Food Club Network members share the values below and commit to operating food-club-model services in alignment with the same:
- Community: Building and encouraging strong relationships in a friendly and
safe environment. - Dignity: Demonstrating and promoting mutual respect and appreciation.
- Consumer Participation: Encouraging a sense of ownership and engagement.
- Member-Centered: Ensuring a quality shopping experience with independent choices.
- Health: Providing accessible and affordable selection of healthy foods and nutritional education opportunities.
- Collaboration: Members, donors, and other sectors investing to ensure effective
program and financial stability. - Evaluation: Making informed decisions based on research and data.
- Equity: Creating an inclusive, diverse, and just organization that works to
reduce disparities.
Food Club Network members further agree that a food-club-model program is defined by standards including:
- Households accessing the program identify as being food insecure and/or having chronic food needs.
- A membership model wherein all members pay a small membership fee. Membership
fees shall not exceed 25 percent of revenue. - Membership fees will be accounted for separately and will be managed in full compliance with all relevant regulations and agreements.
- The members will be serviced in an inviting, efficient, accessible grocery-store-style experience held to the highest operational standards. The experience will, for example, include check-out lanes, printed receipts, aisle signage, and point-of-sale software.
- The store has regular hours throughout the week to provide access with convenience and dignity, for example, at least 20 hours a week spread over at least 5 days.
- A wide range of food items is provided, including fresh and nutritional fruits, vegetables,
dairy, and meat products. - Food is accessed via a points-based system that provides as much choice in shopping
visits and selections as possible. - Points shall be assigned based on a defined methodology, such as household size,
will be unrelated to cost or purchase of food. - Members will be free to use their points as they choose, selecting food that best fits
their households’ needs. - Members can shop multiple times during their membership to utilize their points.
- Healthier food choices are promoted via “pricing” mechanisms (point values assigned
to food categories based on health value) and other efforts.
The network defines standards of the food club model to provide focus for the network’s collaboration, not to limit or constrain individual network partners’ responsiveness to community needs. Each organization may develop adjacent or extension programs entirely separate from or building on the capabilities of their food club program.