Valuing People
Explore Our Work:
Lived and Living Experience Advisory Group (LLEAG)
The Lived and Living Experience Advisory Group (LLEAG) is comprised of people with Lived Expertise of food insecurity. While Food First NL provides support, LLEAG Members set their own priorities and goals. They use their lived expertise to advocate for effective policies and to inform program/policy development. Their insights are critical for grounding decision-making in experience.
Tina (top) and Hailey (bottom), in the CBC studio for an episode of The Signal.
2025 Highlights
Building ownership and confidence through advocacy and internal processes. LLEAG refined their focus to two strategic areas: increasing incomes and challenging corporate profits and power. Members also created internal processes for orientation and consensus decision-making.
Inserting Lived Expertise at local, provincial, and national scales. LLEAG advised on city equity programs, met with provincial politicians, joined collectives with major organizations, and presented at a conference on a Basic Income Guarantee
Advocating for meaningful action during the federal and provincial elections. They created robust policy recommendations, added questions to CBC’s Provincial Leadership debate, wrote a community-endorsed open letter to party leadership, and more
By the Numbers
14
all-hands LLEAG Meetings
2
in-depth meetings with NDP and PC leadership
Conversations with representatives from
all 3 provincial parties
“LLEAG has felt like a safe and warm place to belong and something proud for me to be a part of it. It has proven to me that the kindest people are often struggling the most and it is them who often offer the most help and compassion.
I believe that lived experience is the most important part because nobody knows better what a person needs than the person who is experiencing it, we just all need the voice to say it.
I feel honored about the work we’ve done so far, we have spoken and people have heard us, that alone creates change and we all have the power to do it.”
LLEAG Members joined an episode of The Signal with representatives from all three major Provincial Parties.
Sharing Our Gratitude
Madi, for providing brilliant backbone support and showing up for LLEAG since day one
Samantha, for joining as staff support this year. Her insights, reflections, and care are invaluable and bring so much to the team. We are so lucky to have her.
Learn More
CBC Radio’s The Signal: A forum on cost of living, food insecurity, and poverty reduction (October 7, 2025)
LLEAG’s provincial elections advocacy page.
Building Our Team With Tenacity and Care
Last year featured growth, changes, and challenges in equal measure for Food First NL. At the same time, our team’s care and respect for each other and our communities remained a solid foundation.
Here are four themes that defined 2025:
1.
Returning to in-person work. While we still have a hybrid work model, we enjoyed spending more time with staff, community, and partners in person in 2025. We hosted and attended so many events, meetings, market days, and gatherings. We took a lot of inspiration from being together in real life again.
2.
Navigating uncertainty. Last year, many nonprofits struggled to find funding to keep desperately needed programs and staff. Food First NL was no exception. In early 2025, we had to focus hard on diversifying our funding. Thankfully, we were successful and now have several multi-year partnerships built.
3.
Building organizational capacity. In June, we introduced a new organizational chart with a new manager, new positions, and promotions. These changes feel like a big turning point for Food First NL, especially for ensuring long-term capacity to advance our social enterprise work.
4.
Sustaining a Living Wage for all staff. Our commitment to paying staff a living wage feels especially critical during this time of financial challenge. Every year, we adjust staff salaries based on the new regional living wage data; data collection that we helped revive in 2023 and rely on today.
2025 Team Highlights
Making our St. John’s office come to life. Our staff did puzzles together, shared laughter and meals, and worked to make our space welcoming and joyful.
Connecting with the lively and creative community at 62 Broadway, the Western Food Hub’s new location.
Gathering for our annual staff retreat at the Tree of Life, where we spent time in nature, and reflected on how to stay true to our organizational culture as we grow.
Welcoming Meghan, Vicki, Charlotte, Jay, and Felicia to our team long-term and Mark as a summer intern. We’ve employed more than 80 people since we began in 1998!
Celebrating Rasheed’s time with us as he moved on to a new adventure. He was a huge part of the Western NL Food Hub, and we still miss his warmth, thoughtfulness, and smile.
