Communities Feeding Communities Outcome Evaluation Report

Communities Feeding Communities

The Communities Feeding Communities (CFC) project is a joint initiative between PSN and Northern Presbytery in Mt. Roskill. CFC aims to contribute to food security by offering access to ongoing, adequate, and nutritious food in a more empowered and sustainable way.

This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the first phase of the project. A mixed-method approach was utilised to assess the effectiveness of the project in meeting its intended outcomes and to identify how the project can be improved in the future by capturing the voices of CFC staff, a partner, volunteers, and community visitors. The project was successful and met most of its short-term and medium-term outcomes. CFC visitors have learned gardening, cooking, and other skills, such as communication skills. The number of people receiving food parcels has grown; by the same token, the number of food parcels distributed has increased. The number of facilities available to the community has also increased. The medium-term outcomes for the project included improved mental and physical health of CFC visitors, increased social connection, and strengthened relationships. The key factors that contributed to the project’s success were having friendly and helpful staff, providing sufficient nutritious and adequate food, organising a range of activities and workshops, establishing a strong relationship with stakeholders, and the involvement of volunteers.