supporting food banks throughout the province

Open Letter Concerning Gods Little Acre:

It has come to the attention of Food Banks BC that the principal of a Surrey Farm doing business
as Gods Little Acre has made certain statements relating to his relationship with some of the
members of Food Banks BC. Food Banks BC and its members want to clarify the relationship of
Gods Little Acre with Food Banks BC and its members.
In many communities all over BC our 96 member food banks act as community FOOD HUBs.
They receive donations of produce, dairy, meat, fish, eggs and canned items from farmers,
grocers, processors and individuals and, in turn, supply low-income families, individuals, soup
kitchens, shelters and school lunch and snack programs around British Columbia.

BACKGROUND
One of our members received donations of potatoes from Gods Little Acre (GLA) in 2011. That
member was able to redistribute the potatoes to clients and other food agencies. Between
2011 and 2013 this food bank also received what they have characterized as several other small
mixed donations of produce from the principal of Gods Little Acre.
That member ended their relationship with Gods Little Acre in late 2013. That food bank no
longer receives food or any other benefits from Gods Little Acre. There is no longer any
relationship between that food bank and the principal of Gods Little Acre.
Food Banks BC has polled its members around the province. With one exception, we have been
unable to find any member food bank that can track a donation from the principal of Gods
Little Acre after 2013. We do understand one member engaged Gods Little Acre as a contract
grower. That is, the member paid the principal of Gods Little Acre for the food they received
from him in addition to approximately 2900 lbs of donated produce in 2014 and additional
amounts in previous years. Another member food bank purchased produce from Gods Little
Acre in 2011 and 2012, as well as supplied some start-up funds. Two other member food
banks were also solicited for funds for seed and equipment but have declined to participate.

FoodBanksBC.com

13595 King George Blvd, Surrey BC, V3T 2V1

604.498.1798

Laura@FoodBanksBC.com

CURRENT SITUATION
Since 2013 a number of Food Banks BC members have raised the following concerns regarding
the activities of the principal of Gods Little Acre, concerns that have, to date, not been
addressed by him:
1. Seed Money Some of our food bank members were solicited for funds by the
principal of Gods Little Acre. The amounts requested were between $2,000 and $5,000.
He advised that the donations would be seed money and that the food banks
investment in seed would produce a harvest worth much more than their donation.
Ultimately, our members received produce in return that was worth less than the
amount invested. The reasons given included: flooding, freezing, drought, rotting and
lack of harvesters or harvesting equipment.
2. Food Quality Prior to 2014 when donated produce was available, at least one of our
food bank members regularly received produce that was deemed unfit for human
consumption. That member then had to pay the disposal costs.
3. Volunteer Labour Prior to 2014 some food bank members provided Gods Little Acre
with volunteers from their organizations to work on the farm, with the understanding
that the produce they helped to grow would be delivered to the food banks who had
supplied the volunteer labour. In some cases volunteers complained that the crops they
had assisted with in fact were sold for profit instead of being donated to their food
bank, as had been promised.
4. Donor Support Food bank members have reported that significant donor confusion
has arisen. The principal of Gods Little Acre has approached donors in the communities
where some of our food bank members operate. Those donors have been asked by him
to invest in seed and equipment money for his farm so that the local food banks could
benefit from it. The implication to donors is that our member food banks are
supportive of this initiative and are aware of his approaching donors and advising that
he is soliciting money to assist our member food banks. But our member food banks
were not aware of, or supportive of him making these approaches to donors. Our
member food banks have, instead, been asking donors expressly not to do that. They
have been asking donors to deal directly with the food bank itself for various reasons,
including the fact that the promised produce was not necessarily accessible by the food
bank members.
5. Charitable Status - Food bank members noted that Gods Little Acre is not a registered
charity. A registered charity must operate exclusively for charitable purposes and only a
registered charity can receive approval for issuing tax receipts. All members of Food
Banks BC must be registered charities in good standing.

FoodBanksBC.com

13595 King George Blvd, Surrey BC, V3T 2V1

604.498.1798

Laura@FoodBanksBC.com

RESPONSE
To address the concerns of its member food banks, Food Banks BC met in person with the
principal of Gods Little Acre in 2013. The importance of openness and transparency and full
disclosure in dealings with our food bank members, their volunteers and the donor public was
discussed. The following specific recommendations were made to him:
That he disclose to all volunteers that there are for-profit crops being grown by him and
that these may not be donated to any food bank or other charitable food agency.
That any time volunteers assist on the farm they are made aware of whether they are
working on crops that are destined for a charity or for re-sale.
That he not imply either explicitly or implicitly that his crops are for food banks or their
related dependents such as the soup kitchens, shelters or schools that partner with local
food banks.
That he not imply to donors, volunteers or supporters that Gods Little Acre is a
registered charity.
SUMMARY
Food Banks BC and its members have one vision: a hunger-free future for every community.
We believe that in order to achieve this, a multitude of solutions are necessary including
partnerships with local farmers and food producers, whether through donation or through
growing by contract.
We welcome any and all organizations who seek to work alongside us to fulfill our vision,
including the principal of Gods Little Acre. At the same time we must always ensure that all
actions taken and all monies expended are done so with integrity and complete transparency.
This must be the cornerstone of any charitable endeavour.
We would like to thank the principal of Gods Little Acre for working to bring the issues of
hunger to the attention of his local community and for his innovative approaches to addressing
the needs of the hungry. We hope he will accept our recommendations to him as we believe
they will help all of us to continue to work in a completely transparent and open way, helping
us to achieve a hunger free British Columbia.

Laura Lansink, BA, MBA

Executive Director, Food Banks BC

FoodBanksBC.com

13595 King George Blvd, Surrey BC, V3T 2V1

604.498.1798

Laura@FoodBanksBC.com