Good food is needed not just at Christmas, but all year long
>> Alex Harned
December is officially here! After many months of waited anticipation, it is finally permissible to engage in the bounty of holiday cheer. Frosted snowflakes and Rudolph sightings are commonplace in downtown shop windows, glowing strings of lights line the neighbourhood streets, and the faint hum of Christmas carols permeate every coffee shop street-corner. The season of giving compels local businesses and communities to open their wallets and hearts, giving perishable food and monetary donations to various holiday hamper initiatives.
Yet for many lower income or marginalized families, the task of purchasing holiday gifts can become an overwhelming financial burden, compounded by the cost of living, including rent, hydro, child-care and even food. It is a staggering realization that one in seven families are food insecure within the Capital Regional District. From Sooke to Saanich, there are families who struggle to provide their children with proper nutrition and a well-rounded diet. Shonna Bell, the Family Programs Coordinator at Fernwood NRG, is acutely aware of a need that is often rendered invisible within our communities: “Most of us take for granted the fact that we can stop at the grocery store on the way home and buy what we need for dinner. It’s something that families especially keep to themselves. You don’t want to advertise to people that you don’t have what your kid needs for their lunches.”
Although the joy of the holidays brings about an increase in seasonal giving, the barriers to inclusive food access are more complex than simply picking up a hamper. Trends show that more people are opting out of established food assistance programs, and that they do so for a variety of reasons, such as limited healthy food choices, deficits of culturally appropriate food, and associated social stigmas. These inhibiting factors show that, while they undoubtedly help alleviate food security for many, existing programs do not always provide an inclusive enough framework to reach those needing support. And, when the warm glow of festive lights and the comforting scent of holiday baking fade from our memories, so too will our seasonal generosity. It is important, then, that we not only consider sustaining our concern beyond the holidays, but that, insofar as we are compelled to support our neighbours in need, we choose those organizations capable of providing inclusive access to healthy food sources all year round.
Fernwood NRG’s Gift of Good Food program is one such initiative that supports families across Greater Victoria with fresh fruit and veggies for an entire year. Every $500 accumulated through donations supports a family on a bi-weekly basis with a bountiful Good Food Box, full of fresh seasonal produce, from kale to carrots, cucumber to potatoes, and many other local garden treats in between.
Donated funds are distributed amongst eleven participating community centres and transition houses from Sooke to Saanich. Donors are given the choice as to which communities they want to support, or to distribute their donation evenly across them. Last year, The Gift of Good Food raised nearly $50,000 and supported around 100 families until the end of this year. In the words of Teresa Norquay, the Family Programs Coordinator at Sooke Family Resource Society, noted, this service has proven to be “simply invaluable.”
Fernwood NRG hopes that this year the Gift of Good Food Program can expand its service to 200 families, setting their donation target at $100,000. And here is hoping that they reach that goal, for, as one recipient has expressed, the program has been an ongoing source of health and happiness well past the holidays: “I get that Good Food Box and I see healthy eating for my children. Basically it’s a gift, it’s a little Christmas gift every two weeks for my family.” Her family is still receiving Good Food Boxes from last year’s fundraiser.
How to get involved:
The Gift of Good Food is no ordinary fundraiser—unless your contribution to local charity consists of regularly drinking beer, doing yoga, or making holiday wreaths. Check out the Gift of Good Food Event Calendar for some of the public champion fundraising events happening in the community, or sign up to start your own! The goal is to raise $100,000 to support 200 families with fresh fruits and veggies for all of 2017, and it can be done with your help. The campaign runs until December 31st at midnight.
To donate to The Gift of Good Food, go to thegiftofgoodfood.ca/donate.
