GUIDING PRINCIPLES

  • Nutritious food is a basic human right and should be accessible to ALL.

    Like breathing clean air or drinking clean water, nutritious food should be available, accessible, and in adequate supply for all people.

  • Solutions to problems should come from within our community and be led by our community.

    These solutions should not perpetuate or exacerbate oppressive systems, which we are attempting to heal from, challenge, and change.

  • The cultural richness and uniqueness of NW Aurora is a precious resource that we must support and preserve.

    We will assert and affirm our local communities’ rights to healthy food, air, water, and dignity and not contribute to the gentrification nor displacement of communities. We especially honor and elevate the contributions, leadership, and challenges of the immigrant, refugee, asylee, and BIPOC members of our community.

VALUES

  • We believe that those who are most adversely impacted by the current political, social, and economic systems should play a key role in transforming and building new systems. Their voices will be prioritized and represented in our community work. We work towards optimal health, social, environmental, and economic outcomes for all people of all identities. Equity is central to both our process of working together as well as the outcomes we seek.

  • We believe that we are capable of more when we work together, that our health and well-being is inter-connected, and that by recognizing and claiming our shared interests we can utilize our community power most effectively.

  • We believe in the abundance and abilities of our community. We leverage the individual and collective skills, talents, and resources of the whole community to realize a robust local food system. We organize among local producers, multicultural food businesses, food assistance programs, food workers, and consumers.

  • We believe that honesty and transparency are key to building trust within our organization and in the broader community. We foster a culture of responsibility for our achievements and our errors, and strive to receive criticism with openness and grace. We are committed to each other, our collective needs, and our shared goals.

  • We believe that everyone deserves dignity and respect. We acknowledge the historical and current harm caused by institutional and individual discrimination and exploitation, as well as the impact that has on health, wellness, and future possibilities. We seek to be part of healing within our community in working together towards our shared goals.

Our commitments to the following values guide and inform our work:


We see these values as mutually supportive. Together, they create the foundation for the work we do. By committing to these values and continuing to learn how we can embody them as a group, we believe they will support us to achieve our goals and move towards mutual aid.