The right to culturally relevant food: Meet Pastor Vivian of Bethel Outreach Community Services
April 8, 2026
Pastor Nwakaego V. Etuka, founder and executive director of Bethel Outreach Community Services.
By 2021, Pastor Nwakaego V. Etuka had been volunteering at food banks in Brampton, Ontario, for over 20 years. But Pastor Vivian, as she’s widely known, knew something was missing: culturally relevant food choices for the local Afro-Caribbean community. So she established Bethel Outreach Community Services (BOCS), a proud member of our Good Food Organization network.
As BOCS’ founding executive director and a self-described “food security and sovereignty crusader,” her aim was clear: build a model that enables her community to access culturally familiar food. This food is essential, Pastor Vivian stresses. “It’s a part of your history, it’s a part of you. Your cultural food gives you comfort and a sense of belonging.”
Last year, BOCS served culturally relevant food to 21,320 people, of whom 85% are Afro-Caribbean. On school days, BOCS also supports 100 elementary school students with a delicious Afro-Caribbean hot lunch.
As a Good Food Organization, BOCS has access to Right To Food’s grant opportunities. Since 2021, BOCS has successfully applied for several grants to further its work. Last year, Pastor Vivian was thrilled when we funded BOCS across two years to deliver FoodFit. This program helps people make simple, sustainable changes to improve their health and well-being. BOCS runs FoodFit for local seniors, many of them Afro-Caribbean, adapting the curriculum to ensure it’s culturally relevant.
Boxes of plantains, bought via one of BOCS’ procurement partnerships
The right to culturally relevant food
For Pastor Vivian, the right to food is synonymous with access to culturally relevant food. This is consistent with a belief that drives her work with BOCS: Your health and future shouldn’t depend on your income, race, or immigration status.
When volunteering at food banks in the past, Pastor Vivian saw people from African backgrounds receiving food that was unfamiliar to them. “They put the food back because they don’t know how to cook it. They don’t know what it is.”
“So, everybody should be able to access food that’s culturally relevant to them, that respects their culture and health needs, and gives them dignity,” she declares. “That is what I mean when I say food is a human right.”
A hands-on leader
As Pastor Vivian speaks to us from the BOCS office, voices can be heard from BOCS’ warehouse, where food is being packed for serving that afternoon. It’s a reminder of the practical realities of the work of BOCS and all community food organizations.
These practical realities influence Pastor Vivian’s hands-on approach to leadership: “I lead by example. I lead with a heart of service. I lead by being very involved with my community. All eyes must be on the same prize, and all hands must be on deck to achieve that prize.”
Ever the hands-on leader, Pastor Vivian personally adapts Afro-Caribbean recipes to customize the FoodFit curriculum for the seniors in her community. Among her recipes is a salt-reduced version of ackee and saltfish, in which she substitutes tilapia for the saltfish.
Pastor Vivian and Logistics & Delivery Coordinator Benjamin Anene unpack plantains in BOCS’ warehouse.
Pastor Vivian will speak at the Food Summit
We’re excited that Pastor Vivian will be speaking at our Food Summit conference later this month. She’ll discuss how BOCS designs and delivers its food programs with cultural relevance top of mind.
Pastor Vivian is especially keen to discuss BOCS’ procurement strategies. “The high price of culturally relevant food for our community is saddening,” she says. That’s why BOCS establishes procurement partnerships that make buying items like plantains and rice much more affordable.
Pastor Vivian will appear at the session “Nourishing change: Anti-oppressive facilitation in food skills programming” on Tuesday, April 28.
