Organizing and Activism

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Fariha Raisa, Feedback Labs | March 15, 2023 Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit organization that serves as a link between a network of food donors and distribution organizations working to reduce food waste and hunger in food-insecure communities. They aim to strike a balance between serving people efficiently and serving individuals or families that are harder to reach. With limited staff and resources, this process is complex but fills a gap that otherwise may not be met. Consequently, to find the right balance, they are creating feedback mechanisms to listen to the partner distribution network and the communities that they serve. As an organization, they are revisiting what equity means in the delivery of services to reduce food insecurity. Second Helpings hosted a LabStorm at Feedback+Atlanta, which engaged attendees in real-time problem-solving and dialogue about honest feedback amid power dynamics. Using feedback as a catalyst for collaboration and process changes, discussions included incorporating constituent feedback in determining outcome measures for equity. The discussion emphasized: Equitable distribution of food resources. Participants emphasized the helpfulness of demographic breakdown of the recipients as a way to have more clarity while approaching equitable models to distribute food resources. Instead of relying on census data, initiating own surveys was encouraged. However, because demographic data can be invasive for those seeking assistance or food resources, attendees proposed the idea of selecting partner agencies that are representative and reflective of the communities they are serving. This will allow the room for informed decisions without depending on the exact data of the people being served. Honest feedback amid power imbalance. To build trust with the community, participants recommended that Second Helpings identify key organizations that can serve as champions. These champions could connect agencies with the target audience and gather feedback from other constituents based on that relationship-building model. Furthermore, understanding customer needs by individual locations could provide insight into what the clients are choosing and what they are not choosing. These data would then inform the type of resources that the organizations are low on as well as what they are not low on. Lastly, being open and transparent about the decision-making processes so clients can understand how decisions are made that affect them can facilitate an open feedback environment. Using constituent feedback to catalyze collaboration. The idea for a block party was proposed to get people in the immediate community to participate in organizational events. Second Helpings Atlanta was encouraged to move the needle as a whole on the food security sector through networking and collaboration events. Since there is a lack of structure and process in food relief regarding collaboration, feedback data could be used to inform the network as a whole. As the discussion came to a close, presenters from Second Helpings Atlanta reflected on the key takeaways. They emphasized looking into more ways to bring groups of people together and hear the voices of those at the heart of the organization’s work. The network should expand beyond just food rescue and ask bigger questions to connect with others doing adjacent work. This will create the opportunity to brainstorm and be intentional about consistently checking in with those Second Helpings Atlanta serves. Learn More About LabStorms LabStorms are collaborative problem-solving sessions designed to help organizations tackle feedback-related challenges or share what’s working well in their practice. Presenters leave the experience with honest, actionable feedback and suggestions to improve their feedback processes and tools. To learn more about participating in a virtual LabStorm, please visit feedbacklabs.org/labstorms.

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