Is your organization looking for a way to build relationships and create community while getting a sense of how your shoppers feel accessing food from your food shelf?
FFEN’s Engaging Community Voice in Food Shelf Decision Making Pilot is an opportunity for food shelves to test FFEN’s new shopper voice tools created to build trust and increase engagement between shoppers and their food shelves. Our goal is to provide and refine tools that make it easier for food shelf leaders to center their work around the experience people have when accessing food.
Participants will have the opportunity to test one of four tools, and the new shopper voice handbook. The pilot group will offer feedback on shaping the final version of the tools and have their food shelf’s pilot experience highlighted in a case study other food shelves can look to for guidance.
This is the second pilot round and it will build on knowledge gained in the first round which took place in spring of 2024. The pilot for this round will start in October, 2024 and will finish no later than January, 2025.
Pilot additional details
- 5-7 organizations will be invited to participate in pilots starting in October, 2024.
- Food shelves of all sizes, demographics, and locations (urban and rural) from across Minnesota are encouraged to apply.
- Selected food shelves will have input on the timeframe in which tools are piloted.
- Funding is available for piloting of select tool(s).
- Pilot participants will receive support from FFEN for the duration of the pilot.
Participation expectations
- Collaborate with FFEN to determine tools to pilot.
- Actively participate in the creation of agendas and/or facilitation guides for selected tools.
- Collaborate in the planning, execution, and follow up of tool(s) throughout the duration of the pilot timeframe.
- Interact with a selection of reflective questions meant to challenge assumptions, overcome mental barriers, and spark new, community- centered avenues to decision making.
- Willingness to challenge the status quo of your operation’s decision making.
- Encourage buy-in from other organizational decision makers.
- Include shoppers from all relevant demographics in event pilots whenever possible.
- This includes a commitment to providing translators, childcare, and transportation when possible
- Participate in post-pilot evaluation and feedback.
- Act as a case study for future food shelves implementing shopper voice tools.
Key dates
- Thursday, September 5: Interest form opens
- October 2024 : Initial screening and planning conversations with FFEN staff
- October 2024: First Pilot Round Begins
- November 2024: Second PIlot Round Begins
- December 2024: Third Pilot Round Begins
How to apply
Time to apply is limited and we want to hear from you! To get started, simply fill out the interest form here. FFEN will schedule a screening call with food shelves who have expressed interest.
Questions?
Don’t hesitate to reach out! Contact programs@ffen.org.
Thank you to our funders!
This project is made possible by a Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for Prevention grant.
