›› Susan Kim, Director of Operations at Fernwood NRG
Hello, friends, felines, and Fernwood-appreciators alike! It is an honour to join the Fernwood NRG staff team as the new Director of Operations. I’m nearing the end of my first month on the team, but some things still feel novel. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of opening my office door and hearing kids playing or smelling Community Dinner aromas coming from the kitchen. I moved to Lekwungen homelands years ago for school. Living on a student budget meant visiting the campus food bank and cosplaying as a raccoon when I began dumpster diving. The Good Food Box is an example of how the community of Fernwood supported me through those lean years. Now, it’s an incredible honour to be involved with the Good Food Box directly, and give back to the program and community that gave me so much. I’ve gotten to meet some of the volunteers who pack hundreds of boxes every Wednesday morning, as well
having witness to the logistical magic that takes food from producers to families. Looking back, I recall spending countless hours getting schoolwork done at the Cornerstone Café, munching on muffins and slurping up tea. Occasionally, friends who were getting their hair cut next door at Studio 1313
would rouse me from my studies to say hi. When I was done with my paper-writing for the day, I’d walk past colorfully painted utility poles, use the public washroom in the Community Centre, and then join community groups who had rented space in the building. It wasn’t until I joined the Fernwood NRG team and saw the entirety of its operational scope that I could appreciate how much this organization had contributed to my wellbeing and quality of life during those first years in the city. Now, I see how the NRG also provides family support, intergenerational community programming, childcare, and more.
Better yet: now, I get to be involved with all of these incredible initiatives. There are certainly days with the NRG that are harder than others, but no day has ever gone by slowly!