Healthy Food Community of Practice: Supporting Healthy Food Access and Consumption

Walmart Foundation: Supporting healthy food access and consumption through a community of practice

THE CHALLENGE

Nonprofits working in the space of healthy food access and consumption were operating in silos. They wanted greater connection, shared learning, and opportunities for collaboration to have greater impact.

THE OUTCOME

Through stronger relationships, expanded knowledge, and new collaborations, a community of more than 50 organizations made progress toward its goal of an equitable healthy food system.

OUR APPROACH

In response to grantees’ desire for greater connection and collaboration with one another, Walmart Foundation funded Share our Strength to facilitate the Healthy Food Community of Practice through its intermediary Community Wealth Partners. The community ran from 2020-2024 and included more than 50 organizations working to address healthy food access and consumption through various parts of the food system. The Healthy Food Community of Practice is a space for national and regional organizations to connect, learn, resource share, and take collective actions in support of local communities as they reimagine and rebuild their food systems to thrive. The goal of the community was for BIPOC communities to have equitable access and consume nutritious food – doing this will also address barriers faced by other marginalized communities.

The community of practice was designed with an intentional theory of change that aimed to create impact in three areas:

  • Fostering relationships and network building among participants
  • Supporting changes in participating organizations’ learning and capacity
  • Sparking innovation and collaboration among participants

Together, changes in these three areas create greater coordination among a network of organizations working in pursuit of a common vision for a more equitable food system.

Through a co-creative design process, participants had voice in shaping priorities and activities for the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s racial reckoning in the midst of the murder of George Floyd laid bare injustices in the food system, the community decided to sharpen its purpose and goal. While the community of practice began with a broad vision of healthy food access for all, community members agreed to center Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) in its goal—recognizing that when BIPOC communities have access to healthy food, other marginalized communities will also have this access.

Experiences during the pandemic also underscored the importance of supporting community-driven approaches to rebuilding thriving local food systems. Community members—many of whom worked in national organizations — prioritized deepening their learning and practice on ways to more effectively partner with local communities. Some participating organizations were able to pilot new approaches in partnering with communities through a participatory grants program.

Breaking down silos

to pursue food justice.

RESULTS

The community of practice sustained active engagement over four years and yielded outcomes in each of the areas outlined in the theory of change.

  • Relationship and network building: The community of practice provided space for participants to get to know one another, learn about the work of other organizations, and identify opportunities for collaboration. In a survey among participants, 64 percent said they gained a deeper understanding of at least one peer organization’s work, and 98 percent said the network of people they can go to for ideas and information has expanded due to participation in the community. This provides a strong foundation for continued sharing and learning beyond the end of the formal community of practice.

“Building relationships and learning different views has been a meaningful experience,” one participant said. “I can feel the passion in the room, and it is very inspirational.”

  • Supporting changes in organizations’ practices: The community of practice focused on supporting learning and capacity related to centering culturally appropriate practices, authentically engaging community in the work, and building race equity and inclusion competency. In a survey, 86 percent of participants said the community of practice increased their awareness of systemic gaps in the food system as well as the needs of BIPOC communities. Increasing understanding and supporting practice change among these organizations — many of which are national organizations that hold significant resources and influence — is an important step toward a more equitable food system.

Participants reported that the community of practice experience led to changes in how their organizations work—64 percent of survey respondents said they gained new knowledge from the community of practice and applied it to their work, and 60 percent say they have made changes in their organizations since joining the community.

  • Collaboration and field building: Building the foundation of strong relationships, a shared vision, and shared understanding of systemic barriers among participants laid the groundwork for collaboration and collective contributions to the field. In a survey 59 percent of respondents said they had coordinated actions and/or are actively collaborating with at least one other member of the community of practice. Examples include a workgroup to create a proposed framework for nutrition education that centers community and culturally competent approaches, partnerships to make joint proposals for funding and to speak at conferences, sharing resources and data across organizations, and partnerships to share resources with one another’s audiences.

Through four years together, the Healthy Food Community of practice yielded relationships that will endure beyond the community’s formal end, changes in learning and practice among participating organizations, and collaborations and contributions to the field. Together these outcomes contribute to a more equitable food system.

Resources:

The Healthy Food Community of Practice was made possible through funding by the Walmart Foundation. The findings, conclusions and recommendations presented in this report are those of Community Wealth Partners alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Walmart Foundation.

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