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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Guiding Principles for the Nelson Community Food Centre reflect the values and beliefs of the staff and Board of Directors that underlie the operation of the Nelson Food Cupboard.  The following statements serve as a reference for setting priorities and as a basis from which we can plan and evaluate Nelson Food Cupboard initiatives.

  1. We believe that access to nutritious food is a basic and fundamental human right. We understand that a healthy diet supports people’s physical health and mental well-being. We strive to offer high quality food in all our programs, and respect people’s dietary restrictions wherever possible.
  2. The Nelson Food Cupboard’s programs are designed to support low-income community members. We acknowledge there is value in bringing people from various socio-economic backgrounds together and creating those opportunities with the needs of the low-income population foremost in mind.
  3. The Nelson Food Cupboard provides broad range of programs to meet people where they are at – from emergency situations to being able to participate in programs that have the potential to make deeper changes in their lives. We strive to offer consistent and reliable programs that our community members can depend on.
  4. The staff and Board of Directors treat each other, volunteers, community partners and the people we support with dignity and respect. We value and recognize each individual’s unique contribution of knowledge and ability.  We are committed to treating all persons fairly and maintaining credibility by matching actions with words.  We value diversity and respect confidentiality.
  5. We demonstrate caring, integrity and accountability in our daily activities.
  6. We believe in the power of community and recognize that we can accomplish more through partnerships than can be accomplished alone.
  7. We operate under the basic belief that a team approach to problem solving is in the best interest of all parties involved. We believe that collectively we can arrive at the best solution to any situation.
  1. We strive to advocate on behalf of our community members around issues of poverty reduction, food security and social justice.
  1. We understand that for our community to be food secure we need to support local farmers and food producers and aim to do so whenever financially possible.
  1. We believe that gathering together to grow, prepare and eat food builds community, which is particularly important for people suffering from social isolation.