On November 15, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (The Food Bank) held its annual Agency Forum to bring partners in the Community Food Assistance Network together for an energizing morning of in-person connection and learning. 

Each year, The Food Bank distributes over 8.9 million pounds of food to the 54 organizations in the Network that provide direct food support to the more than 73,600 people in Waterloo region struggling to afford food. 

At this year’s Agency Forum, attendees first heard from Leah Kschesinski, the agency relations specialist at The Food Bank. Leah welcomed everyone and highlighted how The Food Bank and the Network have been serving the community for 40 years. 

“This year, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is recognizing 40 years of operation,” Leah said. “Through this, we also want to recognize 40 years of a Network of food assistance providers operating in this region. It may feel odd to celebrate the need for food assistance for so long, but what we are really celebrating is the accomplishments and achievements of this Network in the face of adversity and unprecedented demand.” 

After that, Leah discussed Network activation, the theme of this year’s Agency Forum. 

“An active network might be one that is innovating and trying new things, connecting with participants, or connecting with each other in new ways,” she explained. 

Leah then instructed everyone to draw a picture of the Network and reflect on the following questions:

• Who is a part of the Network? 
• What services are available in the Network?  
• How do these services interact with each other? 

Once everyone had finished drawing their pictures, Leah asked attendees to discuss their drawings, exploring how their perspectives complement each other and where there might be opportunities for connections. 

Attendees were then asked to draw a second picture, this time focusing on the needs of participants accessing food assistance. Once they were done, Leah asked them to compare both pictures they had drawn and to reflect on the following questions: 

• What’s different from your first map? What’s the same? 
• What gaps are there in addressing the needs of participants? 
• What would need to happen in order to make the second drawing a reality? 
  • Who needs to be included? 
  • What assets are already in our community? 
  • What changes would need to happen? 

After the workshop, attendees heard from The Food Bank CEO Kim Wilhelm. Kim provided an overview of our 2024–2027 Strategic Plan and discussed how it will impact partners in the Network. 

We’re so glad that we were able to come together and connect with our Network partners. We look forward to more opportunities where we can learn from each other and from leaders in food security.