Meet the Team

Alison Bennett

Program Coordinator

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021? 

   My favourite part of 2021 was building a team that conquers everything thrown our way.

   The helpline began the year with two staff that worked closely with the Local Wellness Collective and we are ending with a close-knit team of six. 

   Our team is compassionate, empathetic, and determined. They make each call with an open-mind and heart so our clients are able to find food support in a stigma-free environment. 

   Everyone is supportive, whether it is supporting clients going through a tough time or supporting each other through difficult calls. 
   

2. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   The “biggest problem” I see through my work are many systemic issues working against/with each other. This “problem” has created a very difficult situation for thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who find themselves living in poverty. Through my work, I hear people that say they are unable to live the way they want due to low income, unstable housing, high electricity bills, high transportation costs, high food costs, and more. There are very few resources for people to help ‘get themselves out of poverty’, and individuals are expected to ‘figure it out themselves’ when there is nothing to support them. I’d like to open people’s eyes to what is really happening in our province, show that folks are struggling, and reveal the flaws in the system that has been created.
   

3. What brought you to food systems work?

   During the third year of my undergraduate degree, I took a Community Nutrition course and did an assignment about Food First NL’s Our Food NL project. The project taught me about food security, cultural food availability, and food accessibility. In my final year, I did two independent studies and one senior seminar which focused on food security and agriculture and Indigenous food insecurity. I was on track to become a dietitian, but had a greater appreciation for food justice. A few months after graduating, I found myself as an intern with Food First NL through a youth employment opportunity with CCNL, starting as a program assistant. 

Suzanne Hawkins

Program Coordinator

1. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   I’d like to see an end to the pervasive and unhelpful myth that people who experience food insecurity need to learn better budgeting and food skills. Food insecurity—the struggle to afford food—isn’t an education problem. It’s an income problem. Poverty is the root cause of food insecurity, so ending food insecurity means ending poverty.

2. What brought you to food systems work?

   My background is in research and advocacy related to poverty, gender, and work. Food insecurity crosses all of these. For example, poverty causes food insecurity, women and gender diverse people disproportionately experience food insecurity, and there’s a strong connection between food insecurity and precarious work. So food insecurity is often the first indication that policies in these areas aren’t working and need to change. That’s what brought me to food systems work.

3. What are the things you’d like to see happen at Food First NL in 2022?

   Since 2020, we’ve been working towards making Food First NL a more equitable place to work. We’ve been doing this through our monthly equity learning and changes to our HR policies. I would like to see this work continue—equity, fairness, and accountability across all Food First NL policies and projects.

Madi Gregory

Program Assistant

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021? 

   My favourite part of my work in 2021 was beginning my work term with Food First NL and then being offered the opportunity to remain a member of the organization as a part of the Community Food Helpline team. Working with the helpline team has truly opened my eyes to the social injustices that exist in our province and food systems in general. I greatly enjoy listening to client messages of gratitude and appreciation for the services provided by the Community Food Helpline, as it reminds me of the true importance of the work done by all of us here at Food First NL.
   

2. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   The biggest problem I see in the food system through my experience with Food First NL is the frightening number of people in our province who do not have access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food to meet their dietary preferences and live a healthy life. The inflated food prices due to the additional costs of importing food to an island are extremely unfortunate for the population of Newfoundland and Labrador. To combat this, I hope to eventually see either a universal basic income implemented to support all people of our province, or more local products shelved in grocery stores to avoid the inflated costs of importing food to an island. 
   

3. What’s the best part of working at Food First NL?

   For me, there is no single best part of working at Food First NL. The staff are terrific, and the work pursued by the organization is invaluable. Working with like-minded, passionate individuals has been incredibly motivating, and seeing their motivation for each and every one of their projects has been beyond inspiring. Social justice has always been a passion of mine, and working with Food First NL has only solidified this passion for me. Imagine being given the opportunity everyday to be a voice for those who need it most - it is rewarding to say the least!

Katie Oldford

Program Assistant

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021? 

   I enjoyed getting to work directly with clients on the Community Food Helpline and getting to know their stories. 
   

2. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   It’s difficult to understand the extent of the problem of food insecurity when you’re not working in it every day, so the biggest challenge I see is figuring out how to make sure that the work I am doing on an individual level contributes to large-scale change in the food system. Right now, interventions like the Community Food Helpline are vital, but I would like to see broad systems change that increases access to healthy, affordable food. 
   

3. What’s the best part of working at Food First NL?

   The Community Food Helpline team!

Pam Anstey

Program Assistant

1. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   Because of working on the Community Food Helpline, it is all too clear that food insecurity has become ubiquitous, and current support systems are inadequate to meet the ever-increasing need. For me, this highlights the vital urgency to push towards a universal basic income for all.

Punit Choubey

Program Assistant

This year, I started my journey with Food first NL working at Western NL Food Hub project. We received many purchases from consumers, and I spent much of my time reconciling them.

1. What’s the biggest problem you see in the food system through your work that you’d like to fix?

   In my opinion, unnecessary wastage of food is the biggest concern. We see so many people in our daily life dispose and discard the food which they cook more than what they need and later throw them in the garbage. Contrarily, many people cannot afford twice the meal a day. If we can minimize the food we waste, we can increase the opportunity of that food to be consumed by others who are in dire need. In 2022, I would love to see people’s behavioral changes in this regard. I want people to show the intent and compassion towards others by using food as one of the finite resources as they treat money.

Ashton Lane

Finance Manager

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021? 

   There were many changes and challenges in 2021 that pushed the team to critically look at our role within the larger food system. Since the onset of the pandemic, many projects have changed and new programs have emerged. I’m particularly proud of the way our team adapted to these ever-changing demands and roles. All the while, keeping a critical eye on what this could mean for the organization going forward. There have been a lot of lessons learned, both personally and organizationally, that will help us as a team bring Food First NL to a new exciting phase in the following years. This growth and change have been my favourite part of 2021. 
   

2. What’s the best part of working at Food First NL?

   If I’m being honest, there’s really not one thing that’s the ‘best’. First, it would have to be the people that I get to work with every day. Honestly, you would be hardpressed to find a more dedicated and passionate team. We’re not a ‘quiet’ team and everyone has a strong voice in our team meetings, but we manage to hold one another accountable and still have a bit of fun too. In addition to the team itself, we have put a lot of effort in the past couple of years to make our team’s well-being a priority. That really shows through the work we are doing on HR Policies and through our Equity Learnings. We have really fostered a great working environment, and while some of the work is difficult, we get through it as a team.  
   

3. What brought you to food systems work?

   I joined Food First NL with little experience in food systems work. After all, I was hired on to be a Finance and Admin Manager and was hired for my expertise in those areas, not because of any food systems experience. It was very much a happy coincidence that I accepted the position. This organization and the team have taught me so much over the last few years, it has completely changed the way I see the world and the society we live in. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done within the food system, but as I’ve come to realize, food touches on practically every aspect of our society. A broken food system is only a piece of a much larger puzzle of systemic issues and injustices. I’ll be forever grateful for joining Food First NL because it has lit a fire in me that doesn’t seem to be going out any time soon!

Sarah Ferber

Program Manager

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021? 

   Piloting the Western NL Food Hub in 2021 was a big accomplishment for Food First NL and all the partners involved! I had a great time in Corner Brook in August attending the launch event and connecting with coworkers in person after so long. It feels good when something that has been a dream of many people for a long time becomes a reality. I’m excited to see what happens with this fledgling social enterprise in 2022. 
   

2. What brought you to food systems work?

   In high school some friends and I volunteered with a program in Hamilton, Ontario called Out of the Cold. They serve meals to thousands of people at 10 locations throughout the city. I remember listening to a visitor tell his story about how he ended up homeless. I learned from him how tenuous the difference is between someone living on the street alone in winter and any of us going home to a warm house and our people. That stayed with me and impacted what I chose to study and how I chose to use my labour. I wanted to help foster systems that care for people and empower them, rather than letting so many suffer unnecessarily. 
   

3. What are the things you’d like to see happen at Food First NL in 2022?

   In 2022 I’d like Food First NL to continue to advocate for systems-level action to alleviate poverty. In my role, I’m looking forward to welcoming in some new team members as our programs mature and expand. 
   

Josh Smee

CEO

1. What was your favourite part of your work in 2021?

   This year was packed full of really big ideas, and I just loved it. There were so many opportunities to come together around what really systemic solutions could look like in and around the food system. It feels like the transformation we all know we need is more possible than ever, and diving into debates about what those transformations could look like on the ground was music to my ears.

   2. What’s the best part of working at Food First NL?

   At the risk of being sappy, it’s 100% the people, especially our staff team. Our daily group chat can veer from righteous anger to groan-worthy puns and back again in about 30 seconds and I love it. Our team pushes me to be better - to be a better leader, a better thinker, a better writer… even a better cook. They can’t help my spotty gardening record, though. They’re all people who bring so much to this work and to their communities and I feel lucky every day to work with them.

   3. Who would you most like to swap places with for a day (in the food system)?

   Oh boy, I’d love to swap places (or ride alongside) with some of the folks who go out on the land to fill community freezers (which we see more and more of in this province). I didn’t grow up in a family that hunted or gathered much and every chance I get to do it puts me in my happy place.