Foodshare's approach to diversity

Two weeks ago on Monday, Foodshare had our monthly full staff meeting.  As a part of our Diversity Committee's work, we broke the staff into four smaller groups and each discussed a scenario that could well occur during the course of our work and how they would handle it.  Topics covered in the scenarios included race, age, disability, and sexual orientation.

The discussions were rich and interesting, so after the meeting, I distributed the materials for those who could not be present or those who might want to re-review the information presented.  Last week, I got this e-mail message from one of the team:

"Gloria, I missed our Staff meeting due to an outside meeting, so thanks for passing these along.  It is a privilege to work at Foodshare which continues to breakdown stereotypes and misinformation about people who we live and work with every day." 

Foodshare's Diversity Policy, as approved by the Board of Directors, says:

"Our community is made up of many cultures, faiths, professions, and lifestyles... all sharing a common need for safe and adequate food.  To meet this need, Foodshare actively fosters and promotes an environment that recognizes the benefits of a diverse organization.  Foodshare will continually strive to establish a reputation for embracing diversity as we strive to better understand our neighbors and remove barriers to effective hunger solutions."

It's good to see the Diversity Committee living this out and staff members who not only accept, but fully commit, to this approach.  We firmly believe that when it comes to our complex mission of ending hunger, everyone has something to contribute!