Community Gardens

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one" - Mother Teresa

​Hey kind krafters!

With our new cause for the season being Community Gardens, I have been thinking about ways that I can contribute to building sustainable local food systems when I head back to university in the fall. I volunteer regularly with the Wolfville Farmer's Market where I have access to fresh, healthy, and nutritious food and am wondering how I can use this to my advantage when helping others. 

​I decided to message a group of my AMAZING friends to ask if they would be willing to start a mini soup kitchen when we all return to Acadia in the fall, and it was so lovely to see how eager everyone was to get going. We then started brainstorming a bunch of other ways we could get involved with our community and help those in need throughout the year. I was so happy to see this response and it showed to me that all you need to do is ask and you will be flooded with support. 

However, as we plan out the logistics, there is still plenty of work that can be done in our different provinces while we live at home for the summer. I took a look through different websites to find food banks and meal programs close to me. Here's what I found -

https://www.feednovascotia.ca/find-food - Feed Nova Scotia's website is probably one of the most up-to-date resources online. If you click on the link provided you will be able to find all the necessary information to find any program near you! Feed Nova Scotia is a charitable organization that collects and distributes food to more than 150 food banks and meal programs around the province.
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http://adsumcourt.weebly.com/drop-in-centres-soup-kitchens--food-banks.html - The Adsum Court in Dartmouth is one of the locations for Adsum for Women & Children. This super helpful link provides a list of drop-in centres, food banks, and soup kitchens around HRM.  The locations are also written on the website along with days and times that their services are in use! 

I also asked the brilliant volunteer coordinator at the Wolfville Market if she knew of any programs in the Valley and here are some of the things she told me -
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1. The Market has a program called Food Bucks which provides market dollars to those in need so that they are able to buy wholesome produce at the Market. This program is sustained through donations and volunteers!
2. https://www.facebook.com/pg/SharingOurUnappreciatedProduce/posts/ - SOUP or Save Our Ugly Produce is a local organization that takes food from farms and turns it into soup for those in need. Check out their Facebook page for more information!!
3. http://foundns.com/ - FOUND Forgotten Food is an organization in Nova Scotia that strives to reduce food waste by gathering and sharing forgotten fruits and vegetables. The group sources the food that wouldn't usually end up on our plates from local producers, farmers' markets, and even the trees around them.

About our cause!
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The Dartmouth North Community Food Centre is a project of the Dartmouth Family Centre. They believes in creating a welcoming space for people to come together to grow, cook, share, and advocate for good food! They pride themselves in providing people with access to high-quality food in a dignified setting that doesn't compromise their self-worth. Skills for cooking and gardening are taught and kids are encouraged to participate to expand their taste buds and help them to make healthier food choices. Community members find their voices on the issues that matter to them, and people find friends and support. CFCs offer multifaceted, integrated, responsive and prevention-focused programming in a shared space where food builds health, hope, skills and community.

I am so glad that we have chosen this cause for the season and can't wait to get involved with our kind kraft events and projects!! Keep checking for upcoming events because we'd love to see you there!
 
Rhian xoxo