you lose some coover the message. At the same time, even if what they do with your messageeverything you might hope for, you may still derive bene t from the coverage, simby getting your name known and tucked away in peoples heads for later reawaing. Repeating the same message over and over eventually gets the message outmakes an impression on the public.

Before trying to attract media attention, make sure that you have the systemplace to deal with the response, which can be overwhelming create an intakebe prepared to answer all calls, know how to connect individuals to existing drop-(if you intend to do this).

Buying ads in mainstream papers is usually too expensive. ere is, howevermultitude of local community papers and newsletters (e.g. environmental organiza-tions, churches, service clubs and residents associations) that will print a small afor you or include a pamphlet in their mailings.

Community presentationsGood Food Box sta have done countless presentations to community groups th

have expressed an interest in the program. Now that the program is better known,are responding to presentation requests more often, rather than asking communitieif we can present to them. A community, it seems, is more likely to have a suGood Food Box drop-o location when they already have a heightened interestis ready to commit time and energy into improving food access. Outreach canlot of work, but it is worth talking to any group that asks. ough it may conothing in the short term, often the group will reappear just as you are on theof forgetting you ever talked to them.

To gain acceptance for the Good Food Box, it is often a good idea to prom

through an agency who is already o ering programming for example mumstots groups or a seniors community centre and is therefore trusted by commity members. In Toronto, promoting the program through welfare workers has n worked for us, perhaps because this point of contact is simply too far removedthe actual organizing process in the community or perhaps because of the negafeelings associated with this particular environment.


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If you have a box ready-made, you can take it along and ra e it o at the presenta-tion. Creating a sample box, if you dont have one around from a recent delivery, canbe problematic. It costs a lot of money to do on a regular basis, is di cult to lug tothe meeting on public transit and can create the expectation that people will get theexact box that they saw at the meeting. Its better if people make a leap of faith and

are then pleasantly surprised when they see their rst box.

Social marketing and the 5th P

Social marketing is based on using either a product or advertisements to in uencebehavioral change. While the Good Food Box is a product, it also embodies the hopethat people will change their attitude and behavior when it comes to their relation-ship with food. e Good Food Box has the ability to create behavior change inseveral ways by encouraging the participants to do the following:

To consume a greater amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. To spend more time cooking at home and to use a wider variety of producethanks to added recipes.To learn to use and choose locally grown produce.To learn and use organically grown produce.To engage in discussions around food related issues with community members.To participate in food related events (e.g. pot-lucks) with other Good Food Boxcustomers.

Policy Another component of social marketing is to create behavioural change by work-

ing with various levels of government to create policies that will help you achieveyour goals. For example, giving a food allowance to the citizens of a city, province ornation that could only be used at farmers markets or registered programs would pro-mote direct farm to customer transactions. is would increase the incentive to pur-chase local produce, thereby helping to restore a viable farming sector and improvethe availability of produce for low-income communities

Ma ag m t Str ct re Good Food Box needs a strong non-pro t organization to operate the program

or needs a strong organization that agrees to be the contractual partner and host. A host organization can help by o ering in-kind sta time, such as fundraising orbookkeeping support or by providing infrastructure (e.g. photocopier, fax machine,space).


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Currently, our Good Food Box program operates as one part of a larger freshduce distribution operation, which runs three programs: the Good Food Box, Freproduce (delivery to schools and other agencies) and Good Food Markets. e magement structure is as follows.

Stag s f e pa sie following is a description of the stages of expansion that FoodShares Go

Food Box went through to get to its current size. An increase in human labouequipment were necessary at various key points in order to facilitate expansOngoing evaluation, revision and improvement of systems apply throughout.

40 boxes per month

Small rental truck or equivalentComputer and printer for the newsletterSmall donated space, boxes packed by sta in the basement of FoodSharebanana boxes in the third week of the month

Produce purchased by professional produce buyer at the Ontario Food Terminal, picked up and brought to FoodShare by our driverSimple newsletterBoxes delivered by sta member in a rented truck Promotional material preparedNo lunch provided for volunteersPresentations were made to small groups of interested people

Good Food Program Manager

Good Food Program Coordinator

Fresh ProduceProject Coordinator

Lead driver

Volunteer and CustomerService Coordinator

Warehouse Assistant

Volunteer Drop-of Coordinators Packing Day Volunteers

Youth Interns

Drivers


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200 boxes per month

Packed by sta in a warehouse loaned by North York Harvest (a food bank)Sta time spent getting enough banana boxes in which to pack produceProduce purchased by professional produce buyer at the Ontario Food Ter-

minalProduced received on a loading dock and transferred by skid into the ware-houseProduce delivered by sta member using rented van and dolly Bread and cold cuts for volunteer lunchesPostcards designed and used for promotionPublic speaking opportunities with small groupsFinancial books were done by volunteer, four days a month

600 boxes per month

Moved to warehouse loaned to us by the City for two days a monthCustomers asked for a smaller box, so the $12 small Good Food Box was cre-atedPurchased knives and digital and hanging scalesContinued building a regular volunteer work force, mix of incomes and life-stylesProduce purchased at the Ontario Food terminal and occasionally directlyfrom a farmer Wooden loading dock, uneven oors, great funky atmosphere

Boxes moved down old wooden tables as they were packed Beginning of composting fruit and vegetable waste, separation of cardboardfrom other recyclablesCustomers asked for re-usable boxesImprovement of newsletterMore forethought about lunches prepared by sta personTwo trucks needed, a refrigerated 16-foot cube van donated, and onerentedDrivers were paid compensationPurchased pump trucks, dollies and a portable computer

1,000 boxes per month

Moved to permanent warehouse at 200 Eastern Ave. provided by the City, with three phone linesSta purchased produce, picked it up and delivered it to the warehouseSet up a roller system to make box packing easier


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Had a packaging station and cupboard full of bags and elasticsInstalled refrigeration for produceFormalized recycling of all wasteFinancial books done by FoodShare sta Set up a database using Microsoft Access program to manage coordina

dataSmall extended cargo van purchased with a grant from the City Regular volunteer lunches made by the new Field to Table Catering prograt FoodShare


Customers asked us for deliveries twice a month because of welfare cutsTested several boxes: Caribbean, Basic and Mom-to-be (all later discotinued)Full-time bookkeeper hired for FoodShare, accounts created for each drop-ositeNew training program took over preparation of volunteer lunchesTwo drivers on sta , casual drivers and helpers paidSwitched to professional buyer at the Ontario Food Terminal, produce deliered at no extra chargeMore produce purchased directly from local farms and delivered in binsUnwritten policies discussed by sta and were formally recordedStarted working on volunteer drop-o coordinators manualCoordinators meetings helped to provide input for the manual


Steady group of volunteers came in on a regular basis; notable change inunteer mix, more low-income individuals participating, that needed the GoodFood Box given to them at the end of the dayPacking done each week 4 full time drivers hiredEstablished Fresh Produce program, bulk produce delivered to schools for stdent nutrition programsGood Food Market program startedSet up arrangement with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health(CAMH) Vocational Rehabilitation Association for weekly washing of boxesExperimented with Wellness Box (still being distributed) and Dry Goods B(discontinued)


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We moved into a larger space (an under-utilized high school, operated by theToronto District School Board) We purchased a forkliftCreated a database program for ordering using Microsoft Access (improvedordering accuracy and our ability to record the history of produce sourcing)

Increased direct farm relationships and produce sourcing

Packing location

Having access to a warehouse space where the boxes can be packed is necessary.is can be in the form of a church basement, community centre room or any public

space that can be donated for this purpose. As the program expands the amount ofspace and resources required will also grow. Currently, FoodShare occupies a 7,000square feet warehouse with a 1,000 square feet walk-in cooler and two loading bays,and uses a forklift.

Trucks and deliveries

Developing an e ective delivery system is important to maximize resources. Food-Shares drop-o locations are organized based on three things: the day the coordin-ators receive deliveries, geographical areas and desired times of delivery (in our case we try to only o er morning or afternoon deliveries although there are special cases). A driver who has a good knowledge of your city would be an ideal candidate to helporganize the routes.

Re-usable boxes

e signature green boxes that FoodShare packs its produce into help to reduce waste, make the program look more professional and help to ensure that there areboxes ready to use each packing day (previously, it was challenging to nd enoughcardboard boxes to pack with).

e drawbacks to using the boxes are that coordinators must return them to thedriver each week and that they must be washed prior to every use. Because of thevolume of boxes we currently distribute, an e ective inventory system needs to beestablished to help us track down missing boxes and encourage the return of theseboxes. Coupled with damage over time, replacement boxes must be purchased everyfew years.

Staff

Sta ng costs are the single greatest expense of our Good Food Box program; yet,they are absolutely vital for this program to succeed. With the size of the Toronto


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Good Food Box program, it would be di cult to nd volunteers with enough tiand incentive to do the work of distributing just under 4,000 boxes per mo Another reason is that paid sta provide greater continuity. From the customers pof view, consistency is important and gives them con dence in the program. Whquality of service is an important focus, it also helps to have sta accountability

Systems and software

As the Good Food Box increased in operation size, it became clear that cussoftware was needed to keep track of the distribution and payment system. BaMacMaster, a Good Food Box drop-o coordinator, who is also a freelancegrammer, designed program-speci c software for us. After consulting with the GoFood Box sta , Barry produced a standalone database application based on Micros Access.

e database solved a number of problems that the Good Food Box program hbeen experiencing. As the number of customers grew, it was no longer possible toord orders and tabulate bills on paper, and sta were spending an inordinate amof time trying to keep track of all the records. Furthermore, the system was becoless intuitive and relied on certain sta members memory and special knowledgthe process. e database supported a system that could easily be taught to newand allowed the data management workload to be shared.

Ultimately, the database provides the following functions:

It keeps track of the addresses and contact information of volunteer drop-o

coordinators.It allows each order to be entered digitally and calculates bills for volundrop-o coordinators. Each drop-o has an account and payments can beentered as they are sent in.It generates potential routes for drivers by grouping together nearby drop-olocations.It allows data to be accessed from a number of di erent computer terminalsFoodShare, because it is run on the organizations server network.

As the program evolves, Barry continues to adapt the database to our needs. Wit may not be necessary for small Good Food Box programs to develop custom ware, it is likely that some form of a database be set up for record keeping.


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Fi a cia P a A combination of subsidy and revenue are likely to be necessary to cover all costs

of running a Good Food Box program. Other than the high cost of salaries, non-

traditional costs also require signi cant sta time and resources. Some of these non-traditional costs are listed below.

Volunteer support and development: providing lunches, supporting groups asthey form neighborhood drop-o locations, facilitating volunteer training andorganizing volunteer appreciation activities and events.Dissemination of information to the community and customers: writing anddistributing newsletters, holding education and training workshops.Environmentally sound and socially just practices: reducing packaging, com-posting, buying locally, respecting boycotts while ensuring that you are notburdening low-income people with an untenable level of nancial responsibil-

ity for these concerns.Dissemination of information to other organizations: helping researchers,addressing groups, writing educational material and sharing success stories with other communities.Political action: lobbying policy-makers, supporting or organizing events thatinvolve and educate the public around hunger, poverty, the environment andcollective action.

ese types of activities are usually not re ected in a business plan, but they arevital for an operation like the Good Food Box. Collective bulk buying power, e -ciency and a small margin have taken us part of the way to nancial sustainability,but for a program aiming to reach large numbers of low-income people, fundraising,volunteers and agency partnerships are key to continued survival.

FoodShares Good Food Box program has developed over time so that customerspay for the food that goes into the box, the box itself and the delivery. e overheadcosts are covered by external funding from private donations, grants, volunteer sup-port and in-kind donations of sta and materials. Diversifying our funding sourceshas made the program less vulnerable to cuts or reductions from any one source.

Customers seem to accept the community-business dynamic. ey feel that they

can demand a certain level of service, while still understanding that there are otherelements to the program that make it unlike a conventional retail business. e con-tents of the box are the same for everyone. is helps create e ciency by minimizing waste and creating an economy of scale. An ordinary business might avoid limitingconsumer choice or asking consumers to pay for a box of unknown contents.


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In our situation, the margin that a low-income customer can a ord to pay cancover all the costs involved in operating the Good Food Box.

Funding and fundraising

If you plan to cover wages, you have to think about getting not just funding,funding that is stable and ongoing. e Good Food Box receives funding from FooShares direct mail campaigns (i.e. from individual donors). is can be expensiinitially but may be a fundraising method worth exploring. Youll have to takeaccount that direct mail is complex and it takes time to gather momentum. FoShare supports the Good Food Box program with resources such as an accounand lawyer, the organizations credit rating, money for capital purposes and maothers.

FoodShare has found that the Good Food Box is a program that donors respto well. Individual donors, government and foundations respond to the innovativ way that the Good Food Box helps struggling families get by, strengthens commities and helps people access healthy food. Donors are happy to see money usedvery concrete, positive and proactive solution to hunger. is has allowed us to rmoney speci cally for the program.

Even still, some donors may be reluctant to support a program that is not exclufor low-income groups. But our experience tells us that many low-income commities are discouraged from participating in programs that are stigmatizing; one wayensure that the program is inclusive is to make it universally accessible. is manyone can participate, regardless of their income level. ere are very strong rea

for maintaining the programs universality. ough studies show that higher incomegroups tend to eat more healthily, they still fall well short of the recommendedto ten servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Also, mixed neighborhood dropsites can encourage bonds of community across various income levels.

Governments, foundations and in-kind funding

Our advice is to seek funding at all levels of government, starting with thegovernment, moving up to the province and if possible, the federal government.for in-kind support from them whenever you can. e food industry is also a natalliance, but their support will most likely take the form of letting you buy whofrom them, allowing you to use their space for packing or letting you return eproduce. It is also useful to build partnerships with local businesses, foundationsindividual donors. As long as you dont have to compromise your program, lookther than just your traditional political allies.


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When making decisions about allocating time and e ort to fundraising, Food-Share sta keep in mind that it can be a lot of trouble to raise a small amount ofmoney (e.g. bake sales, special events such as concerts or dances, or tracking downsmall in-kind donations of equipment). It is often more worthwhile to put the timeinto planning strategically for large donations, creating innovative partnerships or

nding volunteers who have the talent to help.

Private sector food retail funders

Many of the Good Food Box programs outside of Toronto have approached privatesector food retailers for support (e.g. wholesale ordering, space, etc.). You may won-der, or they may ask, why they should give you support when you are only going toenter into competition with them. Some will support the project out of community-mindedness and others will need persuasion.

Traditionally, retailers have had little interest in lo

Documents

The Good Food Box Manual: How to Start a Progam in Your City