Leaning Into Uncertainty: Preparedness and Hope

On Wednesday June 1st we gathered for our second in person potluck since March 2020. As we get used to coming together again, we live in a place of both hope and uncertainty. As the spring arrives, the rivers rise and potential heat waves are upon us. We know we don’t know what this summer will bring, but what we do know is we can lean on each other and find creative ways to be more prepared together. 

To start off our meeting and get us thinking about emergency preparedness, we paired off and shared our hopes and fears for the season ahead. We then came back for what truly brings us together, food! A time to share our craft, make connections and fill our bellies with food made with love. After dinner, Emily Pletsch presented on the KFPC’s work in Emergency Response. As a community convener and source for sharing information, the KFPC has and continues to play an emergency response role in Kamloops. We learned about Green Social Work, the intertwined practice of environmental and social justice. The group discussed different types of food insecurity during an emergency: availability, accessibility, affordability and displacement. We shared challenges we have seen with hoarding policies as a barrier to food access for many groups and limited access to cooking for people displaced living in hotels. 

Emily presented on equity within emergency response and the importance of providing the appropriate support for unique individual needs. She then shared about work happening in our community related to emergency response and increasing equity through social sector response development. 

As a final activity we engaged in an open space activity where members put forward ideas to discuss in small groups. The three groups included: 

• Shelf stable food in emergencies: skill development, storage, access and sharing

• Grab and go bag event: co-creating emergency to go bags

• Climate grief: sharing experiences and feelings of climate change 

Each discussion went past the 7:30pm mark, ideas and emotions flowing for how we arrive and exist in the times we are living. Exploring what it means to be more prepared and how we do this work together.  

It was a wonderful evening and we are so grateful for all those who shared spaced with us!

If you are interested in getting involved in these conversations and future events, we would love to see you at our next network potluck on August 3rd! Be sure to join the KFPC mailing list to hear the details about our potlucks and other opportunities.