Great Plains Food Bank CI Report – Interim

What has been most instrumental to your progress?

Throughout the past year, two specific components of our work became essential. First and foremost, we had originally identified “Collective Impact (CI)” as the social change model that would best suit this process. Taking a deep dive into CI illustrated that it had limitations and in order to effectively engage cross-sector collaborators, flexibility outside of the constraints of that model was crucial. Knowing that this work is ambiguous meant also feeling confident in not following a prescribed path, model, or plan. We explored multiple models and ultimately decided that a hybrid model, determined by the needs of the individuals we were engaging and the culture of our area would be most effective. The ability to change our course, be nimble in how we identify our collective goals, and ensure that we’re actively listening to build solutions (instead of simply moving ahead) was a crucial, underlying component of our work this year.

Additionally, the importance and value of relationship-building has been a primary intentionality over the course of the past year. Upon launching our work at the Intersection of Hunger & Health, we had commitments and interest from a variety of key leaders in our target communities (Traill and Cass/Clay counties). Through consistent communication, one-on-one meetings, and community meetings, we’ve been able to build our credibility as innovators and collaborators ready to effect systems change. This has been made possible by taking care to build relationships laterally and vertically within organizations. Rather than simply engaging with the single individual who has committed to partnership, we’re finding ways to bridge our goals with other departments and disciplines within those organizations. This integrated relationship building has tied our organizations together and has allowed for deeper conversations and the sparking of new, yet uncharted innovations.

Key lessons learned

We’ve always known that trust is necessary to launching new work. As a statewide organization, headquartered in Fargo, we are seen as an outsider in many rural communities & building that trust has been a barrier. Particularly in Traill County, comprised of small, rural communities wedged between 2 urban centers (Fargo & Grand Forks), sentiments of mistrust of those from urban communities run strong. In some cases, this is also rooted in a deep sense of privacy. Unpacking this local culture and recognizing its importance, is necessary to systemic social change. In order to truly engage with these communities, we must spend a lot of time dedicated to simply being consistently visible. We learned that our physical presence is much more important than any completed strategic work at this stage in the process. Our relationships prior to launching this work were less personal, but have since deepened which has allowed the work to move forward. In Cass/Clay, where we are physically located, this same level of trust building wasn’t necessary. It was inherent in the fact that we’ve been in existence for nearly 4 decades & community organizations readily identify our history and work.

One of the challenges we’ve faced in Cass and Clay counties that straddle a state border, is ensuring equity in representation across the two county region. For example, Sanford Health, an invaluable healthcare partner of ours, has greater autonomy and deeper engagement on the ND side. Whereas, Essentia Health, another important healthcare partner of ours, has deeper engagement on the MN side, but less autonomy in our region due to a smaller presence and fewer clinics on the Western side of the state of MN. Ensuring that that all partner voices are equitably represented and engaged has been a competitive process at times.

Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving

We’ve seen the greatest outcomes when we focus on the element of inclusivity. As an organization, we’ve worked diligently to lift up the voices of those impacted by hunger. During Hunger in North Dakota 2018, we had the opportunity to gather insights from clients of the charitable feeding network. Keeping those clients & their realities at the center of our purpose for pursuing innovation at the intersection of hunger and health has been an essential focus. When working with healthcare professionals, social service providers, and other community professionals with varying levels of patient/client interaction, keeping our focus on improving food security & health outcomes of individuals has been an absolute necessity. Moving forward, we hope to add depth to the process of generating solutions by further highlighting the voices of those with lived experience.

Additionally, by engaging community partners like school counselors, transportation professionals, and funders who aren’t directly serving individuals facing hunger or health conditions, we’ve been able to broaden our understanding of the tangential barriers individuals & families are facing.

Other key elements of Community Innovation

Solution mindedness. In every conversation we’ve had, people innately jump to action and solutions. As soon as they understand the landscape, background and challenges their intuition drives them to want to fix it. Part of our process is to slow down and take the time to honor the journey to get to solutions and not immediately jump to conclusions and solutions; yet it’s important not to side step human nature and honor their dedication and passion to overcome the issue. We have allowed small pilot projects to start as a way to garner more public support, keep partners engaged and to demonstrate that our investment in the community is real and not short term. Too often ideas get left behind or outside organizations gather input but never follow through to the implementation phase. We are being very intentional in our community work and mindful of the community’s culture.

Understanding the problem

We know that individuals facing hunger are disproportionately affected by chronic disease, whether that disease is obviously linked to nutrition or not. Through our work so far, we’ve been able to identify how hunger affects the health outcomes of more specific populations. For example, obesity is one of the most significant markers of childhood hunger. Kids that have limited access to food are likely to consume calorie dense, low nutrition foods in larger quantities. For seniors facing hunger, the co-occurrence of chronic conditions often exacerbates each individual condition. There is often a delicate balance of nutrition, medical intervention, and access to care management that is required for improvement of food security. By identifying the unique needs of each population & opening a dialogue about commonly uncomfortable subjects (like obesity and behavioral health conditions), we’ve been able to clarify the need in a more targeted way.

We have also identified how “access” is driven by patient/client needs rather than the logistics determined by any one organization. This has allowed us to focus our dialogue on getting food to families in new, nontraditional ways.

If you could do it all over again…

To be ready, willing, and open to accept opportunities as they arise, not necessarily only when we are ready to take them on. This work can feel ambiguous, muddy and out of order at times, which is uncomfortable for staff and flies in the face of our strategic plan. The more comfortable we can get with “non-process” and staying nimble and adaptable – the more we as an organization can be open to something truly spectacular and innovative. We need to remind ourselves to get out of our own way and step aside to let ideas and new solutions emerge