Our New Strategic Plan

A New Year Means New Goals at The Foodbank

By Mary Beringer, Grant Writer

As we all look into the new year and think about the goals we have set for ourselves, the team at The Foodbank, Inc. is thinking even further into the future- we’re thinking about the next five years. 2023 marks the beginning of The Foodbank’s new five-year strategic plan. Parts of the plan are still taking shape, but the big ideas are locked in.

Our new mission is “eliminating hunger and its root causes”, which represents our devotion to doing the work that will not just feed the people in our lines, but also shorten and someday get rid of the lines entirely. There are three strategic initiatives folded in under this root cause work:

1. Advocacy
2. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
3. Re-Entry

These will be the focal points of our new mission efforts. To us, advocacy means speaking up for those whose voices so often go unheard. We will campaign on a local, state, and national level to see that the needs of our neighbors are met. Everyone’s voice deserves to be respected, and everyone should have what they need to survive.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, or EDI, is a cornerstone of our work. We always put “equity” first, because once things are equitable, diversity and inclusion tend to naturally fall into place. Where “equality” means everyone receives the same thing, “equity” means everyone receives whatever they need to get to the same place. The distinction between these two concepts is important to us, as everyone’s degree of need is different. The terms “diversity” and “inclusion” speak to our desire to have all different kinds of people represented and included at all levels of the decision-making process. We believe everyone deserves a seat at the table when it comes to our work.

Re-Entry is not something you see in every strategic plan, but it’s very important to The Foodbank. 45% of our current staff have previously crossed paths with the justice system. We’ve explored in a previous blog how incarceration can often lead to food insecurity, especially because it can be so difficult to find jobs paying a livable wage upon re-entering the general population. These difficulties can impact not just individuals, but entire families. That is why The Foodbank is making a commitment to hiring previously incarcerated individuals and paying all our employees a living wage. Keep your eyes peeled for a full blog later this year, all about our Re-Entry work!

Everything we do at The Foodbank is in service of our mission: eliminating hunger and its root causes. We’re all excited to keep that mission in mind as we enter this new era of our organization. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we can accomplish great things if we work together.