Creating Policies & Procedures to Meet Food Banks Canada's Standard of Excellence

Canadian food banks have a special place in our hearts. We started working with Food Banks Alberta in 2017, developing documentation and their Safe Food Handling course. Since then, Scriptorium has had an evolving relationship with food banks across Alberta, and our latest gig has been to help support food banks in reaching the new Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence through their documentation.

With countless members of Food Banks Canada, in Alberta alone, there are 117 food bank members of Food Banks Alberta, and the demand for food bank services across our province has escalated. In 2023, over 118,640 individuals accessed Albertan food banks. At Scriptorium, we want to help food banks meet the needs of their community without having to worry about the stress of documentation, which is why we’ve established specific customizable templates that include these standards. We want to ensure that each food bank that reaches out to us has these standards in place, and that their policies and procedures are documented and up to date so they can focus on helping fellow Albertans during difficult times.

Each food bank, like each community, is unique. Their services depend on their region’s population, food availability, grants, and volunteers. Depending on the region, food banks can be entirely volunteer based, while others have one to two full-time/part-time employees with a handful of volunteers. In more urban areas, food banks are run by multiple staff and volunteers, often offering more services than their rural counterparts can provide, strictly based on budget.

Food Banks Canada Accreditation Program

In 2024, Food Banks Canada (FBC) announced its accreditation program. Given six categories in the FBC National Standards, food banks across Canada have been asked to delve into their policies and procedures to ensure every aspect of their services meets the high standards of these guidelines, and Scriptorium has been incredibly lucky to help ten food banks across Alberta with this documentation. The categories include:

•         Governance and Administration

•         People Management

•         Financial and Legal

•         Client Service and Care

•         Public Engagement and Fundraising

•         Food Operations and Safety

The challenge for food banks working to meet these standards is that they are incredibly diverse. This means that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach to meeting these accreditation requirements.

Creating Policies & Procedures for Food Banks

Over the past two years, Scriptorium has worked with a variety of food banks across the province, ranging from small communities to cities. Our goal is to ensure each food bank has living documents that reflect the policies and procedures that make their food bank unique and what works best for their staff and volunteers. Although they have similar programs and services, each food bank has a unique approach to how it meets its community's needs and challenges. We compiled all of these experiences into templates based on small- and medium-sized food banks that include the accreditation guidelines. This created a foundation that allows us to provide a starting point so we can customize the policies and procedures for each group.

Our first step is to collect each food bank's existing documentation and do a gap analysis to determine what policies and procedures need to be added. We then merge their information into our templates before sending them a draft for their review. The food bank employees, volunteers, and board review suggested additions, often making decisions about best practices for their location, client, and team. We often follow this up with a working meeting (through Zoom or in-person) to go through each manual. This allows us to address changes in real-time and ask questions, which provides a faster turnaround for their documentation.

Meeting new accreditation standards can be a daunting process for any size of food bank. With the demands each food bank faces daily, we, at Scriptorium, value the time and effort each food bank has made as we move through this process with them. We want to thank those who have contacted us and trusted us with their information to help them reach the FBC National Standards. Each person's dedication to their community and their clients has been inspiring. We are grateful to be a small part of their work.

Food banks across the country and around the world do incredibly important work and do so much more than feed people in a time of need. If you are able, consider volunteering at or donating to your local food bank. It will make a difference.

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Does your industry have evolving standards that need to be reflected in your documentation? Contact Scriptorium and we can help you get on the right track.

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References

1. Food Banks Alberta. (2025). “Together, We Can End Hunger in Alberta.” https://foodbanksalberta.ca/

2. Food Banks Canada. (14, Jan. 2024). “Introducing Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence.” Food Banks Canada. https://foodbankscanada.ca/introducing-food-banks-canadas-standards-of-excellence/