LFS 350 COMMUNITY-BASED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNINGVANCOUVER FOOD ASSET MAP – CONVENIENCE RETAIL FOOD STORESDEC. 3, 2017

BY: TINA LI, ALISON CHAN, HILARY KUO, SHERMAN LEE, SOPHIA LIUIn collaboration with: Vancouver Coastal Health

INTRODUCTION

Background

Statistics show that 16.5% of people in Metro Vancouver area are living in low income

households (Statistics Canada, 2015). A main challenge faced by those suffering from poverty is

food insecurity, which the USDA defines as a limited access to adequate food due to the

restrictions on household income or other social conditions (Public Health Report, 2016). Such

limitations will pose as an obstacle to food access. Hence, a Vancouver Food Asset Map

(VFAM) was established by the Vancouver Coastal Health to increase awareness of available

food assets in the city of Vancouver. Up until now, the VFAM has been used by community

members who know about it to locate food assets.

Significance

The VFAM addresses the importance of community mapping, which is to increase the

“benefits of the whole community and the whole food system” through building awareness of the

available resources (Ground, 2001). Survey results have shown that 64% of participants did not

know where to find food assets before using the map, which indicates the underlying issues

addressing the accessibility and necessity of the VFAM (Vancouver Coastal Health News, 2017).

The VFAM is a promising approach to address food accessibility because it provides information

to the public about where a variety of food services are located.

Figure 1. Categories of food assets in the VFAM

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For this project, we have partnered up with Evergreen Community Health Center to

expand and update the pre-existing VFAM with a focus on convenience stores. While some may

regard convenience store food as “unhealthy”, it is important to note that the focus of this project

is accessibility, where convenience stores are likely the only food options during night hours.

Convenience stores tend to sell low-cost foods, which is helpful for individuals from low income

households. A recent study done by Leung stated convenience stores such as Dollar Tree sells

inexpensive pre-packaged food and is shown to be a reliable food source for the general public

(2016). Food items were mostly priced $1.25 per unit and are mostly processed food such as

canned meat (Leung, 2016).

Objectives

Our objective is to increase food accessibility through populating the Convenience Store

category in the VFAM with assets in the city. Our ultimate goal is to address food insecurity by

increasing the awareness of available food assets within the community. We will collect and

update information on convenience stores onto an excel document which will later be transferred

onto the pre-existed Google map. In order to further improve the map, we will take a

communicative approach by gathering feedbacks from community organizations and report back

to our community partners.

Figure 2. One of the tasks of our community project

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METHODS

Data Collection Approach

In order to keep the VFAM updated, we phoned convenience stores that are registered in

the database and to asked about the latest store’s hours. To add new convenience stores onto the

VFAM, we referred to a list of Vancouver food retail store business licenses provided by the city

of Vancouver. From the list, we added the store’s hours, phone number, and address onto the

VFAM database. Search engines were also used as a method to locate new convenience stores.

All updated and newly added convenience stores are highlighted and compiled onto the

Vancouver food retail stores and markets spreadsheet, which will be later reviewed by Kathy.

All feedback forms are collected during info session and feedback session led by group

members. An info session was held in September at Vancouver Technical Secondary targeting

food insecure households, and another interview session was held at Lee Community Health

Center in November. During both sessions, members introduced people to the VFAM and

provided hands-on learning on how to use the map, and members collected feedback from those

who have used the VFAM before. Snacks and beverages were provided as an incentive. The

feedback form assessed whether staff were aware of the VFAM before, the ease of using the

map, and asked for suggestions on future improvements of the map.

Analysis

The data collected from the feedback session were tabulated onto a summary table as

shown in Table A-1 in the appendix. The number of people who answered “Yes” or “No” to the

respective questions and additional comments are shown and analyzed to identify areas of

improvement for the VFAM.

Ethical Considerations

All members of our group acquired a TCPS-2 certificate on Ethical Conduct for Research

prior to the start of data collection. Consents were given to all community organization staffs in

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completing the feedback forms during our feedback session. In addition, feedback contents

remained confidential and were solely used in conducting statistical analysis and possible

improvements towards the project in the near future. With the considerations of possible ethical

issues in research studies, we were able to conduct an effective, dynamic and reflective approach

in data gathering which ultimately strengthen the responsiveness and quality of our community-

based project.

RESULTS

In total, our group successfully updated phone numbers and stores hours of 27 out of the

127 convenience stores listed in the database for the VFAM. Each member of the group added 2-

3 additional convenience stores onto the VFAM and so a total of 18 convenience stores were

added.

During the feedback session, we collected a total of 18 feedback forms. Table A-1 shows

the tabulated answers of parents from the secondary school and the social workers from the

community health center. Upon further discussion during with the workers during the session,

we realize that one of the most prominent gaps is that the VFAM is only available online on

Google Maps, which is not accessible in conditions where the internet or a computer is out of

reach. Another concern is that the map is not yet well-known. Feedback from the interviews will

serve to help community partners to develop further research and community food asset guides.

DISCUSSION

Through updating and expanding informations for stores under the Convenience Stores

category of VFAM, we have made some potential progress in helping vulnerable groups to

achieve adequate food accessibility by enhancing community capacity building through locating

low-cost food assets that can be used for greater convenience. Th 18 new convenience stores that

we have uploaded suggested the possible benefits of convenience stores in accommodating

consumer needs which improves public health in communities with greater lower-income

population (Anne Harguth, 2017). Furthermore, the 18 feedback forms gathered during the

feedback session indicated the usefulness of VFAM in guiding people in pinpointing available

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local food resources. However, 61% of the participants said that they did not know how to find

food assets in the community before attending the feedback session, which reveals the potential

improvements that can be made to further advertise and increase the popularity of VFAM.

According to Stevens (2003), Asset-Based Community Development is an approach which

focuses on the strengths of the community in hope to make further improvements,

empowerments and enhance community capacity building. This approach allows us to recognize

and to use the current available resources in promoting food assets for the local population.

Ultimately, our project has shown us that, working together as a community, our strengths will

move us towards achieving food security and food justice for citizens in Vancouver.

Figure 3. Group photo of our group and Kathy during the infographic presentation

Limitations

One of the major limitations of our project is the short duration of our contribution to the

project as we only had two months. Due to our limited time, we were only able to collect a total

of 18 feedback forms and add 27 convenience stores onto the map. However, future updates and

possibly additional categories will be continually implemented by more students and community

members.

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We realize that the VFAM only addresses food accessibility and not the other

components of food insecurity. In order to further increase the usage of the VFAM and maximize

its benefits within the community, we must also take into considerations of other possible factors

that causes inadequate food accessibility and food insecurity. Therefore, further researches

addressing other components of food security including adequacy, acceptability, and advocacy

will be required to enhance future “elimination [of] disparities and inequalities” in the local food

system (Gottlieb & Joshi, 2010).

CONCLUSION

Food insecurity and inadequate physical food accessibility are examples of the many

challenges faced by those living at poverty line in Vancouver. Our project gathered information

of food assets in the community which contributes to improve food accessibility among the

vulnerable population (Vancouver Coastal Health, 2017). During the past few months, we have

successfully updated informations of 27 convenience stores and adding 18 new stores to the

category on the VFAM. Looking forward, we hope that the partnership between community

organizations and students of UBC will continue to update the VFAM and bring future

improvements in addressing food accessibility in the community. Furthermore, we wish to see

organizations from different sectors to use the VFAM as development initiatives to further tackle

the challenges of food accessibility among vulnerable population in Vancouver.

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CRITICAL REFLECTIONS

Student 1

I am grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to work on a CBEL project with the

community partner and wonderful team members. This valuable experience enabled me to get

touch on real world on-going community projects, apply lecture knowledge, and learn how we

tackle community-based issues to achieve food justice. It was even more rewarding when we

received compliments and support from our community partner Kathy Romses, and staff

working with food insecure individuals in community centres. Communication among all team

members and community partners was key to this successful project. By constantly reflecting on

our strengths and limitations, our project generally proceeded smoothly. When I first learned

about food justice, I thought the goal was accessing good food for all. However, while working

on the VFAM, I realized from feedback session that class inequalities persistent in every

community. Thus, increasing food accessibility is more urgent rather than considering healthy

eating, which is why we are targeting a specific subcategory (i.e. convenience stores) on VFAM

this term. By adding convenience stores, more food assets were provided to food insecure

individuals. The even contribution of students, academics, and community members to the

project reflects one of the key principles of asset-based community development. I am glad that I

was involved to help take a tiny step towards food justice.

Student 2

I gained valuable experience and knowledge through taking the LFS 350 course. This

course allowed me to learn outside of the classroom and face real-world working issues. At the

beginning of this term, I simply viewed the Vancouver Food Asset Map as an ordinary school

project where we would just follow the given instructions. However, I was shocked and pleased

to be given so much freedom and responsibility to lead our own project. I learned ways to think,

approach, and communicate with my team members properly and effectively in terms of setting

up our project proposal. Being able to help update and build the Food Asset Map truly made me

think more about the food insecurity issue in Vancouver. I felt more connected to the real-life

problems that link to our academic learning and research. The feedback session that we

conducted at the end of this term was something I had never done before. It was a rewarding step

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as we received many positive comments and I felt I was making a difference to our society from

doing this project. By collecting people’s feedback of this map, we acknowledged the things we

can improve and work on. Furthermore, our group blog let us reflect and discuss our progress

every few weeks during this term. This was a perfect way for us to interact with each other and

keep track of the tasks that we were required to complete. Overall, this course gave me the

opportunity to learn and reflect on academic learning and to encounter real-life experience.

Student 3

Throughout the duration of LFS 350, both the community project and lectures helped me

acquire a better understanding of food justice. One of the most prominent concepts learned this

semester was that of community capacity building, which was defined earlier in this paper.

Working with Vancouver Coastal Health and updating the VFAM has been a rewarding process

because it was a hands-on opportunity for me to contribute to the community by practicing

community capacity building as well as addressing a component of food insecurity learned in

LFS. Prior to beginning the project, it was unclear why we were adding convenience stores. I

learned that in order to address the complexity of food insecurity, it is important to target

different marginalized populations with different approaches. The addition of convenience stores

is a way to increase awareness to the availability of food assets for those who are struggling with

low-income and for those that are working night shifts. Working with a public health dietitian

and social workers from a community health center helped me gain a better sense of how what

we learned about interdisciplinarity and food security can be applied in professional fields. I

appreciated touching base on indigenous food sovereignty in lecture because it helped me

understand what it is and why it is important for food justice. After learning about food

sovereignty, I realize that many of our community projects do not address the indigenous food

sovereignty. Overall, I enjoyed learning about food justice and taking it out of the lecture hall to

contribute to the community.

Student 4

I am thankful for meeting all the enthusiastic team members and for the partnership with

Vancouver Coastal Health in making continuous contributions to the VFAM project. Throughout

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the collaboration with our community organizations, I have gained a better understanding of the

challenges that the current society is facing against and the available public resources in

addressing these food-related issues. I think that these flexible learning sessions are important in

transforming education from the traditional schooling system, and they are also the major

contributors in strengthening students’ learning. At the beginning of the semester, I learned about

the ABCD and community food security in LFS 350, which provided me with background

knowledge prior to the VFAM project. Even though our VFAM project did not address some of

the topics from LFS 350 lectures such as gender and race inequalities, I am now able to make

critical connections between these issues and how are they act as the drawbacks to achieve food

justice in the community. The most significant moment in this project was during our briefing

meeting with Kathy Romses, our community partner. When I realized that I was able to apply

my knowledge of the food system into real world practice I was beyond excited. In conclusion, I

am grateful to be able to participate in the VFAM project and I believe that the skills and

knowledge gained from both, the LFS 350 lectures and engagement in community-based projects

will be beneficial to my future career and academic learning.

Student 5

Through the LFS 350 experience I have learned that there is no such thing as a right or

model answer when it comes to solving food issues. Back in the days I thought that there are

always a straightforward, universal solutions to every food issue; if people are hungry, give them

food; if there are health problems around, give people healthier, more nutritious foods. After

working with Vancouver Coastal Health with their Vancouver Food Asset Map project, I’ve

realized that these solutions in fact vary for everyone depending on their individual backgrounds

and needs. Everyone faces different problems regarding food and an across-the-board solution

will simply fail to address these complexities. At first, I was irritated by the fact that our project

is focused on convenience store diets, which in my opinion, were not ideal food sources due to

its relatively low quality and low nutritional value. However, as I further understood the ideals

and goals of the project, I came to realization that convenience stores do have a value in our food

system. The nature of convenience stores covered the closing hours of regular grocery stores and

restaurants, providing essential food for people who are active in those time periods. On the

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other hand, foods that were not considered as nutritious may bring other essential values such as

comfort for the consumers. I’m glad that the LFS 350 experience helped me get use to dealing to

complexities like this. This experience with complexity will come in handy once I enter the

global food system as a professional.

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REFERENCES

Craig, C. (2007). Community capacity-busing: Something old, something new…? Critical Social Policy, 27, 335-359.

Food insecurity: A public health issue. (2016). Public Health Reports, 131(5), 655.

Gottlieb, R., & Joshi, A. (2010). Food Justice. MIT Press.

Ground, C. (2001). Mapping Food Matters: A Resource on Place-Based Food System Mapping.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Common Ground and Victoria Chapter of Oxfam Canada.

Retrived from

https://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/foodsecurecanada.org/files/Mapping_food_matters.pdf

Harguth, A. (2017). Convenience stores have the opportunity to offer healthier options.

Retrieved from https://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/how-

convenience-stores-have-changed

Leung, Jon. (2016). The 2016 Dollar Tree Diet. Retrieved from

https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/1209/files?preview=237396

Romses, K. (2017). LFS350 - Community Project Vancouver Food Asset Map [PowerPoint

presentation].

Stevens, S. K. (2003). Asset-based community development for health promotion in culturally

defined communities

Statistics Canada. (2015) Canada – Percentage of the population below the after-tax low-income

measure in 2015, by 2016 census division (CD). Retrieved from

:http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/geo/map-carte/ref/thematic-thematiques/

inc-rev/map-eng.cfm?TYPE=8&wbdisable=true

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Vancouver Coastal Health. (2017). Vancouver Food Asset Map Helps Users Locate Food

Resources - Vancouver. Retrieved from http://vchnews.ca/news/2017/01/25/vancouver-food-

asset-map-helps-users-locate-food-resources/#.Wdf66HeGMUs

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APPENDIX

Table A-1. Data from feedback session held at Lee Community Health Center

Yes √

No √

Not Sure √

Comments

1. Before attending this event did you know how to find food assets in your community? e.g., free or low cost meals or groceries, food banks, community gardens, and community kitchens?

5 11 2 - I didn’t know, I was unaware

-Somewhat, I had my regular “go to’s” but not necessary up on new resources or comprehensive knowledge

-But only a few (Sikh temples, Quest Food Exchange, Food Banks, google, others)

-I just used google and it took a long time. We generally used Quest and Food Bank for our clients

- Kitchen tables, Red Book, Food Bank

- Yes, but good to know more

-Yes, but not as easy

2. Was the Food Asset Map tool easy to use? If not, why wasn’t it easy to use?

(Google, word of Math, Downtown East Side clinics, Word of mouth )

17 1 - It has separate tabs and it is easily navigable because of Google Map

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-If you have computer/English literature and have data.

-Very visual, looks user friendly

-Very easy to use.

3. Were the instructions on how to use the Map easy to follow? If not, what was difficult to follow?

13 2 3 - Absolutely, food insecure program

-I think so but have not asked my clients. Not all my clients have easy access to the internet.

-Language support is helpful.

-It is so helpful to have Arabic resources.

-Fairly intuitive

4. Was the information provided about the assets easy to understand? If not, what information was difficult to understand? (Please include the asset(s) in your response).

17 1 -It is easy to understand and simple to use

-Yes, very helpful and easy

-Sometimes you have to link to the websites and look further for the information you need or make a call, takes longer.

5. Is there anything that needs to be added or changed to make it easier for you to find food assets in Vancouver?

-Just keep adding to it, also if possible, do other maps outside of Vancouver area

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(Richmond, the cities, Fraser Valley)

-Posters and handouts to promote and include in standard public health packages.

-Ability to “bookmark” the map on their phones

-Add categories you can select for “who is it for” ex. Mental health diagnosis students and families

-How about clients without access to internet?

-Not that I can think of, an App would be handy

-a business card with how to use and find the asset map

6. What food assets do you want to see in your community?

Community kitchens, more public markets (farmer’s market), free and low cost meals, food banks, discount groceries, services for refugee or service with Arabic speaking support staff.

7. Will you use the Food Asset Map in the future? (why or why not?)

16 1 1 I could run out of money in the future, so I will look to cheaper alternatives to affording food.

Other comments:

- Keep updated, find long-term funding, add restaurants to increase appeal and use to make

profit.

- Great resources, keep up the great work!

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- Helpful as a tool for providers. I typically look up the resources and then give the resources a

phone call to make sure I have to most up to date information, specifically the Food Asset Map is

correct. For DIES I use other guides. I find the information I crammed for the DIES on the food

asset map.

- Thank you so much

- A small business card or fridge magnet with the website would be very useful

- An online training module on Learning Hub would be helpful and or even accessible for clients

and perhaps a short youtube video of instructions.

- Great work! Have a small business card with the email address and a short explanation of what

the service is.

- On my phone you can’t access the categories nor can you search many of our clients don’t have

a computer and it’s not convenient if you can’t.

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