Daily Bread Food Bank: The Adoption of Social Missions

In February 2019, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Daily Bread Food Bank (Daily Bread) in Toronto, Ontario reflected on the charity’s strong performance in the past year. Despite Daily Bread’s success, the CEO felt there were opportunities to do more. Toronto’s food insecurity rate had been rising in recent years, and food banks across the city had been struggling to meet demand. The CEO had several potential ideas for contributing to the long-term sustainability of the food bank and delivering the highest impact in the community. Daily Bread’s underused kitchen could be turned into a social enterprise and used to generate more funds to gain additional engagement with the local community in the fight against hunger; the kitchen could also be rented out for special events after hours and on weekends; extra shifts and truck deliveries would help grow the charity’s operations; or the organization could keep the status quo and let the charity grow naturally. Most importantly, however, the decision would have to align with the charity’s mission and current operations. With the advisory board of directors’ meeting rapidly approaching, the CEO had to make a decision on how to maximize the food bank’s resources.

This case is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate- level courses on business management or marketing. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to<ul><li>assess the increasing connection between social and political issues and business, and the subsequent rise of social enterprises;</li><li>examine the significance of charities in addressing the unmet needs of the community, particularly how food banks attempt to mitigate food insecurity; and</li><li>develop a decision plan that aligns with the organization’s mission, with social change as the key strategic focus.</li></ul>

• hunger
• social enterprise