“We Make It Work Because We Must”: Narrating the Creation of an Urban Indigenous Food Bank in London, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

This research draws from a community-engaged methodology and qualitative interviews to narrate the creation and daily operations of an Indigenous food bank in London, Ontario, Canada. In-depth interviews (n = 10) with program leaders, volunteers, and recipients detailed the day-to-day operations, including where and how foods were collected and distributed, and a preliminary analysis of the meanings and challenges of the food bank. The key strengths of the food bank are its focus on cultural safety, provision of traditional foods, and its community-led approach. The limitations of the food bank relate to the structure of the workload and sustainability of program funding. Community-led research with Indigenous non-profit organizations, such as that presented here, offer approaches that are critically important for creating culturally relevant and inclusive data that can both explain and address Indigenous health inequities, and provide the evidence needed to advocate for change.

Keywords

• Indigenous food systems
• food security
• food bank
• cultural safety
• indigenous health and wellness
• community-engaged research