Community voice
By Tamela Luce, MPA Senior Program Officer HealthSpark Foundation, Colmar, PA Working at a foundation, I ask lots of questions. How does this service improve your clients’ lives? Why do you administer the program this way? How can we work together to enhance the entire system? My questions further my understanding of how things currently operate and gently encourage others to think about how to serve people more efficiently and effectively.
In 2015, I wrestled with this question: How can I get a group of unconnected service providers, with a range of resources and capacities, to come together regularly, learn how to improve their operations and begin to function as a system?” The answer, in part, was through the careful use of language to help establish buy-in and create a long-lasting network. I should back up. I am the Senior Program Officer for HealthSpark Foundation which uses a population health lens to improve the overall health and wellbeing of residents in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. We work in three areas: health, housing/homelessness prevention and food security/nutrition. Since 2011, I have led HealthSpark’s efforts to advance the county’s emergency food system, comprised primarily of approximately 50 food pantries. Our pantries vary from small, all-volunteer run organizations in church basements to programs embedded within larger social service nonprofits with paid staff. HealthSpark’s vision is that all Montgomery County residents have access to healthy, nutritious food and we work toward that vision through the goal of strengthening the food safety net to reduce hunger in the county. As one of the wealthiest counties in the commonwealth, Montgomery County’s struggles with hunger are often masked. Most recent figures indicate 10% the population (81,000 citizens) is food insecure[1], meaning they do not get enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life. Many turn to pantries to help fill personal larders. Our emergency food providers are run by some of the most dedicated people you will ever meet. And many have been managing their pantry for 5, 10, 20 years and more. However, back in 2015, they were mostly disconnected from each other; there was no real “system” in place. To bring forth HealthSpark’s vision and goal, I knew we needed to build a countywide pantry network and establish an arena for ongoing learning. People have long convened to learn from one another. Known by many names – communities of practice, learning collaboratives, learning circles – collective learning has been prevalent in public health for many years and, more recently, in the nonprofit sector. Oftentimes, these learning collectives come together via internal champions and occasionally because of external stakeholders, including funders like HealthSpark. I spoke with several pantry managers about whether a venue for pantries to collectively learn from one another would be helpful. Interest was there, but could we create a group that would have longevity? We needed someone to direct the group and I was lucky enough to find a meeting planner/facilitator who also had years of experience working in emergency food in the region. Next, we needed buy-in from our pantries. I wanted this group to be by and for the providers, so we dubbed it the Pantry Peer Learning Circle (PLC). Unlike previous learning and technical assistance groups I had run that relied on outside experts to educate participants, discussions at PLC meetings were designed from the start to mine both challenges and solutions from pantry peers. Using the term “circle” communicates inclusion and a feeling of community (though we must be careful that the group does not become a “closed” circle that excludes potential participants). A planning committee of mostly pantry managers formed to brainstorm potential topics. This added layer of participation further created buy-in, especially as the facilitator and I developed meetings around their ideas. Even in the beginning, I carefully selected the language used in my emails about the PLC; organizations are invited attend their Peer Learning Circle to discuss topics they identified as being important to them and their colleagues. The PLC meets 4-5 times per year for a half-day. Our first convening in June 2015 was successful, but I didn’t know if the group would gel. We kept at it, and at our most recent meeting in September 2016 I saw pantry managers, staff and volunteers, many now loyal attendees, talking with others they didn’t know a year ago as if they were old friends. I overheard people following up on things others had said at previous meetings: “What was that client tracking software you use?” “How are you training volunteers?” “Where do you get your milk from?” On December 2nd, we will host our 7th PLC meeting. This one will focus on using data to improve operations. It won’t be as popular as September’s meeting on fundraising, but we will still get our core participants who will talk with their peers and take back ideas and tools to use in their own pantries. We have a long way to go to reach our vision of ensuring all Montgomery County residents have access to healthy, nutritious food. However, the Pantry Peer Learning Circle is helping these organizations, though the careful use of language, establish a network that will provide them with countless opportunities to learn from each other and ultimately improve the capacity of the county’s emerging emergency food system to better feed those in need. [1] Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2014 data |
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March 2017
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