Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Vermont Foodbank

Photo of mulitple hands forming a heartSince 2018, Vermont Foodbank has been on a journey to become a more inclusive and diverse organization that centers equity in everything we do. These efforts are ever-evolving as we build our awareness and competencies around systems of oppression that disproportionately impact people from marginalized groups. We still have work to do, but here are a few examples of what we’ve done so far:

  • We are building staff skills for inclusive meetings, communication, and collaboration.
  • We have prioritized learning opportunities that deepen our understanding of (1) the unearned privileges that disproportionately benefit some groups at the expense of others, and (2) systems of oppression that disproportionately disadvantage people from marginalized groups.
  • We expanded our leadership team to include non-executive staff, with the goals of including more diverse viewpoints and establishing participatory decision-making practices.
  • We founded a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team to resource our organization for an ever-deepening commitment to equity.
  • We restructured some internal functions (HR, IT, and Administration, for example) to better serve equitable outcomes.
  • We are learning to attribute our logo, the bird and the corn kernel, to its Indigenous meanings and origins.
  • We are learning to apply an equity lens to all aspects of our work including employee compensation, hiring, marketing, program design and service delivery (just to name a few).

If you’d like to connect with us about our journey, past and future, you can contact us at info@vtfoodbank.org.

Our Commitment for How We Do Our Work

Guiding our work are shared commitments; provided below are some of those commitments that inform how we live into our mission and strategic direction, including our goals, strategies, and accountability.

At the Vermont Foodbank, we believe that anti-hunger work is only possible with a commitment to removing barriers caused by systems of oppression – such as racism and classism – that perpetuate hunger and poverty. We recognize that systemic injustice and bias disproportionately impact some identities more than others.

Vermont Foodbank is actively working to center equity, the fair treatment of all people, in everything we do so that everyone in Vermont has access to nourishing food that reflects and values cultural differences. To that end, we commit to listening and supporting solutions to hunger that are sourced from people and communities with lived/living experience of hunger and poverty, and to responding where inequities exist. We also commit to taking great care to cultivate internal culture and practices that support diversity, inclusion, and shared power.

The Vermont Foodbank understands that systems of racism and oppression are at the root of inequities in health, hunger, and economic opportunity, and disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in this country and in Vermont. To remember the countless victims of hate crimes, police violence and human rights violations, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and all racial justice movements, we commit to:

  • Educate ourselves deeply about anti-racism, especially within the food system.
  • Center racial justice in all our work.
  • Listen to and amplify voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our community and nationwide.
  • Partner with groups and organizations working on racial justice and serving Black and brown communities.
  • Ensure the safety and comfort of marginalized communities in our distribution models.
  • Change our internal systems and structures to dismantle systemic racism.
  • Hold space to do this work authentically, and not for public praise.
  • Broaden the circle and expand the conversation in Vermont around racism.

Resources

There are so many resources available. Here are a few that were part of our learning journey: