REQUEST FOR DIRECTION

File # 1850
1850--01
Report To: Mayor and Council
From: Corporate Officer
Presenter: Bonnie McCue
Subject: Administration Report No. 0008/22
Fee For Service Grant Request - NEAT Nourish Program
Options: "THAT, it be recommended to Council that Council approves the
request from NEAT for a Fee for Service Grant in the amount of
$50,000 per year for 2022, 2023 and 2024,
AND THAT, Council direct staff to draft a three year fee for
service agreement with NEAT for the Nourish Program that
includes a funding and reporting component,
AND FURTHER THAT, Base Budget Grants Policy No. 105/20 be
updated to include NEAT Nourish program as an organization
identified as a fee for service grant recipient in the policy and
included in the annual Base Budget."

Or

"THAT, it be recommended to Council that Council approves the

request from NEAT to enter into a Fee for Service Grant in the
amount of $$XXX
XXX (insert amount) per year for 2022, 2023 and
2024,
AND THAT, Council direct staff to draft a three year fee for
service agreement with NEAT for the Nourish Program that
includes a funding and reporting component,
AND FURTHER THAT, Base Budget Grants Policy No. 105/20 be
updated to include NEAT Nourish program as an organization
identified in the policy and included in the annual Base
Budget."

Or

"THAT, it be recommended to Council that Council receives the

request from NEAT for a Fee for Service Grant in the amount of
$50,000 per year for 2022, 2023 and 2024,
 AND THAT, additional information be requested from NEAT,
including a business plan and clear deliverables for the Nourish
program."

Or

"THAT, it be recommended to Council that Council regretfully

decline the request from NEAT to enter into a Fee for Service
Agreement at this time."
Meeting: Committee of the Whole
Meeting Date: 14 Feb 2022
CAO'S COMMENTS:

Staff are seeking Council direction on entering into a fee for service agreement with NEAT
to provide funding for the Nourish Program for a three
three--year term at the requested amount
of $50,000 per year.

DEFINE THE TOPIC:

KEY INFORMATION:

To receive Council direction on entering into a fee for service agreement with NEAT to
provide funding for the Nourish Program for a three
three--year term at the requested amount
of $50,000 per year.

RELEVANT OBSERVATIONS:
Under the City's Base Budget Grants Policy, the 'fee for service' category is described as a
service that is provided to the community which falls within the realm of a municipal
service. The grant represents the City's contribution towards the group.
NEAT has requested that the City considers an agreement to support ongoing operations of
the NOURISH program for the next three years valued at $50,000 per year.

In 2021 Council awarded NEAT a $30,000 Base Budget Grant for the Nourish program.

NEAT works with the Salvation Army to support food insecure residents through their food
rescue program. The program was started in 2019 and employs three staff members (1 full
time and 2 part time). Nourish goals centre around the prioritization of local food resources
for human consumption and diverting organics from local landfills. By September of the
past year, Nourish had received more than 22,000 lbs of food from local supermarkets and
over 500 lbs from local gardeners, diverting more that 20 tonnes of quality food from landfill
and prioritized for human consumption.

The services and benefits that the program offers are captured within Council's strategic
goals. Council's strategic goal no. 2 is to "demonstrate leadership in environmental
responsibility through sustainable and effective practice for municipal operations".
Strategic objective 2.3 supports the long
long--term and secure access to affordable fresh and
healthy food for the community, and strategic objective 2.4 supports demonstrating
innovative and sustainable strategies to divert solid waste from landfills. Council strategic
goal no. 5 to "continue to invest in community social, cultural and recreational assets and
programs to provide an inclusive, vibrant livable Fort St. John" recognizes that key
services such as waste management and access to clean water are provided by the
municipality and acknowledges that social services improve the quality of life of our
residents.

The Official Community Plan (OCP) defines Community Food Security as a state that
"exists when all community residents obtain a safe, personally acceptable, nutritious diet
through a sustainable food system that maximizes health choices, community selfself--
reliance and equal access for everyone" (Bellow and Hamm, 2002). Section 8.9 of the OCP
is dedicated to Urban Agriculture and Community Food Security, this includes the strategy
to work with the community to advocate a food rescue operation that sees
unwanted/unused food go to those who need it. Other sections of the OCP supported by this
request include guiding principles to value partnerships and being environmentally
sustainable.

The Social and Economic Development Framework also covers aspects of this initiative. An
action area identified within the Services for Vulnerable People and Families section is to
"Enhance access to 'basic needs' and services for low
low--income people and families".

The City currently lists the following organizations under Fee for Service Grants in Base
Budget Grants Policy No. 105/20:
Š North Peace Historical Society
Society-- operation of the Fort St. John North Peace Museum
Š North Peace Restorative Justice Society - provision of a restorative justice program

Š Fort St. John Public Library Association -contribution towards the provision of public
library services in the City of Fort St. John.
Š Tourism Fort St. John Board - contribution towards increasing and enhancing

tourism in the City

Š Fort St. John Arts Council - contribution towards the ArtsPost operations.
The North Peace Restorative Justice Society did not re re--apply for grant funding for 2022 due
to limited operations and subsequently this Society will be dissolving in 2022. If Council
proceeds with direction to enter into a fee for service agreement with NEAT they would be
added to the policy.

The NOURISH program 2022 projected budget is $150,000, including wages for the Food
Security Coordinator, staffing, supplies and maintenance. The request from the City is a
commitment of $50,000 annually for three years. $50,000 is approximately 34% of the
NOURISH annual budget.

If necessary the 2022 operating budget will be adjusted in accordance with Council's
direction.
COMPLIANCE WITH STRATEGIC GOALS:

Goal No. 2 - Demonstrate leadership in environmental responsibility through

sustainable and effective practices for municipal operations.

Goal No. 5 - Continue to invest in community social, cultural and recreational assets
and programs to provide an inclusive, vibrant, livable Fort St. John.

COMPLIANCE WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Does Council support the adoption of a three
three--year fee for service for the NOURISH program,
offered by NEAT, for an annual amount of $50,000?

Does the NOURISH program support the City's strategies and policy objectives?

Are there specific measures that Council would like to see included in a fee
fee--for
for--service
agreement with NEAT for the Nourish program?

DETERMINED DESIRED OUTCOMES (If the essential question is answered)

KEY RESULT: Key results of supporting this request for funding through a fee for service
grant would be partnering to support waste reduction and promoting food security for
residents through the NOURISH initiative.

UNINTENDED OUTCOMES: Overall grant funding provided by the City is limited, and
requires consideration of the broad community needs.

DEPARTMENTS CONSULTED ON THIS REPORT to achieve the key results (pros and cons)

Economic Development
Community Services
Corporate Administration

Attachments:
NOURISH Grant Request - Fee for Service
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
Bonnie McCue, Corporate Officer
23 Jan 2022
September 24, 2021

PURPOSE
NEAT respectfully requests that the City of Fort St John consider an agreement to support
ongoing operations of NOURISH for the next three years (2022-2025) valued at
$50,000/year.

BACKGROUND
The Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT) is proud to have the opportunity to
work with the Salvation Army to support food insecure residents through NOURISH, a
locally designed and delivered food rescue program.

NOURISH started in 2019, as an extension of our annual Community Can, and operates
through a dynamic and supportive partnership with the Salvation Army Food Bank. There
are three (1FT and 2PT) dedicated NOURISH staff who receive perishable food donations
from local grocery stores and sort them into three categories: food fit for fresh distribution,
food fit for human consumption that requires processing (baking, canning, freezing, etc), or
compost/feedstock which is available to local farms.

IMPACT
With generous support from the City of Fort St John, Amanda’s No Frills, Home Hardware,
and others, NOURISH received more than 22,000lbs of food from local supermarkets and
more than 500lbs from local gardeners this year1. Of this, 10,500lbs2 were distributed
fresh, and almost 5,000lbs were canned, frozen, or preserved before being distributed
through the food bank. Altogether, more than 20 tonnes of quality food were diverted from
landfill and prioritized for human consumption in the second year of the program.

While NOURISH’s goals centre around the prioritization of local food resources for human
consumption and working to maximize dignity through all of our activities, there are also
some important environmental impacts resulting from the diversion of organics from local
landfills; organics diverted during NOURISH’s second year saved the equivalent of 100
tonnes3 of GHG emissions.

1 NOURISH started in September 2019. Year 2 is from October 2020 to September 2021.
2 See Appendix 1 for a month by month breakdown of food received and diverted
3 This does not include all of the packaging that is removed during the sorting process and recycled.

Northern Environmental 250-785-6328 10421-100 St.

Action Team www.neat.ca Fort St John, V1J 3Z3
 •Prioritize human consumption for rescued food
•Meals and canning are all homemade
•Focus on preserving human dignity
Social •Provided baked goods for all Christmas Hampers
•Supporting community events through catering (BC Winter Games, Salvation Army Staff
appreciation, Pumpkin Plunge, Soup Stock etc.)

•Provide free healthy meals and/or food staples

•Employs 3 local persons
Economic •Reduces waste disposal costs for supporting grocery stores
•Creating a line of products for purchase to support the program
•Value of GHG emissions prevented is $5,000 (at 2022 rate of $50mt)

•Reduce landfill destined organics

•Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Environmental •Preserve space within local landfill
•Reuse

PROGRAM PLANS
Demand for food supports locally continue to rise; the Food Bank served 894 individuals in
August, a substantial increase over July. NOURISH is uniquely positioned to provide a value
added service to the traditional food rescue, to support the supply of nutritious food
staples available for food bank clients, and to reduce the environmental impacts of organics
in landfills.

NOURISH operates with three dedicated staff and a shared coordinator. The majority of
food utilized in our operations are donated, but there are still supply purchases that are
required to complete and package meals. We are very grateful for the generosity of Home
Hardware who donated all of the canning jars.

Over the next year, NOURISH hopes to increase the volume of perishable food donations
from local food stores and the general public, and build practical and proactive
partnerships around food skills, food literacy, and nutrition. The continuing COVID-19
pandemic has impacted many of these plans, providing opportunities and challenge for
outreach and education within the community; the last 18-months have been hard on
everyone.

Northern Environmental 250-785-6328 10421-100 St.

Action Team www.neat.ca Fort St John, V1J 3Z3
NEAT and by extension, NOURISH are working to create opportunities for revenue
generation that, in turn, will be reinvested into program operations. We are developing a
catering service and have created a series of products that are available for sale at the
Fireweed Market. These efforts are gaining traction, however, still leave considerable room
in the budget for additional support.

THE BUDGET
NOURISH will enter the 2022 fiscal year with a projected budget of $150,000. This includes
wages for the Food Security Coordinator, staffing, and supplies and maintenance.

Donations 500
Fee For Service 10,000
Grants 155,000
Total Revenue $165,500

Advertising 500
Insurance 1,500
Admin & Overhead 15,000
Office Expenses & Repairs 5,500
Professional Development 600
Supplies 15,000
Staff Appreciation 400
Website 500
Wages 126,500
Total Expenses $165,500

We appreciate the opportunity to submit this proposal and look forward to building a
NEAT future with you.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Mason-Bennett
Executive Director

Northern Environmental 250-785-6328 10421-100 St.

Action Team www.neat.ca Fort St John, V1J 3Z3
Northern Environmental 250-785-6328 10421-100 St.
Action Team www.neat.ca Fort St John, V1J 3Z3
Appendix 1: Year 2 Diversion By Month

Garden
Month Total Lbs Fresh NOURISH Rescue GHG

Oct-20 2,405.0 1,218.5 476.0 10.8

Nov-20 1,501.0 1,155.0 400.5 6.8

Dec-20 974.5 713.0 261.5 4.4

Jan-21 1,813.0 826.0 531.5 8.2

Feb-21 1,315.0 889.0 494.0 5.9

Mar-21 2,363.5 1,231.5 603.5 10.6

Apr-21 1,979.0 979.0 505.5 8.9

May-21 1,806.0 782.5 407.5 8.1

Jun-21 2,034.0 953.0 437.0 226.0 9.2

Jul-21 2,728.2 635.5 657.5 174.0 12.3

Aug-21 1,838.8 1,170.0 363.0 136.9 8.3

Sep-21 1,548.0 7.0

22,306.00 10,553.00 5,137.50 536.90 100.38

Northern Environmental 250-785-6328 10421-100 St.

Action Team www.neat.ca Fort St John, V1J 3Z3