A key part of Right To Food’s work is pushing for change to federal income supports, because food insecurity will only be tackled when we can lift people out of poverty. We do this work by building capacity for advocacy at the community level, and through national campaigns. These campaigns advocate for social policies that will bring us closer to realizing the right to food for all.
Over the last two years, we’ve focused on supporting the advocacy work of smaller community food organizations by establishing six Regional Networks. The networks collectively comprise over 450 of our partners in the community food sector.
Within our sector, this coordinated approach to galvanizing nationwide advocacy is rare. “I think it’s brilliant,” says Coral McMahan from The Table CFC, who coordinates the Ontario Regional Network. “With the project as a whole being federally focused, it makes sense because we’re trying to create the same messaging across the country.”
To grow grassroots capacity, the regional coordinators build relationships with local community food organizations. Right To Food’s Poverty Action Unit (PAU) provides crucial support, including toolkits to support campaigns. The toolkits include resources such as templates for letters to MPs. As Coral stresses, “So many organizations, even ones that have dedicated advocacy staff, are saying, ‘We wouldn’t be able to do this at all if that toolkit didn’t exist.’”
Locally, Coral has noticed “an increase in confidence to participate in campaigns, whether that’s staff, volunteers, or participants.” She’s also seeing more organizations getting their communities involved in campaigns.
The work is making an impact at the federal level, too. Right To Food has partnered with Disability Without Poverty (DWP) for several years on campaigns to get the federal government to fulfill its promise to create the Canada Disability Benefit. The benefit began rolling out a few months ago, and while it falls short in many ways—the amount is inadequate and it’s hard to access—it’s an important first step.
The Canada Disability Benefit win shows that committed collaboration over the long term can drive systemic change. “Change came because organizations like Right To Food did the slow, patient work alongside us,” says DWP’s National Director Rabia Khedr. “Our partnership shows what’s possible when we treat food and income as rights.”
