Q&A with Brenda Moore, Chair of the Board, The Food Sharing Project

Q: How long have you been involved with The Food Sharing Project, and what positions have you held?

A: I have been involved with The Food Sharing Project for over 25 years, serving as the chair for most of that time. My involvement began when I was a teacher and continued through my career as a principal and into retirement. I saw firsthand how food insecurity affected students’ ability to learn and behave.

Q: Have you been involved with other not-for-profit organizations?

A: While I haven’t volunteered with other not-for-profits, my contract work since retirement has been with organizations like the United Way, Loving Spoonful, and Lionhearts. Currently, I’m doing project management work with A Great Start for Families. My involvement in philanthropy really started with my exposure to The Food Sharing Project. As a teacher, I saw firsthand how food insecurity affected students’ ability to learn and behave. Initially, I hoped that the need would decrease, but unfortunately, it has only grown. Food providers like us wish we were no longer needed, but the reality is that we are more necessary than ever.

Q: Are you involved in lobbying government for support?

A: Yes, I am involved in advocating for government support. Over the years, we’ve had to evolve from quietly providing services, to involving all levels of government. We’ve been supported by Kingston City Council and provincially through the Student Nutrition program. We also advocated for the National School Food Program.

Q: How do you see your role as chair evolving?

A: The story of The Food Sharing is that we are always growing, expanding, and changing what we do to be in the best position to meet the needs of children and youth in our community. As the demand has grown in schools, we have responded with more food and equipment to support that need. When COVID-19 closed schools, we figured out how to do home delivery of food boxes because that’s where the kids were. Our Board members are passionate about supporting their needs based on a strong foundation of fiscal responsibility, and our donors and volunteers are also willing to step up and support the initiatives that our staff can make happen. My role is to harness all of that will, empower others to believe we can do it through collaboration. Nothing at The Food Sharing Project happens because of one person; it’s the passion of the collective that makes it successful.

Q: How do you think women’s leadership influences the direction and impact of charitable giving?

A: Women bring their passion, their empathy, their talents, and their dedication to strengthen our community. Women are very busy people who juggle their families and careers along with a strong sense of social responsibility. When they give their time, they have to know it will have an impact. When organizations can demonstrate that, women will be there to support as best they can.

Q: Can you tell us about any new initiatives or programs that The Food Sharing Project is launching?

A: We’re excited to be launching a pilot project using funding from the National School Food Program. This initiative involves delivering meals to schools at no cost to families, starting with a small group of seven schools. We’re using a commercial kitchen generously provided by The Construction Workers Union LiUNA Local 183 to prepare meals like wraps and sandwiches (pictured above). We have two vendors, A Great Lakes Kitchen and Otter Creek Kitchen, working with us as well. We are starting with one meal a week to figure out best practices. The goal is to eventually provide universal access to meals in every school in KFL&A as the funding increases. We are so grateful to Local 183 for helping us get the pilot project off the ground. Samples went out to schools last week and were very well received!

Families have already started ordering the free lunches in our pilot schools. The National School Food Program aims to provide universal access to meals at school. Our pilot project is a step towards achieving this goal by offering meals to students at no cost, with the hope of expanding the program as funding increases. We envision this program growing over the next five years as part of the federal initiative. As we refine our processes and receive more funding, we plan to expand the number of meals provided and increase the number of schools participating.

Q: What are your long-term plans for meal preparation and delivery?

A: While we are currently using the commercial kitchen, our long-term goal is to utilize underused high school cafeterias. These facilities have been idle since the pandemic, and the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board are already working on getting them back into service for us. We hope to be in some of them this fall as they could become ideal spaces for meal preparation, allowing us to integrate more closely with the schools we serve. They could be a hub for meal preparation, providing opportunities for high-school students to work with us as volunteers, or to support instructional programs, with delivery to nearby elementary schools. By using school cafeterias, we can create a more sustainable and integrated model for meal delivery. It will also help us build stronger partnerships with local schools and enhance our ability to respond to community needs effectively.

Q: How does the National School Food Program support your vision for universal meal access?

A: School Coordinators tell us that many students say that the best food they have all day is at school. Knowing that, we have been working on providing more robust food to schools, but teachers and educational assistants cannot add meal prep to their very full workload. In order to get meals into schools, it requires offsite meal prep, and that requires funding at the level of what is coming through the National School Food Program. However, it alone isn’t enough. It’s going to take an increase in provincial funding and more community partners and donors to get universal access to meals in every school.

Q: Would you encourage others to get involved at the board level for not-for-profits?

A: Absolutely. Being on a board is fulfilling and contributes to community well-being. Everyone has the capacity to be a philanthropist by giving time, treasure, or talent.

Q: How do you see your legacy with The Food Sharing Project?

A: Our updated vision is that in five years, every student in KFL&A will have the best opportunity to reach their full potential by ensuring no child experiences hunger at school. This is ambitious, but achievable with continued support and collaboration. In a community where one in three households experienced food insecurity in 2023, I will be very proud of the work of the FSP board, staff, and volunteers, and my contribution when that comes true. I hope my legacy will be that The Food Sharing Project can take bold action in response to the needs of students.