Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Lowcountry Food Bank’s values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, and Stewardship guide our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work. In doing so we commit to:
Hidden Row
Provide Equitable Food Access
We commit to providing equitable access to nutritious food throughout our service area and will work to ensure fair food distribution to serve all our neighbors across the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina. We believe food is a basic human right and know we must work on the disproportionate impact that food insecurity, and other inequities such as health, education, and economic opportunity, have on those who have been systemically marginalized. Using ARC GIS mapping technology, we are better able to assess the work we are doing. Hunger can be hard to see, but our map reveals the span of the problem and lets us know where help is most needed.
Intentional Listening and Learning to Advance EDI
We commit to being an active listener to individuals with lived and living expertise, always learning and being intentional in our EDI efforts. We will assess and revise our beliefs, policies, and procedures as needed to advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion among our staff, partners, and the neighbors we serve.
Commitment to Support Authenticity
We commit to foster a work environment where we celebrate our diversity and encourage staff to show up authentically. We work to earn the trust of our staff, partners and the communities we serve. We believe empathy for others should guide our daily and long-term efforts.
Find Real Solutions to Fight Hunger and Food Insecurity
We expect our community to hold us accountable and will work with, and draw from, the diversity of our community to confront and overcome hunger and food insecurity. Through our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work, we support our vision to end hunger in coastal South Carolina.
We are committed to the importance of the journey around equity, diversity and inclusion.
Our EDI Commitment
Since 2021 LCFB has embarked on a journey to learn about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and what it means to our communities, our neighbors, our staff, and partners. While we know this journey does not have an ending, we are proud of the efforts we have made over the last few years. The timeline highlights some of the action items that have taken place over 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, we will ensure that the next LCFB strategic plan is developed through an equity lens. In addition, we finalized our equitable philosophy on positions and pay for our LCFB staff, we have set goals for hiring, turnover, and retention that keep diversity a priority, we are working with our Partner Agencies to ensure our neighbors have a voice in our plans for the future, we are highlighting our EDI efforts and those of partner organizations on our social media and internally on bulletin boards, and we have provided EDI learning opportunities and EDI internal sharing spaces for staff. Our Board of Directors and Leadership Team remain committed to integrating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in all facets of LCFB’s work. Our EDI efforts do not stand alone but are in the foundation of how we work. We know we still have much to learn, and with support from our external consultants and partners we believe we are on the right path.
