Howdy Folks!
My name is Jason and I'm the new Community Harvest Field Coordinator based out of the Ottawa Food Bank. How exciting to be here and to actually be making my first contribution to the Blogoshere!
Just a bit about me: My work and educational background is in Agroecology (i. e. sustainable agriculture). In the recent past, I have been fortunate to work with farmers to implement integrated pest management strategies and to co-manage a small scale organic fruit and vegetable farm.
Just a bit about the program: Community Harvest Ontario - Ottawa is an innovative program that will contribute to a more sustainable food system here in the National Capital Region. The goal of the program is to engage local farmers, agricultural organizations and volunteers in order to increase the volume of fresh, local and healthy food donations to the Ottawa Food Bank.
The Community Harvest Ontario - Ottawa program comes at such a critical and opportune time.
Why is it Critical? During the last year and a half, ever since the beginning of the recent economic recession, many concurrent forces such as unemployment, rising costs for basics, and inadequate government supports have lead to a dramatic increase in poverty across Ontario. A strong indicator of this trend has been a 19 percent spike in demand for food bank services. 375 000 Ontarians now turn to food banks each month. A greater demand for food bank services is forecast for this year.
Locally, the Ottawa Food Bank has also seen an increase in demand during the economic downturn. 43 000 people now receive emergency food assistance each month, of which 35 percent are children. Compounding the issue of increased demand is the recent relocation of an important produce distribution centre out of Ottawa. This centre was a major source of nutritious, fresh and frozen produce donations for the Food Bank.
Why is it an opportune time? Over the last 10 years there has been a constant increase in public awareness and action towards re-localizing agriculture across Canada. Farmers' markets are booming, chefs are sourcing local produce, young farmers are becoming successful entrepreneurs, community gardens are increasing in number, the list goes on and on.
Community Harvest donations will serve not only to create a stronger sense of community by building social sustainability - both through supporting our neighbours in need and by connecting volunteers with their local farms - but it will also benefit farms from greater exposure. Given the proven generosity of our local agriculturists and an increased public awareness about food, I am confident that we will see a strong interest in this program. I'm really looking forward to meeting with members of the agricultural community, volunteers and other stakeholders.
Please spread the word.
For more information regarding Poverty in Ontario, the Ottawa Food Bank and/or Community Harvest Ontario pilot projects, go to http://www.oafb.ca/cho.html and http://www.theottawafoodbank.ca/index.php
"Eating is an agricultural Act" Wendell Berry
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