Chew on This 2022 FAQ

Dignity for All welcomes organizers from all ages, levels of experience, abilities, and identities across Canada. Due to our own capacity restraints, however, we are only able to offer our website and materials in English, with the exception of the backgrounder on poverty and food insecurity which will be available in English, French, and Inuktitut for local distribution.

Dignity for All and Chew on This! are strictly non-partisan. To protect our status as a registered charity, we cannot have local events sponsored, hosted, or organized by any particular political party.

We are committed to honouring human rights, building solidarity across movements, and dismantling intersecting forms of systemic oppression. Groups that express and incite hatred towards others or that otherwise do not honour the inherent dignity and rights of all people are not invited to organize local Chew on This! events.

STEP 1: Decide on the when, where, and what for your local event.

Local Chew on This! events look different in every community, but share the same goals: (1) to raise awareness about people’s lived experiences of poverty and food insecurity their community and across the country; (2) to build public pressure on the federal government to effectively and equitably eradicate poverty and food insecurity through rights-based approaches; and (3) to strengthen relationships and solidarity among people with lived experience and other advocates in their community and across the country.

Local organizers are invited to choose a way to convey these messages that suits the capacity, expertise, resources, and needs of their communities. 

Some examples of Chew on This! events include:

• Setting up tables with information and free food over lunch hour in a public space
• Hosting an event featuring local speakers or performers
• Sharing information at a place of worship and/or incorporating it into your worship service
• Hosting a webinar or virtual rally
• Organizing a march or rally in a public area with signs
• Meeting with local media and Members of Parliament (as well as municipal and provincial/territorial representatives)

STEP 2: Register as a Chew on This! organizer and share contact information for your event so it will appear on the map at chewonthis.ca.

STEP 3: Promote your local event through community networks and media, using #ChewOnThis on social media, and using the media advisory and government relations email template in the organizer toolkit (linked below). Get as many people out to your event as you can!

STEP 4:Take lots of pictures and share them on social media using #ChewOnThis! Feel free to tag your local MP and other elected officials so they know this is something their constituents care about and are watching.

You can find a more detailed checklist and sample materials in the organizer toolkit. These and other materials for organizers can be found below the registration form.

There is no cost to sign up as an organizer for Chew on This and we request that all Chew on This! events be free to attend. Local organizers are responsible for any costs associated with their chosen activities.

Materials for organizers are free to download. If you would like a hardcopy of the resources to be mailed to you, please contact us. For large orders, Dignity for All may suggest a donation amount to cover the cost of shipping, but we are committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to access our materials.

Past Chew on This! organizers will remember being shipped postcards, paper bags, and other materials in previous years. We have decided to focus more on awareness raising and public engagement through local events for this year’s campaign, rather than a postcard campaign, particularly as we return to in-person organizing after a couple years of digital engagement.

In addition to local Chew on This! events, Dignity for All co-leads will be preparing an open letter to be sent to specific federal Ministers on October 17, calling for rights-based policies to effectively and equitably address poverty and food insecurity in Canada. We will be circulating a call for organizational sign-ons to this open letter shortly. Please contact us if your organization would like to read and consider signing the open letter.

Start with other people, organizations, community groups, and faith communities you know who care about poverty, food insecurity, rights, or other justice issues, and then leverage your networks to spread the word. 

Invite elected officials and local media to let them know that their local constituents/audience care about these issues and want to see action. You can choose whether you are inviting elected officials to speak or respond at the event, or just observe, but remember to keep events non-partisan. We recommend asking for follow-up meetings to share the backgrounder and policy recommendations (see materials for organizers on the registration page).

Consider inviting local artists to engage with your event! Honoraria are often appreciated.

Materials for organizers are listed below the registration form for local organizers. You can download them digitally, or contact us to request hardcopies to be mailed to you. We will suggest a donation amount to cover shipping expenses, but we are committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier.