​It is in the interest of all parties that complaints are dealt with promptly and resolved as quickly as possible.

Review of complaints is fair, impartial, and respectful to all parties.

Complainants are advised of their options to escalate their complaint to a more senior Board Member if they are dissatisfied with treatment or outcome.

Complainants are provided clear and understandable reasons for decisions relating to complaints.

Updates are provided to complainants during review processes.

Complaints are used to assist in improving services, policies, and procedures.

Every effort will be made to resolve complaints received in a timely fashion.

Gander & Area Food Bank prohibits retaliation against individuals who raise complaints in good faith. Any instances of retaliation will be promptly investigated and addressed.

For additional information, you can also contact: Food Banks Canada’s customer experience hotline 1.877.280.0329 or complaints@foodbankscanada.ca or visit foodbankscanada.ca/contact-us

Every effort will be made to resolve complaints received in a timely fashion. When receiving a verbal complaint, staff or volunteers will attempt to resolve it immediately. Complaints received in writing will be acknowledged within two business days, and the Volunteer Coordinator will attempt to resolve the matter within ten business days.

Where a complaint cannot be easily resolved, it should be escalated to a Board Member. If the complaint is about the Volunteer Coordinator, it will be handled by the Chair of the Board of Directors. Complainants will be kept informed of the status of their complaint. Gander & Area Food Bank will make every attempt to resolve escalated complaints within an additional ten business days so that all complaints are resolved within a month of having been received. If the Volunteer Coordinator or Board of Directors can not resolve a complaint, it will be escalated to Food Banks Canada.

Gander & Area Food Bank provides food to its clients with no cost to them.

1. Provide food and other assistance to those needing help regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, income source, age, or mental or physical ability at no financial cost. 2. Treat all those who access services with the utmost dignity and respect. 3. Respect the privacy of those served and maintain the confidentiality of personal information. 4. Food support services are provided without being implicitly/explicitly tied to any conditions.

Employees and volunteers are entitled to a harassment-free workspace at Gander & Area Food Bank under the Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 3/19.

Gander & Area Food Bank is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace environment that fosters mutual respect, integrity, and professional conduct. In keeping with this commitment, we have established this policy and a set of reporting/investigation procedures for employees and volunteers relating to the issue of workplace bullying and harassment.

Gander & Area Food Bank will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace. It will make every reasonable effort to prevent and eliminate conduct that falls within the scope of this policy.

Employees, Board Members, and volunteers are covered by this policy. This policy applies to all activities which take place on the food bank’s premises (including interpersonal and electronic communications), or which are directly connected to the workplace and during any employment or volunteer-related duties or activities.

​We are committed to ensuring people with disabilities are provided the same respect and dignity as all Gander & Area Food Bank clients. Our location is not accessible for persons with disabilities, so we will accommodate our clients by bringing hamper essentials to their car, or arrangements can be made for the hamper to be picked up by a relative or family friend.

Please call 709 651-3663 when you arrive if assistance is required.

Gander & Area Food Bank does not release personal or financial information acquired from donors except for memorial gifts, in which case donor names may be released to the bereaved family.

Gander & Area Food Bank does not use personal or financial information acquired from clients and donors, for purposes other than determining eligibility for services or as part of our system of addressing abuse with other service agencies.

Employees and volunteers are responsible for respecting other employees' and volunteers' dignity and rights during and after working hours. Gander & Area Food Bank extends its responsibility to encouraging its employees and volunteers to react to incidents of violence and harassment they have witnessed or have been affected by, even if the violence and harassment was not directed at them and has not yet resulted in a complaint.

Gander & Area Food Bank abides by the Occupational Health and Safety Act which imposes certain minimum conditions on all workplaces that ensure that workers are provided with an environment that neither impairs their health nor imperils their safety. For a full list of the areas that are addressed visit: https://www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/ohs/legislation-summary

Gander & Area Food Bank cannot thrive without help from the community. Choosing to give a financial gift will help us keep the momentum going in meeting current and future needs. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians generously give money, food, and time to support our food bank. Making a charitable gift in a will or estate plan can continue to help people in need. Furthermore, there are significant tax benefits to these gifts. Volunteers and Board Members who solicit or receive funds on behalf of Gander & Area Food Bank shall:

• be truthful; • accurately describe our food banks activities and the intended use of donated funds; • respect the dignity and privacy of those who benefit from our activities in pursuit of our purposes; • follow our Code of Ethics Policy and Conflicts of Interest Policy; • act with fairness, integrity, and in accordance with all applicable laws; • cease contacting a prospective donor who states that they do not wish to be contacted; • not accept donations for purposes that are inconsistent with the organization’s mission; • Our donors will be kept fully informed with comprehensive and current information about our organization; • Donors will be encouraged to seek independent advice if their gift is a planned gift and/or the food bank has reason to believe the gift might significantly affect the donor’s financial position, taxable income, or relationship with other family members.

1. Provide food and other assistance to those needing help regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, income source, age, or mental or physical ability.

2. Treat all those who access services with the utmost dignity and respect.

3. Implement best practices in the proper and safe storage and handling of food.

4. Respect the privacy of those served and will maintain the confidentiality of personal information.

5. Not sell donated food.

6. Acquire and share food in a spirit of cooperation with other food banks and food programs.

7. Strive to make the public aware of the existence of hunger, and of the factors that contribute to it.

8. Recognize that food banks are not a viable long-term response to hunger, and devote part of their activities to reducing the need for food assistance.

9. Represent accurately, honestly, and completely their respective mission and activities to the larger community.

Problems, misunderstandings, and frustrations may arise in the workplace. It is Gander & Area Food Bank’s intent to be responsive to its employees, volunteers, and their concerns. Therefore, an employee or volunteer who is confronted with a problem may use the procedure described in the Operations Manual to resolve or clarify their concerns.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a quick, effective, and consistently applied method for a non-supervisory employee or volunteer to present their concerns to the Board and have those concerns internally resolved.

See Gander & Area Food Bank’s Operations Manual for procedures for handling internal complaints among staff and all volunteers.