Letter: On Member Engagement – Gratitude & Collective Action

Dear FRP-BC Members & Supporters, 

FRP-BC has undertaken several forms of member engagement over the past couple of years including our Food Justice Listening Campaign, conferences, post-event surveys, ongoing member visits, and most recently at our AGM community engagement session in late September. In this session, we asked members, “What can we be working on provincially to support resilience in the sector?” and “What role might member organizations play in supporting these acts?”.  We have taken some time to summarize your invaluable insights from this session, reflect and consider how much of the cumulative feedback we have and continue to hear will continue to guide our work.   

Key Themes from Our Ongoing Community Engagement: 

1. Awareness & Advocacy: A strong focus on raising the public profile of FRPs and their preventative work, and building capacity for collective advocacy around shared goals, such as fair pay, staff benefits & better funding practices. 

2. Connection & Collaboration: Interest in building stronger networks through continuing our Community of Practice, further virtual and in-person networking opportunities, highlighting impactful initiatives, and asynchronous ways for FRP staff, management, and boards to connect & share data. 

3. Supporting Training & Professional Development: Training opportunities centering  leadership reconciliation and Indigenization work, and ongoing skill-building for staff and boards. 

4. Sector Support & Research: Emphasis on resources for storytelling FRPs’ intentional, impactful, and justice-focused approach alongside collating & conducting province-wide impact research that highlights FRPs’ effectiveness and unique role in communities. 

What We’re Already Working On: 

• Meaningful Trainings & Connections: We’re continuing seasonal Communities of Practice and resuming member calls to share and discuss critical sector topics. 

• Resource Hub Improvements: Website updates are underway to enhance navigation and spotlight our growing Resource Hub. 

• Advocacy & Research Initiatives: We’re actively working on avenues for supporting equitable wage advocacy, building relationships with MLAs, and investigating impact research opportunities. 

• Strategic Planning: Tuning up our current strategy, with plans for a member-engaged process to create a new strategic plan in 2026. 

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts with us. We remain committed to listening, reflecting, and taking action. Your feedback has already informed meaningful work, and we’re excited to share more in the coming months. FRP-BC remains a small but mighty team committed to supporting the collective power of our provincial network to drive meaningful change. Thank you for staying engaged in this important work and stay tuned for more updates and involvement opportunities as we move forward! 

With Care & Gratitude, 

Tara & Delanie 

Provincial Director & Engagement Lead