Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute

Vanishing of the Bees: Movie Night and Potluck

2012-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Tuesday February 21
5:30-8:30
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Bring something delicious to share at our movie night and potluck! Get ready to watch a great film about the mysterious disappearance of bees and the impact this is having and will continue to have on food production.

Morning Star Community Cook - Part-time Employment Opportunity

2012-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

JOB OVERVIEW
The "Morning Star Program" is a community service for people living with few resources. The Morning Star Community Cook’s key responsibility is the delivery and co-ordination of a nutritious low-cost breakfast on Saturday mornings. This service is integrated with other components like showers, clothing, medical information, advocacy and outreach.

QUALIFICATIONS
 Knowledge in areas of nutrition, food handling, food preparation, menu planning and food service

 Strong interpersonal, organizational, leadership, communication and conflict resolution skills

 Previous experience in supporting people living in poverty and those living with multiple barriers

 Ability to recruit, supervise and motivate volunteers

 Ability to maintain partnerships and develop new food donation partnerships

 Ability to work in a team

 Use of own vehicle is an asset.

JOB DETAILS
Salary : $15.43 per hour
Schedule : 10 hours a week
Location : 5288 Joyce Street
Expected start date : As soon as possible
This is a unionized position covered by a Collective Agreement with CUPE Local 1936-05.

APPLICATION PROCESS
As per Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s Human Resources Policies and Procedures, all factors being equal, first priority will be given to internal and local applicants.

SUBMIT RESUMES WITH COVER LETTER BY: February 24, 2012
Please quote reference #CS13-09-01
Peter Greenwell
Homelessness Program Coordinator
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC V5R 6C9

Fax No: (604) 451-1191 or email: petergreenwell@telus.net

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!!
(ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED)

Community Film Festival and Urban Agriculture Webinar

2012-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

World Community Film Festival

The 11th annual World Community Film Festival runs Feb. 10-12 at Langara College. Saturday's films are all about food and farming: "La Via Campesina," "The Chocolate Farmer," "Saving the Seed," and more.

This wonderful and very reasonably priced film fest features documentaries on a range of subjects including food and farming and social justice, and environmental and labour issues.

All the films will be showing at Langara College

Visit the website for more information.

Equitable Strategies for Growing Urban Agriculture Webinar

Thu, Feb 16, 2012
5PM-6PM PST

A vibrant movement is afoot in cities across the country − farmers, activists, and community organizations are improving the health, economic outlook, and vitality of their communities through urban farming. Advocates are illustrating that urban agriculture is a pathway to making healthy food more available for low-income communities, a key to shifting the conversation on traditional economic revitalization efforts, and catalytic for battling the challenges of blight and abandonment.

Building from the recently released PolicyLink Urban Agriculture Tool, PolicyLink will be hosting a mini-series of webinars focusing on how low-income communities and communities of color are incorporating urban agriculture into their community development efforts and into policy infrastructures supporting this work.

The webinar in February will feature Green City Grower’s CEO Mary Donnell, Ian Marvy, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Added Value (see video here), and Malik Yakini, Chairman of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. Each panelist will discuss challenges and strategies for growing and sustaining urban agriculture projects in low-income communities and communities of color.

You can register for this webinar here.

Healthy Eating Workshops @ Britannia Community Centre

2012-01-31T17:39:00.000-08:00

To register for these great workshops offered by the Grandview Woodland Food Connection, contact Ian Marcuse at 604-718-5895. All the workshops will be held at Britannia Community Centre (1661 Napier St.).

Raw Vegan in 10 minutes
A gluten/dairy/diabetes/weight loss special.
Learn to make filling, easy raw & vegan recipes in 10 minutes with the least amount of equipment of investment.
Sun Feb 5, 2:00-5:00pm $18

Sinless Desserts for All
Chocolate lovers unite! this is YOUR day! A program for diabetics, the weight conscious and dessert lovers. use fruit, nuts and REAL chocolate to create artisan chocolates, ice cream and other blissful SIN FREE confections.
Q & A covering Raw Vegan & Diabetes as well as samples and recipes.
Sun. Feb 12, 2:00-5:00pm $20

Cleansing with Smoothies
All you need is a blender and an open mind! Breakfast, lunch and dessert never tasted so good. Sample some swetteners you’ve never heard of. Basic cleanse rituals and in-class samples.
Sun. Feb 19, 2:00-5:00pm $12

Fresh Roots Urban Farm: Employment Opportunity

2012-01-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Position: Fresh Roots Farm Manager
Organization: Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society http://www.freshroots.ca
Location: Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

Fresh Roots generates excitement and engagement by creating model urban farms in public spaces that activate the surrounding community.

Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society is committed to creating equitable access to local, healthy, sustainably grown food in Vancouver through urban farming and community engagement. Our urban farm fields facilitate urban farming internships, workshops, and volunteer opportunities. We partner with neighborhood organizations and schools who use our urban farm fields as hands-on, experiential learning classrooms to address food sovereignty, community health, and vocational skills development. Our fields host community gatherings and celebrations. Using multiple sites, Fresh Roots exemplifies an effective way Vancouver can confront global challenges of pollution, land degradation, and poor nutrition within our society.

Farm Management: The Farm Manager is responsible for the development and operations of Fresh Roots Urban Farms including infrastructure development, propagation, soil preparation, cultivation, irrigation, crop selection, pest management, direct seed/transplanting, harvesting, compost maintenance, vermicompost maintenance, etc. The Farm Manager will work closely with the Executive Director to ensure on-time execution of food distribution to our food outlets: restaurants, school cafeterias, markets and our weekly local CSA. S/he also manages all farm work conducted by interns and volunteers. Farm management responsibilities also include managing the farm budget, maintenance of farm equipment and facilities, and maintenance of accurate records of all farm activities.

Public Education: Working closely with the Executive Director, the Farm Manager ensures that visitors to the farm are integrated into the farm in meaningful, productive and educational ways. This typically means that the Farm Manager needs to be available, when feasible, during farm tours as well as to teach in some visitor education programs.

Additional Responsibilities: Fresh Roots has a very lean staff. The Farm Manager is asked to support the Executive Director in other ways as needed. This includes teaching a workshop to a visiting school class or serving as the staff liaison for urban agriculture related events and partnership meetings.

Supervision and Administration: The Farm Manager is supervised by the Executive Director. The Farm Manager will supervise all farm apprentices, volunteers and/or interns. The Farm Manager makes sure that all farm support staff has appropriate work plans and effective oversight. The Farm Manager is expected to participate in weekly staff meetings and to perform administrative tasks essential for the successful operation of the farm and of the organization as a whole.

Requirements: The ideal candidate should have minimum 2 years market farming experience, taught hands-on sustainable agriculture to adults and managed adults on a working farm. Experience farming within an urban context is beneficial, but not required. We are looking for someone who is self-directed, personable, and excited to grow and support urban agriculture here in Vancouver. The candidate should be comfortable working with the local food movement: restaurants, consumers, non-profits, and city officials. The candidate should be in personal alignment with the mission, values and heart/mind/body/spirit approach of Fresh Roots. The candidate should also be computer literate and comfortable with technology, social networks and email outreach.

Position begins February 20, 2012. Salary dependent on experience.

To apply: Please email résumé, cover letter, and 3 references to ilana@freshroots.ca. In your cover letter, please state why you are interested in this position and how your experience relates to the job responsibilities described above.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urban / Backyard Farming & Gardening in Canada:
Toronto: http://google.ca/search?q=urban+agriculture+toronto
- Yes In My Backyard http://thestop.org/yes-in-my-back-yard
- Young Urban Farmer's CSA http://yufcsa.com
- Not Far from the Tree http://www.notfarfromthetree.org
- More http://www.google.ca/search?q=urban+farm+toronto
Brampton: http://www.thecuttingveg.com/
Guelph, Ontario: http://www.backyardbounty.ca
Collingwood, Ontario: http://www.freespiritgardens.org
Winnipeg, Manitoba: http://www.fortwhyte.org/fortwhytefarms
Vancouver BC: http://www.ffcf.bc.ca/resources/kp/urban.html
- Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society http://www.freshroots.ca/
- Yummy Yards http://www.yummyyards.ca
- Farmers on 57th http://farmerson57th.wikispaces.com/
- SOLEfood Farm http://www.1sole.wordpress.com
- more http://google.ca/search?q=vancouver+urban+farm
Vancouver Island: Faires Farms, http://fairesfarms.com
Canada & Worldwide: http://www.sharingbackyards.com/
More: http://www.google.ca/search?q=backyard+farming
http://www.google.ca/search?q=urban+agriculture

About Urban Agriculture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_agriculture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Urban_agriculture
http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22urban+agriculture%22

Sustainable Food Jobs, Internships & Volunteering
GoodWork Canada http://goodworkcanada.ca/gw.php?theme=food
SOIL (Canada) http://soilapprenticeships.org
WWOOF (Worldwide) http://wwoof.ca and http://planetfriendly.net/wwoof.html
Manitoba Farm Mentorships http://organicfoodcouncil.org/mentorship.html
Alberta Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship http://startfarming.ca
CRAFT Ontario http://www.craftontario.ca

Create your own organic job / green business
http://goodworkcanada.ca/createyourowngreenjob#food

What is CSA / Community Shared Agriculture?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture
Google: http://google.ca/search?q=community+shared+agriculture
http://google.ca/search?q=community+supported+agriculture
News: http://news.google.ca/news?q=community+shared+agriculture+CSA
CSA's in Canada: http://planetfriendly.net/organic.html#csa

About Market Gardening
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_garden
http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22market+gardening%22

[from Canada's Green Job Site, http://GoodWorkCanada.ca ]

Kimchi Making, Sodium Games, and the UN Right to Food Rapporteur

2012-01-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Digging into cabbage kimchi at our most recent free fermentation workshop.

In case you missed our cabbage kimchi workshop, you might want to check out the Trout Lake-Cedar Cottage Food Network's upcoming workshop:

"Kimchi, a staple in the Korean diet is a medley of pickled vegetables in a spicy marinade. Come learn how to prepare, can and serve this traditional Korean side. Take a couple of cans home with you!
Wednesday, February 29th , 6-9pm
$15/$5 seniors

Register online or call 604-257-6955.

Sodium Games

How much do you know about sodium (salt) and its effects on your health? Are you looking for some low-sodium recipe ideas? The Healthy Eating Team and Healthy Families BC web team has developed an online interactive game called Sodium Sense. You can play the game here.

Right now there isn't a lot of diversity in the menu options, but the team will be adding more food ideas as time goes on. Have ideas for food and snack options that should be included in the game? You can send your comments to Lisa Forster-Coull, Provincial Nutritionist.

UN Right to Food Rapporteur Plans Spring Mission to Canada

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food is planning a mission to Canada this spring -- the first such mission to a developed country.

Olivier De Schutter was appointed to the position in 2008 and is tasked with promoting the right to adequate food and freedom from hunger, examining ways to overcome barriers to these rights, and recommending steps to help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goal of halving global hunger by 2015.

Previous missions have included Nicaragua, Brazil, China and most recently Madagascar. The Canadian mission is planned for May, although the exact dates and itinerary are not yet confirmed, according to the team's communications assistant, Nick Jacobs.

De Schutter has criticized the WTO's "trade-centric approach" to food security and cautioned against simply boosting food production as a reaction to world hunger. In a June, 2011 op-ed in the Guardian, he wrote that "hunger is neither the result of demographic problems nor just the result of a mismatch between supply and demand. It is primarily the result of political factors that condemn small farmers, the main victims of hunger, to poverty."

In response to a request from the office of the rapporteur, Food Secure Canada compiled a "joint civil society" submission that lays out five broad priority issues for Canada: poverty and the right to food; indigenous peoples and the right to food; the industrial food system and the right to food; governance and the right to food, and Canada and the right to food internationally. These priorities were established based on submissions for more than 40 groups across the country (including the Aboriginal People's Congress, Food Matters Manitoba, the People's Food Policy (National), the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research and the Squamish Foodies, according to the submission document.

The submission also noted three topics where there was a divergence of opinion -- food banks, raw milk and supply management. "Some submissions suggested that food banks be immediately closed down due to the potential for masking issues of hunger and poverty, and others underlined the very necessary role they play in meeting day to day urgent food needs," the document reads. Likewise, "some submissions made a strong case for legalizing raw milk. . . while other within the dairy sector are opposed to the legalizations of raw milk stating health concerns." On the issue of supply management, the submission notes that while it elicited general support in principle, there is disagreement over the form it should take. "Some support the existing supply management models, while others feel the system often works to the disadvantage of smaller producers.

By Colleen Kimmett
January 13, 2012 03:00 pm

Workshop and Event Schedule

2012-01-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

Sprouting chayote (donated by one of the local seniors) beside a non-sprouting chayote. This vegetable is a kind of big seed; as it sprouts it consumes the nutrients stored in the vegetable. Notice how skinny the sprouted one has gotten from eating up its energy reserves!

To register for workshops at Collingwood Neighbourhood House please call 604 435 0323 or email foodsecurity@cnh.bc.ca To register for workshops at Renfrew Park Community Centre (2929 E22nd Ave.) call 604 257 8388. Registration is required for all activities.

We need one week’s advance notice in order to provide child-minding.

Tue. January 17
5:30-8:30pm
Fermentation: cabbage kimchi workshop
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Wed. January 25 5-8:30pm
Community Kitchen
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Tue. February 21
5:30-8:30
Potluck and Movie night
Film title TBA (English with Chinese subtitles)
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Wed. February 29
5:00-8:30pm
Community Kitchen
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Sat. March 10
10am-2pm
Seed Swap and Sale
Renfrew Community Centre

Wed. March 21
7pm-9pm
Planning Your Year-Round Garden
Renfrew Community Centre

Wed. March 28
5-8:30
Community Kitchen
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Sat. March 31
10am-2pm
Seed Swap and Sale
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

A Review in Pictures and Video

2012-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

2012 marks the ten year anniversary of the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute. In the last decade, we've expanded our initiatives quite a bit. Our staff and volunteer family has grown up along with the Food Justice movement in Vancouver--we're very proud to be a part of a local and global movement that strives for justice and equality in our food systems.

Here's a video of our coordinator (Steph) speaking at the October 12 "Our Neighbourhoods, Our Food" event at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Erin Kastner from the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project gives a thoughtful introduction.

Here's half a year's review of our activities in pictures. Blogger's formatting isn't really cooperating so the text and pictures may not match up on some computers. We're sorry about that and we're working on resolving this issue this year...meanwhile, please enjoy!

Norquay Community Learning Orchard (August 9, 2011).

Jason at the Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden about a year after we began converting the empty lot that used to be here.

An abundance of shiso, scallions, chard, and other delights.

Adding lemon juice to a pint jar at a tomato-canning workshop. It is generally considered safe to can tomatoes in a boiling water bath (rather than a pressure canner) as long as you add lemon juice. This ensures sufficient acid content to deter bacterial growth.

Summer practicum student Melanie working in the corn patch on the Rooftop Garden.

A hefty dose of chicken manure from a local farm gave us an abundance of leafy greens this year. Kale seedlings donated by volunteer Teemuz Arsiray flourished all summer and fall.

Black patches on tomato stems are a sure sign of blight. Blight is a type of fungus that can easily infect tomato plants in our rainy coastal climate. Crop rotation and growing tomatoes under cover can help prevent the spread of this disease.

Tomatillos. Native to Mexico and Guatemala, the tomatillo was used as a food plant by the Aztecs and is still an important ingredient today. The plants are not very self-fertile, meaning if you have less than two in the garden, your yields will be quite low.

Gardeners' potluck picnic at the Collingwood Community Gardens.

Summer salsa workshop at Renfrew Community Centre.

More summer salsa at Renfrew.

Volunteers creating planters out of recycled plastic and burlap bags (bags donated by Ethical Bean Coffee).

Rooftop beans.

Green zebra tomatoes.

We plant plenty of flowers to entice bees and other pollinators to spend time on the Rooftop Garden.

Ruby orach seeds. Orach (sometimes called Mountain Spinach) tastes a lot like kale. Kids' Kitchen participants discovered that it's delicious in lasagna.

Tomatillo flowers turned out to be very popular with bumblebees.

Borage and Asian greens in the background (a few minutes before we pulled them out to make room for lettuce). Bees are crazy about borage. They can't get enough of it.

Cornflowers (also called Bachelors' Buttons) are pretty additions to salads. A wildflower native to Western Europe, cornflowers are endangered there because of intense herbicide use. In France they're used to commemorate the 1918 Armistice (in Canada we use poppies instead).

Bok choy and arugula flowers make a flavourful addition to salads.

Slugs hiding in the lettuce patch. Yuck.

Summer harvest fun!

Harvesting leeks. Turned out some of the leeks were quite tough, so we blanched them before stir-frying them at Community Kitchen.

Community kitchen.

Kohlrabi growing at Collingwood Community Gardens.

Cleaning up after a plum jam workshop.

Harvest Fair entry for "Craziest Carrot."

Cassandra volunteering at our information booth at the Harvest Fair in Slocan Park (hear Cassandra speaking about the Youth Food Policy Council by clicking on the link below)

Local politicians Adrian Dix (MLA) and Dr. Kerry Jang (Deputy Mayor) judging entries at the Havest Fair...in consultation with local residents, of course!

Some of our proud competition winners.

In 2011, Collingwood Neighbourhood House celebrated its 25th anniversary. We celebrated by planting fruit trees in Gaston Park to honour our major supporters over the years.

Working together to plant the trees. We selected trees to reflect our community's diverse food traditions. We included quince, Asian pear, Italian plum, apples, cherries, and Saskatoon berries.

Asian pear tree came free with Asian pear!

Food Skills for Families pilot program for seniors.

Harvesting collard greens for community kitchen.

Cleaning out the mason bee house. We'll be posting a separate entry about mason bees with more detailed pictures in the springtime.

Students from the Collingwood ABE program after cooking up their first (amazing!) fundraiser luncheon, along with their teaching assistant Pearl, and volunteers Barry and Najia.

Food Skills for Families Seniors pilot program.

Very serious times at the pears in syrup canning workshop.

Smelling garden fresh sorrel at community kitchen.

Sorrel soup in progress.

Purple tomatillo bush growing wild at the Norquay Community Learning Orchard--the product of a 2010 seed bombing mission.

Planting grape and kiwi vines at the orchard.

Food Skills for Families pilot caregivers' edition.

Community Lunch volunteers Crecien and Karen.

Community Lunch holiday celebration supported by many local volunteers and musicians of all ages.

Urban Farming Workshop Series: Crop Planning

2011-12-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

Date: Sat. January 21, 2012
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where: Hastings Branch of Vancouver Public Library (2674 East Hastings St)
Cost: $50.00
Click here to register.

For producers in their first year of production, or about to start, or for producers looking to refine their rotation. Josh Volk, of Slow Hand Farm, will be offering this workshop based on a system he has been developing and refining for the past 10 years plus.

This day-long workshop will show how good planning helps to save time in the peak season and allows you to manage long term goals.

What to Expect:
Refined crop planning and record keeping system
General principles for creating your own system
How to plan out hundreds of different plantings and keep track of them with minimal effort
Understand how current field choices affect future crop options
How to integrate cover crops
Be converted to Excel Spreadsheets: shotcuts and techniques that will make you more efficient and effective

Josh will use case studies to show successful crop rotation systems: setting and prioritizing goals, creating crop rotation groups, and mapping rotation through time and space. He will then guide participants through the planning process as they apply their knowledge first-hand.

Free Gardening Workshops

2011-11-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

Join Evergreen at City Hall for two FREE workshops that will help you make the most of next year’s gardening season.

Garden Planning and Preparation with Grant Watson
Thursday, December 1st, 5:30 – 7:30 pm,
Meeting Room 3, Creekside Community Centre

Start thinking about getting your beds ready for spring planting. A sound garden plan that takes all the key factors into consideration has a better chance of giving you a bountiful harvest throughout the year!

Grant Watson is a former organic farmer, community organizer and local food advocate; he operates Grant’s Gourmet Gardens, an edible landscaping business.

Workshop is free and refreshments will be provided. Please register by Monday, November 28th. Limit of 10 people.

Natural Pest Management with Arzeena Hamir
Monday, December 5th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm,
Vancouver City Hall, Strathcona Room

Keep those pesky bugs from ruining the food crops you’ve worked so hard to grow. Learn how to keep your garden free of pests without using dangerous or harmful chemicals. It’s better for you and better for the planet!

Arzeena Hamir is an agronomist specializing in organic vegetable gardening.
Workshop is free and refreshments will be provided. Please register by Monday, November 28th. Limit of 12 people.

To register or for more information, email Helen or call 604.689.0766 ext. 30

Talk Food to Us: Seeking Community Food Animators

2011-11-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

A warm hello from the Vancouver Food Policy Team!

Over the last few months, the City of Vancouver Food Policy team has been working on the beginnings of the Vancouver Food Strategy, the City's first official food plan. A backgrounder about the Food Strategy and Food Policy in the City of Vancouver is attached for your reading pleasure.

Some of you might have already been asked to share favourite memories, moments, and stories of food in Vancouver which we you will see starting to appear on our blog: Vancouverfoodpolicy.tumblr.com. Thank you for those, they were amazing to read and we look forward to sharing them with others. If you have not yet had a chance to share your food experiences of the city yet you can submit them through the blog at http://vancouverfoodpolicy.tumblr.com/submit.

We are in the first part of public engagement for the Food Strategy and keeping in tune with our mantra "Talk Food With Us" we have been going to various events around town talking about food with Vancouverites: where they get it from, if they grow it, how they prepare it, dispose of it, etc. as well as identifying where great food destinations are in their neighbourhoods or "food assets" and what is missing from their neighbourhood food system "food gaps", and on...Check out our blog to read about some of the events we've already been to.

But we can't talk food with Vancouver alone and know that conversations and stories about food are everywhere, everyday. That's why we're looking for Volunteer Community Food Animators who will bring food conversations alive throughout the city and help inform the food strategy.

The goals of Community Food Animation however go beyond informing policy, and being an animator doesn't require you to be a policy person at all. The only requirements are that you have passion, interest, and as much extra time as you're willing to commit. The brochure detailing the Community Food Animation program is attached with more details.

Do you think you might want to volunteer to be a City of Vancouver Community Food Animator?

We would love to hear from you if you think you might! There will be periodic orientation sessions and an animation toolkit available with activities and tips for engagement to get you up and animating.

If you are interested...

1) We would also love to find out whether you speak other languages and if you have ideas already about who you might like to engage with as a Community Food Animator (e.g. my neighbours, other gardeners at my community garden, a seniors' centre close to where I work, my co-workers) and in what part(s) of the city.

2) Are you interested in having an orientation? We expect that some people might feel confident to go ahead and animate once you have the toolkit and others might want an orientation with some pointers on community engagement. Our first orientation session will be on November 23rd, from 5-6pm at the Woodwards Building. Please let us know if you would like to attend, or if that date doesn't work but you would like an orientation session and we'll try our best to accommodate you.

3) Know other folks who would be great Community Food Animators? Great! This is the beginning of the initiative so we would love to get connected with them as well. Feel encouraged to pass along this message to your networks!
Just send us an email and you'll hear back from us soon with next steps. We would like to have some Community Food Animation underway as soon as possible. Get in touch to get animating! We've even got prizes up our sleeves…

Timeframe

-Optional Orientation: November
-Community Food Animation Happening: November-December (and possibly longer)
-Check-In Week (when we would love to hear from you on how it's going): mid-November
-First Animations Complete and Feedback from Animators: early-December

Questions, other thoughts, and follow up to the next steps can be sent to the Food Policy team at foodpolicy@vancouver.ca or 604-873-7764.

You can also check out:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/

Vancouverfoodpolicy.tumblr.com

twitter.com/CoVFoodPolicy

Sincerely,

The City of Vancouver Food Policy Team
Chashma Heinze, Erin Bett, James O'Neill, Terra Kaethler, Wendy Mendes & Zsuzsi Fodor

Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice: Fundraiser

2011-10-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY OCTOBER 30th: Capitalism is Scary! A Halloween and 5 Year Anniversary Fundraising Dinner for the Organizing Centre

Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street)
Doors Open at 6:30pm * Dinner at 7:00pm * Live music starts at 8:00pm

Do privatization and corporate bail-outs make your hair stand on end? Do you think Stephen Harper is spooky? Join us on the evening of Sunday, October 30th and enjoy an excellent dinner, followed by live (and lively!) local music. Costumes are encouraged!

This is also a chance to support the Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice as we come up to our fifth anniversary at our Broadway and Main location. We can hardly believe it's been that long, but we did the math and it's true! That's five years of building local grassroots working class movement and international solidarity. Please come celebrate with us and help make our next five years possible!

This is an accessible space (front door is street level with no stairs and is large enough to allow a wheelchair, and the bathroom is wheelchair accessible).

The Organizing Centre is home to the Alliance for People's Health, the Food Action Collective, Workers Across Borders, and People's Health Radio. You can find out more at http://organizingcentre.wordpress.com

Tickets:
* $25 Single Ticket (kids under twelve eat free)
* $40 Sponsor (one ticket and your name in program)
Solidarity sponsorship is available at $320 and includes reserved table (8 seats), name on table and name in program.

Please contact Jen at organizingcentre@gmail.com or call 604-566-4745 to purchase tickets. Tickets must be purchased in advance; we will not be selling tickets at the door.

Volunteers:
We love volunteers! We are in fact a volunteer-run centre. If you are interested in helping out at the fundraiser we would love to hear from you. Please email Jen at organizingcentre@gmail.com

Vandals at Work: Call for Volunteers

2011-10-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Work on the newly repaired and revitalized Berry Trail mural has just been completed and vandals are already working to destroy it.

If we don't take immediate action, there will be a perceived incentive for vandals to continue to deface and disrespect this work which so many of us have worked hard to create together.

Due to the nature of the situation this is very short notice, but we are asking for any available volunteers to help apply an additional (anti-graffiti) protective coating to the Berry Trail mural on MON OCT17 and/or TUE OCT18, 10-12AM as the graffiti will have been removed & repaired by that time.

For more information, contact Rosanne.

Homeless Action Week: Community Meal and Ideas Gathering

2011-10-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Colourful harvest meal made with love at the UBC Aboriginal Kitchen Garden for 2011's sockeye salmon celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This year Thanksgiving coincides with Homeless Action Week and we want your thoughts on how best to work on homelessness in our community of Renfrew-Collingwood.

We will be hosting a community meal and ideas gathering:

Saturday, October 15th
8am and 9am sittings
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce St.

If you would like to attend or volunteer please contact Peter Greenwell or leave a message at 604-435-0323.

This event is sponsored by the Renfrew-Collingwood Homeless Commitee and our partners at Collingwood Community Policing Centre, Evergreen Health Centre, Renfrew Park Community Centre, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and the City of Vancouver.

Other Ways to Help Out

This holiday weekend, remember to think of those who are in need and, if you can, help put food on the tables of those less fortunate. Want to know how else you can help out?

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank supports the work of non-profit agencies (including the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute!). They are always looking for volunteers to lend a hand, as well as donations of food items or money. They're currently in great need of the following items:

•Canned meat and fish
•Whole wheat pasta and rice
•Canned fruit and vegetables

You can drop off these items at most chain grocery stores in your neighbourhood, or at the food bank directly at 1150 Raymur Avenue.

Meanwhile, please enjoy this highlight reel from Sesame Street's upcoming prime time special on childhood hunger in the US...and have a wonderful weekend!

Food for All: A Conference on Poverty and Global Food Security

2011-10-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 15 2011
8:30am-5pm
Hebb Theatre
2045 East Mall

What do we need to know about global food security and poverty? What are some of the solutions the international community should be pursuing and how can one person make a difference?

To mark World Food Day and the International Day for the Eradication of poverty, the B.C. Council for International Cooperation’s Working Group to End Global Poverty presents Food for All: A Conference on Poverty and Global Food Security. The conference will explore these questions and more. An exciting line-up of speakers deliver short, engaging talks, followed by interactive workshops that link global poverty and food justice issues with local concerns and create an environment to come up with a plan of action that can be carried forward to affect real change.

This will be a great networking opportunity – a variety of organizations will be on hand to provide information about career and volunteer opportunities. The one-day event for is geared towards youth 16-30, but anyone with an interest in food security and global poverty is encouraged to attend.

Click here to register.

New Canning Schedule and Mural Revitalization

2011-10-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Giving peas a chance at September's community kitchen.

Fall is officially here! The Horley Orchard is nearly complete, construction of the Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden is almost set to begin, eleven new fruit trees have been planted in Gaston Park, and jars and jars of pickles, salsa, chutney, and jam have been preserved for the winter.

Photos of these happenings (and more) are soon to come. Meanwhile, check out our canning workshop schedule and if you live or work in Renfrew-Collingwood, sign up today!

Daikon (radish) kimchi
Wed. October 19 5:30-8:30pm

Community kitchen
Wed. October 26 5-8:30pm

Spiced pears in syrup
Wed. November 9 5:30-8:30

Cinnamon-spiked apples in syrup
Wed. November 23 5:30-8:30pm

Community kitchen
Wed. November 30 5-8:30pm

Pickles (Vietnamese and Western)
Wed. December 7 5:30-8:30

Cranberry ketchup and cranberry chutney
Sun. December 11 1-4pm

Mural Revitalization

Five years ago, local artists teamed up with community gardeners to revitalize the area near Joyce Skytrain Station. In an effort to increase safety around the station, community members founded Collingwood Community Gardens and planted the Native Berry Trail.

These food growing projects were accompanied by two lush community murals--the Berry Trail mural by Jerry Whitehead, and the Fruit and Veggie mural by Jon Wright. Over the years, the murals have been repeatedly vandalized and nearly destroyed.

With funding from the Vancouver Park Board's Neighbourhood Matching Fund and the support of 104 volunteers, the murals have been restored to look new again. Please enjoy this video which tells the story of the restoration project.

Harvest Fair and Moon Festival

2011-09-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Please join us for the annual Harvest Fair and Moon Festival!

The 9th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival will take place on Saturday, September 17.

4-7pm
Harvest Fair
Slocan Park (at 29th Avenue Skytrain Station)
Come out to celebrate the full moon, local food, and community. Enjoy live music and entertainment, baked potatoes and sweet cinnamon apples, make a lantern, and meet new neighbours. Bring the best of your garden and enter to win prizes!

This year's categories:

Most sizeable sunflower
Most bountiful flower bouquet
Most gorgeous green bouquet
Most creative fall display
Tastiest homemade jam/jelly
Most alluring Asian vegetable
Most cumbersome cabbage
Tubbiest tomato
Heaviest zucchini
Sexiest squash
Beefiest bean
Craziest carrot

7:15-7:45pm
Twilight Lantern Parade
Slocan Park to Renfrew Park

7:30pm
Festivities!
Lanterns, music, tea and mooncakes at Renfrew Park

8:45pm Finale Performance on Renfrew Field

Volunteer Chefs wanted for Community Kitchens at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House

2011-09-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House is looking for creative chefs with a passion for social justice to volunteer their time once a month to run a themed Community Kitchen as part of our Right to Food programming. Themes include food preservation (canning, pickling, etc.), health (i.e. cooking for diabetes), baking, and food from different cultures. We are also open to chefs proposing their own themes.

All Community Kitchens follow the DTES NH Right to Food philosophy, which upholds the human right of Downtown Eastside residents to abundant, local, fresh and nutritious food. Food created and served at the DTES NH should use the freshest ingredients and avoid refined sugars and processed foods.

For more information please contact Melanie Spence, Food Activist at the DTES NH: (604) 215-2030

Thank you,

Melanie

--

Melanie Spence
Food Activist, DTES Right to Food Initiative

Mondays through Fridays

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House [DTES NH]
www.dtesnh.wordpress.com
Located on unceded Coast Salish Territory

Our Neighbourhoods, Our Food! Building More Food Secure Neighbourhoods

2011-09-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Pictured: Moving soil at the Collingwood Community Gardens (photo courtesy Arien Crossby).

RC FSI will be co-hosting this event and we hope you can make it!

Wed. October 12
5:30PM-8PM
The Roundhouse Community Centre
Black Box Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews
FREE (Registration required)

Are you interested in growing your own food or starting a community kitchen? Do you have food skills you’d like to share with your neighbours?

Come to this lively evening of presentations by community groups from across Vancouver who are making their neighbourhoods more resilient, neighbourly and food secure.

Presenting groups will include recipients of the 2010 Greenest City Neighborhood grants, and others! There will even be a round of Food Jeopardy, courtesy of The Downtown Eastside Kitchen Tables Project!

From community potlucks and mobile produce markets to bulk buying clubs, it’s a bumper crop of great ideas.

Refreshments will be provided. Please register in advance as seating is limited and we want to make sure we have enough food.

This event is graciously hosted by SUSTENANCE: Feasting on Arts and Culture Festival. Centered around World Food Day, SUSTENANCE is a celebration which reflects the intersection of art, culture and food in real life! Come join the fun and enter into an exciting dialogue with food from local to global, from historic to present day! Oct 8 – Oct 19th.

Accessibility Notes: The Roundhouse Community Centre is a wheelchair accessible venue. Transit subsidy available at the registration table. Onsite childcare spots available- please pre-register at 604 879 1386.

Click here to register for the event.

Creating a vertical garden using recycled coffee sacks (sacks donated by Ethical Bean Coffee).

Collingwood Composting-in-Action: A Neighbourhood Tour

2011-08-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Compost bins made from repurposed shipping pallets. Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden.

Visit real life examples of composters in action by touring Collingwood compost sites at the Neighbourhood House and a nearby Community Garden. Get an overview of compost basics – what goes in, how to maintain it and why it has value as 'black gold' for your garden and lawn areas.

Wednesday August 31
7-8 PM

Meet at the Viva Collingwood summer plaza (at the east exit of Joyce Skytrain Station).

From Flowers to Food Workshop at VanDusen Garden

2011-08-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

There is still space in the "Flowers to Food" family program this Saturday, August 20th.

Learn all about how pollinators make it possible for us to eat well! Discover how flowers become food as we visit VanDusen’s beehives, take the “Honey Taste Test” and explore VanDusen's Heirloom Vegetable Garden’s amazing diversity of tomatoes, potatoes, artichokes, squash, corn, cabbage and more.

Cost is $10 for garden members or $20 for non members. This fee covers up to 2 adults and 3 children, and you are welcome to explore more of the Garden after your program.

Contact Tania Clarke via email or phone and sign up today! Time slots are 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., and the program runs for 90 minutes.

Tania Clarke
Education Assistant
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Phone: 604-718-5898
Fax: 604-263-1777
schoolprograms@vandusen.org

Community Orchard: Update!

2011-08-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the folks who spent a weekend or three helping us put up the Community Orchard! We've taken advantage of the good weather and got a whole lot done. A recap:

1) Cedar Trellises - Made possible by Mr. Robert Allen, who put his quality craftmanship into each of the 3 red cedar trellises, complete with bench seating. Along with Edmond and Lana, we finally completed them this past Saturday evening. An amazing job!

2) Native Berry planting - With the amount of digging done by our wonderful volunteers led by current and past students from Windermere Community Secondary under Barry's careful guidance, we planted 15 varieties of native fruit-bearing plants all over the site. Great work everyone!

3) Bike Wheel Pathway Trellis - Utilizing recycled bike wheels from charitable bike shops around the city, Sanjeev, Henry, Chanel, Francisco, and Ken put their hearts (and their backs) into digging in the new trellises. They'll soon be crawling with fruits on the vine.

4) Gravel Pathway - Thanks to Simon and his crew from the City, the site got cleaned up (2 dump-truck loads of garbage), and had the site made more accessible by filling in dips and putting in a gravel pathway. Thanks to Erin MacDonald at the City for making it possible!

5) Landscaping - Andrew and the kind folks at Silverback Treeworks dropped off a complimentary load of bark mulch and cedar logs to help our orchard off to a good start. Thanks to Mike for showing us how it's done and offering some advice for our novice gardeners to get us rolling.

6) Sign - A new chalkboard cedar sign was put up last minute by Sanjeev and Andrew - lookin' good!

7) And Melanie - thanks for the delicious treats you made us for the work parties. I'll get her to post some recipes up soon!

8) Youth Media - Thanks to Derrick, Thomas, and Jaclyn for helping us document the big build day!

Next Community Orchard Build: Saturday, August 6th - 10:30AM

2011-08-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

We're at the homestretch: With nearly all of the native berry shrubs planted, trellises raised, most of the grass and weeds under mulch, and benches well under their way, the Orchard is close to being ready for the Fall season. This Saturday, we'll continue work at the site with several tasks at hand:

1) Completing benches along trellises
2) Planting remaining shrubs in our perimetre garden bed
3) Installing bike-wheel trellises along the gravel path
4) Creating a new chalkboard sign for the Orchard

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail me, Jason, at jhsieh@cnh.bc.ca

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Norquay Community Orchard Update & Next Build Day: Sunday July 31

2011-07-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who made it out last Saturday to the Community Orchard Build! With nearly 30 volunteers, we planted over 20 plants, built 3 cedar arbours, and even pulled a few boulders out of the ground.

It was great to meet everyone from the neighbourhood - many of us learned a great deal about how to plant fruit trees. We also got some really good suggestions for how to shape the site!

Youth Media was kind enough to come by and document our build - we'll have pictures from the build up on the site soon!

We'll be back at work this coming Sunday (July 31st, 10:30AM onwards). Hopefully the weather holds up and we'll get a lot done! On the list, we have:
1) Planting the remaining Salmonberry and Blackcap Raspberry shrubs on the perimetre garden
2) Building benches out of the cedar logs on the site
3) Weeding and mulching the remainder of the site
4) Adding lattice to the cedar trellises

I look forward to seeing everybody on Sunday!

Jason
778.238.3300

2011-07-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

It may be the 22nd of July today but it sure doesn't look like summer in Vancouver. Of course, this has quite an impact not only on ourselves but also on the lovely plants everyone has been nurturing for the past few months and looking forward to enjoying and harvesting during the summer. While you may be finding, as we are, that your sun-lovin' plants such as tomatoes are shy to peak out in this chilly weather, many of our rooftop plants are showing their bravery and growing beautifully. We have had incredible success with our beans, peas, kale, lettuce, and many others. Luckily, it is not too late to plant many of these varieties and still have success with them.

One of the most striking plants for our rooftop this year has been our nasturtiums, which are on display in the pictures shared here. With both edible leaves and flowers, it's no wonder these garden beauties are popular in home gardens. If you like the look of the red, orange, and yellow flowers that can catch an eye or two even on the most dreary days, it is not too late to plant them. And if you're wondering what their use is, that is completely understandable. In an edible garden they are great because they can add a little colour to what can often be an otherwise boring landscape. If you have an aphid problem--or are afraid you might--you will find that they love nasturtiums and may leave your other plants alone. Our beans were saved by having nasturtiums in and around them. Of course, these nasturtiums we do not eat.

Once harvested and out of the garden, nasturtiums are still great! We have been using the leaves on sandwiches in place of lettuce to add that bit of crunch. They have a flavour that is subtle but nice. For example, we used them in a tuna sandwich served during one of our Community Lunches. The flowers are also great in a salad for colour and flavour. If you are interested in the use of nasturtiums or cooking with others from the community please join us at our Community Kitchen next Wednesday, July 27, from 5-8pm. In the plans? A nasturtium pesto! This is bound to be fun and interesting. Please call to register at 604-435-0323 ext 237.

Plant Now for Fall and Winter Harvests

2011-07-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Harvesting garlic scapes for community kitchen.

Rising energy costs and bad southern weather increased Canadian food prices by 2.1% in February and another 3.3% in March. Average vegetable prices rose 18.6%--lettuce cost 66.6% more than it did in March 2010!

According to a report called Resetting the Table: A People's Food Policy for Canada, about 2.5 million Canadians have uncertain access to sufficient safe, nutritious food. Food bank use rose 28% in two years and many of our neighbours must work harder than ever to put food on the table. Meanwhile the Conservative government’s food policy focuses on profitable crop exports rather than food insecurity in our communities.

So it’s no wonder that Canadians are increasingly interested in growing food at home. For new and seasoned gardeners alike, 2011’s long, cold spring was very discouraging but not to worry--July is still the perfect time to plant!

Take advantage of our mild winters and enjoy garden vegetables through the cold months. Plant collards, garlic, crinkled leaf kales, kohlrabi, leeks, and rutabagas now. Try arugula, Asian greens, corn salad, curly parsley, lettuces (try Winter Density or Rouge d’Hiver), spinach, and Swiss chard—but cover in winter.

Weather varies from year to year so be willing to experiment and don’t give up if you don’t always get great results. Keep a gardening journal and take note of what worked and what didn’t.

Visit West Coast Seeds for more gardening tips for our climate. Good luck!

Community Orchard One-Day Build - Saturday July 23

2011-07-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

We are hosting a one-day build at the Norquay Community Orchard on 2732 Horley Street (west of Earles) on Saturday, July 23 from 10AM.

Bring your gloves, shovel, drill, some friends, or just yourself, and meet others in the neighbourhood. We are going to be installing trellises, building garden beds, planting trees, and doing some major pruning - so come join us!

The Orchard will be a learning garden, where many sustainable and organic growing methods will be showcased - growing on trellises, in espalier, even in PVC pipes!

We`ll have snacks and refreshments - we hope to see you all there!

Salsa Canning

2011-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Rooftop Garden radishes.

We will be having a salsa canning workshop at Collingwood Neighbourhood House on July 19 from 2-5pm. Please register by contacting Stephanie.

We're also gearing up to build a toolshed at Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden. Progress is clipping along at the Horley Street Orchard and dates for big work parties will be posted very soon. We're excited to get some Native edibles into the ground and to get trellises prepared for fall tree planting.

Chicken Coop Project Seeking Vancouver Seniors for Youth/Senior Chicken Coop and Gardening Project

2011-07-08T12:44:00.001-07:00

Tending Generations (TG) is a project conceived by local chicken coop builder Duncan Martin of DailyEggs.com, by Lester’s Army Magazine and the Environmental Youth Alliance. The mission of TG is to bring together seniors and youth through food production — namely laying hens and vegetable gardens.

TG is currently seeking interested seniors, seniors’ homes, or individuals who are interested in participating and/or allowing a small plot of garden space for the project (around 100 sq. ft.). Commitment levels are flexible, and accessibility can be accommodated for people with disabilities.

Participation:

Participation involves: providing input into the design of a chicken coop (to be constructed by DailyEggs and community volunteers), sharing in the care (and eggs!) of a flock of 3-4 hens, tending a small garden patch for consumption by participants. Seniors with gardening/food production experience are encouraged to take part, as they can pass this knowledge to younger participants. The start date of the project is not set in stone, but TG hopes to commence in September after school has come back in session.

Both long-term and short-term commitment are encouraged.

Get involved!

If you are interested in either hosting a coop/garden plot or participating in any way, please contact Duncan Martin by July 6th at 604-329-3863 or at DailyEggs@gmail.com. Please feel free to pass this on to your networks and any seniors who may like to get involved.

Employment Opportunity

2011-07-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage Food Security Network (TLCC) Coordinator Position

Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage Food Security Network (TLCC)
JOB POSTING

Position Title: TLCC Coordinator
Reports to: TLCC Board of Directors
Term of Contract: Start immediately – January 2012 with possibility of extension.
Hourly Wage: $20.00/hr, 16 hrs/wk. Flexible schedules can be negotiated.
Deadline: Applications must be received by 4:30pm, Friday July 15th 2011

Description of Position:
The TLCC Coordinator will oversee overall TLCC coordination and support related activities with the following goals:
 Primarily responsible for actively pursuing & securing sustainable and ongoing funding for the TLCC activities.
 Support and maintain the existing pocket markets at Brant Villa, Orchard Park, Reclaiming Our Spirit and Culloden Court.
 Regular distribution of relevant information to Network members. Coordinate and facilitate monthly TLCC Board meetings
 Build community capacity to be involved in food security initiatives and increase awareness of available food security resources and networking opportunities.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Identify funding opportunities, develop grant proposals and create a “sustainability plan”.

• Identify and sustain opportunities for capacity building and partnerships between community leaders and agencies which would help support the work of the TLCC over the long term.

• Maintain and develop an email distribution list and blog. Develop promotional materials for Network activities.

• Monitor program finances, maintain accurate financial records, and ensure responsible budget implementation.

• Collaborate with other food security networks in Vancouver to share resources and identify opportunities for strengthening working relationships.

Qualifications:

• Sound understanding of food security principles and the spectrum of food based programs in Vancouver
• Confident leadership experience with community development and capacity building approaches to project development.
• Experience with community work and committee based processes, particularly related to pocket markets or farmer’s markets
• Strong grant writing and funding report writing skills
• Strong communication and computer skills, organization and time-management
• Must have a valid Food Safe certificate or be willing to obtain one.
• Experience with volunteer supervision, recruitment and training

NOTE: this position requires use of your own vehicle and a home based workspace.

Applications will be accepted until 4:30pm, Friday July 15th 2011.
Please submit your resume and cover letter to:
TLCC Food Security Board of Directors
Attn: Marlene Bell, Reclaiming Our Spirits
Helping Spirit Lodge Society
Fax:604-874-6635 or Email:spiritros@telus.net

June Snapshots, Farm to School Video, Employment Opportunities

2011-06-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Harvesting armfuls of organic kale and mint from the Rooftop Garden...and don't forget the cookie!

Organic rhubarb from the Rooftop Garden.

Don't play with your food?

The deliciousness of our rhubarb chutney is not captured by this photograph.

Unloading bricks at Cheyenne Avenue Garden (salvaged from a Depression-era fireplace and chimney that had been renovated).

Pumped about jam!

Pumped about jam--more!

As part of the Collingwood Days festival, we raffled off 7 "Heritage Garden" baskets. Each basket featured four important plants from different food traditions from around the world: Aboriginal, Chinese, Filipino, Italian, Latin American, South Asian, and "Edible Landscaping."

King of the Plant Sale.

And a glorious plant sale it was.

Food Security info booth @ Collingwood Days.

West Coast Seeds helps us make organic gardening affordable for local residents.

Our volunteers are among the happiest volunteers.

Farm to School Program

Graham Bruce Elementary, Windermere Secondary, and Queen Alexandra Elementary partnered on this Farm to School pilot to connect schools with farmers and farm-fresh food. The farm-to-table project engages diverse players: chefs; teachers; children; parents; farmers, and; community volunteers. This urban farming project grows food on school board land abd connect that work with learning opportunities for students. Secondary school culinary arts students prepare a well balanced selection of salad bar choices for nearby elementary school lunches with the harvest. As parents help select each meal their children to learn more about making healthy eating choices. School communities benefit from a program that supports and strengthens the local food system and reduces the system’s carbon footprint, while improving child nutrition, and offering opportunity to enhance student skills and knowledge about the environment, food systems and their own good health.

Click here to watch the video!

Employment Opportunities

1. Part-time Job: COOK & FOOD RESOURCE COORDINATOR - PRE & POSTNATAL SERVICES (Burnaby)

Application deadline: June 24, 2011 at 4:00pm

Burnaby Family Life has a part-time position available beginning July 2011, working 21-25 hours per week (Monday through Thursday), planning, purchasing, preparing lunch meals and clean up for their Pre & Postnatal program.

For more information about the job: View the job description.

Submit your letter and resume to: Lisa Lothian Supervisor, Pre & Postnatal Services Burnaby Family Life. Email: llothian [at] burnabyfamilylife.org or Fax: 604-524-4153

2. Part-time Job: DTES KITCHEN TABLES NUTRITIONAL OUTREACH TEAM (Vancouver)

Application deadline: Thursday, June 30, 2011

Potluck Café Society has 2 part time jobs available for the DTES Kitchen Tables Project Outreach Team. More details in this job description.

To Apply: Please send your resume by email to Johanna Li, johanna [at] potluckcatering.com or drop off your resume in person to the Potluck Café at 30 West Hastings Street between 9 am and 2:30 pm Monday to Friday.

3. Volunteer - COMMUNITY KITCHEN CHILDMINDING ASSISTANT (Vancouver)

Britannia Community Centre is looking for volunteers to assist with childcare for up to 10 children during their community kitchens, during the times 2-5pm on these dates - July 2, July 16, July 30, Aug 6, Aug 20, Sept 3, Sept 17 and Oct 1, 16, and 19.

They're looking for individuals who genuinely enjoy engaging with children in a safe, meaningful, fun way. Good communication skills and confidence and comfort working around children is beneficial.

For qualifications and more details: Please refer to the volunteer description on the Britannia Community Centre website.

To volunteer, please contact: Ian Marcuse, Community Kitchen Coordinator at 604-718-5895 or gwfcnetwork [at] gmail.com

4. Job Posting - COMMUNITY KITCHEN COORDINATOR (Mission)

Application deadline: June 27, 2011

Missions Kitchens is looking for a person who is passionate about sharing food preparation and preserving skills to be the Coordinator for the Heritage Kitchens. The Coordinator must have Food Safe Level 1, great organizational skills, and superb communication skills. The Coordinator will work closely with the Coordinator of the Skill Building kitchens (Wednesdays) for scheduling, networking, and promoting the kitchens. The Heritage Kitchens are on Saturdays so availability on that day is key, with some participation at other events, like Celebrate Mission and Farmers Markets. The role requires about 30 hours per kitchen, with 6 Heritage Kitchens from July to October. The remuneration for this role is approximately $2500.00.

For more details: Read the job description.

Please submit your resume and expression of interest to: Elizabeth Thomas: eatwrite [at] telus.net

Seeking Composting Volunteers

2011-06-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

Are You an Experienced Backyard Composter?

The City is looking for a handful of experienced composters to be part of a really interesting project this summer.

As part of an initiative to encourage backyard composting, the City will be working with 20 families in two small (4 block) areas in eastside neighbourhoods. In Grandview Woodlands the City is setting up a Compost Resource Team where the 20 participants receive expert instruction at bi-weekly workshops and field trips. In Renfrew Collingwood the City is delivering compost bins to the door and volunteers are providing Bin Doctor “house calls” to the 20 pilot participants.

Do you want to be part of this project?

Do you have time this summer to help out? We have some immediate volunteer opportunities as well as additional opportunities in July. Orientation will be included for all events.

Assessment and Recruitment Survey in Renfrew-Collingwood

Thursday June 16 – 5-8:30 PM
Sunday June 19 – Noon-4 PM

This week we are going door-to-door in the 100 home areas administering a 5-minute questionnaire survey on backyard composting. In the course of the survey, we also recruit the 20 participants in the pilot. Lunch and snacks included.

Bin Distribution Event in Grandview-Woodland

Thursday June 23 – 4:30 – 8 PM

Pilot participants come to pick up their compost bins and receive an orientation. Volunteers support staff with specific tasks during the event: showing participants how to weigh material going into their bins, etc.

Bin Distribution Event in Renfrew-Collingwood

Saturday June 25 – 10 AM – 4 PM
Sunday June 26 – Noon – 4 PM

Staff will deliver compost bins to participating homes. Volunteers will accompany staff and provide participants with instruction on how to assemble and use the bins.

Curbside Material Weighing

Monday June 20, 5-8:30 PM

As part of the pilot we will weigh participants’ curbside carts and recycling containers. Volunteers will help to roll carts onto scales (no heavy lifting) and record data. This will also take place two other times during the pilot.

For more details and to apply, email Tamara at tshulman@eba.ca or for more information visit this website.

Natural Pest Control Workshop @ South Van NH

2011-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone is invited to the next Food Security workshop presented by South Vancouver Neighbourhood House. There is space for 40 people.

WHAT’S IN YOUR CUPBOARD?

A Workshop on Natural Pest Control

Don't feel discouraged by insect damage in your garden! Join Estelle Bogoch, horticulturist, for a hands-on workshop in which we'll make two natural products for you to take home. Learn how to control insect problems in your garden without damaging the environment, and have a fun morning as well.

Saturday June 11th, 10 A.M. – 12 P.M. at the Nancy Styles Hall, Orchard Park, 5988 Nanaimo St & 45th Ave

Preregistration is required. Register at the SVNH front desk; by emailing foodsecurity@southvan.org; or by calling 604-324-6212

Cost: By Donation

Free Compost Bins, Collingwood Days, Summer Canning Workshops, Summer Employment Opportunity

2011-06-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Kimchi workshop.

Collingwood Days is our big annual community festival and is coming up this weekend. There will be lots of activities for people of all ages including a BMX trick show, rock climbing wall, live performances (including Hybrid Movement), face painting, Seniors' Strawberry Tea, and more.

This year's Food Security booth will feature seed and plant sales, volunteers to answer to your gardening questions, heritage garden plant displays, raffle prizes, healthy snack demonstrations, canning information, composting information, and lots of other fun stuff.

Carleton School (3250 Kingsway at Joyce St.)
Saturday June 4
11am-5pm.

If you live in Renfrew-Collingwood and would like to start composting, you can partcipate in our summer compost study and get yourself a very fine FREE compost bin! Click on the poster below for more details, or visit our Collingwood Days booth to find out more in person.

June Canning Dates

June canning workshops will be held at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce St.).

Rhubarb Chutney
Wednesday June 8
1-4pm

Seasonal Fruit Jam
Wednesday June 15
1-4pm

And don't forget that Community Kitchen is always the last Wednesday of the month from 5-8:30pm.

Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Security Practicum Opportunity

We're hiring!

Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute
c/o Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce. St, Vancouver BC
V5R 6C9, 604-435-0323

Term: July 8-September 2, 2011 (8 weeks)

Education Level
Secondary or post-secondary with an interest in planning, geography, social work, environmental sciences, agriculture/land and food systems,
anthropology.

Description of Organization
The Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute (RC FSI) is a non-profit organization established in 2002. We support and encourage initiatives focused on organic growing, healthful cooking, harvesting, sharing of food knowledge and resources, leadership development, and capacity building. The RC FSI works in collaboration with Collingwood Neighbourhood House to develop community learning, leadership and networking around the issues of food security and food sovereignty through a community development model.

We believe that food is a human right, and that the "right to food" means more than meeting basic nutritional requirements. We use food as a meeting point for community capacity building, inter-cultural and inter-generational understanding, and making Renfrew Collingwood a place of safety and belonging.

Description of Roles and Responsibilities

• Assist the Coordinator in promoting and developing food and food growing programs and resources, including rooftop gardening, community kitchens, and mason bee monitoring

• Facilitate or co-facilitate cooking and food preservation workshops with participants

• Work with volunteers and leadership teams to harvest and/or collect locally produced fruits and vegetables for distribution to low-income residents

• Document residents’ food traditions through photography, interviews, and storytelling transcription. Examples include immigrants’ gardening practices and Aboriginal food traditions

• Help map community food resources and facilitate participatory initiatives through volunteer support and leadership teams

• Assist in hosting community celebrations and educational events around organic food growing and sustainable food systems

• Assist in website/blog content development and maintenance

• Document and evaluate progress of work through weekly reports to supervisor

Specific Qualifications
Due to restrictions from HRSDC funding, the suitable candidates must be 15-30 years of age, legally able to work in Canada, and have been in full-time studies in the previous year and be returning to full time studies in the fall of 2011.

Preferred Qualifications Include

• Knowledge and passion for food issues and urban agriculture

• Familiarity with “food security” and “food sovereignty” issues

• Experience working with/leading volunteer teams

• Organizational and time management skills

• Ability to work independently and in groups

• Willingness to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings

• Preference will be given to persons living in the Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood

Training Provided
• Program development and delivery

• Community development models for sustainable agriculture practices, food sharing, and related issues

• Skills related to gardening, food preservation, leadership, and participatory workshop facilitation

• Opportunity to obtain Food Safe Level 1 certificate

Compensation
$13.50/hr + benefits (35 hrs/week)
This position is subject to funding through HRSDC Canada.

Closing Date
June 13, 2010

We thank all individuals who apply for this position, and will be contacting shortlisted candidates directly. No phone calls please.

Please send resume and cover letter to foodsecurity@cnh.bc.ca
Attention: Stephanie Lim.

Rhubarb Chutney Canning Workshop & Spring Snapshots

2011-05-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Preparing salad for Thursday's Community Lunch using freshly picked radishes from the Rooftop Garden.

We are celebrating the third birthday of our Rooftop Garden rhubarb plant with a rhubarb chutney canning workshop. Please join us to meet new neighbours, learn the basics of canning, and try a delicious new recipe.

Happy birthday Rhubarb! We are going to eat you.

Wednesday May 18
2-5pm
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce St.)
FREE - Registration Required
Email Stephanie to register.

Garlic (picture taken May 3). Small sprouts on the left planted March 1. Larger garlic leaves on the right planted in July 2010. Garlic matures from clove to head in 9 months.

Blueberry flowers with chervil in the background.

Chayotes (also known as sayote, christophine, fó shǒu guā, and assorted other names), sprouted and donated by one of our local Chinese seniors. They are a popular garden vegetable and can be seen growing in backyards across Renfrew-Collingwood.

This is what the sprouts look like. They have a climbing habit like other squash plants and one plant can bear 80-100 fruits. We planted them out under cover on April 27.

Ladybug on spearmint. Ladybugs are one of many beneficial insects to have around the garden. Plant-destroying aphids are a ladybug's favourite food.

Overwintered leeks waiting to be picked.

Radishes sprouting up under protective netting. The netting help protect young seedlings from birds.

Red Russian kale (seeds donated from the generous folks at Salt Spring Seeds. Easy to grow and very prolific, kale can be planted early in the growing season. You can also see collards coming up. The seeds were packaged for 2006 and surprised us with a fairly high germination rate. You can also see some borage, cornflowers, and calendula that self-seeded from last year's crop of edible flowers.

West Coast Seeds "Stir-Fry Mixed Greens" with pots of mint in the background. Mint is a vigorous perennial and is easily divided and potted up for gifts, transplanting, and herb sales.

The Stir Fry Mix includes bok choy, giant red mustard, and tatsoi. We have planted them close together and will harvest the leaves when they are young to add to salads. Given more space, the same plants can grow to a few feet tall and their flavours get more intense.

A young volunteer at our annual seed swap and sale.

Our seed sales are generously supported by West Coast Seeds.

Neighbourhood seniors planting a persimmon tree in the Slocan Park fruit tree circle. Unfortunately due to vandalism and heat waves we have had to replace several of the fruit trees.

More tree planting in Slocan Park.

2011-05-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Apple blossoms on the Rooftop Garden.

Earlier this month, The Globe and Mail reported that food prices in Canada rose 3.3% in March, following a February increase of 2.1%. Rising energy costs were partly to blame. Bad weather in Mexico and the southern U.S. also contributed, driving prices for scarce fresh vegetables up by 18.6%. Lettuce cost an astounding 66.6% more than it did in March 2010, and potatoes were up 20.7%.

For many, this rise in prices means more time searching for the best deals and more careful product choices. But according to a recent report (Resetting the Table: A People's Food Policy for Canada), close to 2.5 million Canadians can't be sure of having access to sufficient safe, nutritious food. In other words, they nearly 2.5 million people in our wealth country are experiencing food insecurity. In fact, food bank use in Canada has risen by 28% over the past two years.

Are you experiencing food insecurity? Would you like to engage with the food system in your community? Here are some ways you can get involved.

16th Annual Stone Soup Festival: Saturday May 7

Britannia Community Centre is pleased to announce and host the 16th annual Stone Soup Festival, a celebration of food, art, environment and community, including farmers market, food vendors, local artists, community groups, talks and workshops, live music, children’s activities, free soup and more!

More than ever, people are aware of the issues of food security, the benefits of sharing resources and eating ‘local’. Stone Soup will celebrate the diversity of food in our neighbourhood, the environment and it’s importance to the culture of our community.

When: Sat, May 7th, 12 - 5pm
Where: Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier St at Commercial Drive
Info: 604-718-5800

Buen Provecho!
Digital Storytelling Intergenerational Food Project
Location: Britannia Library
Time: Ongoing 12-5pm with Reception: 2:30pm

Growing Chefs!: Gardening Workshop
For children 6-10 yrs and parents-Vegetable examinations, seed explorations and taste tests, then plant a seedling to take home.
Location: Al Mattison Lounge (55+ Centre)
Workshops at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm

Laura Bucci Handmade: Drop-In Collage Button Making Workshop
Location: Family Activity Room
Time: 12-5pm

Henry Charles: VPL Storyteller In Residence-Food Stories from the Musqueam Perspective
Location: Britannia Library
Time: 1pm

Dixie Stars: The Stone Soup Story
Storytelling and Music
Location: West Kid’s area
Times: 2 and 3pm

Bannock and Stew Fundraising Dinner: Eat for Food Justice!

Have a delicious dinner and support the work of the Mount Pleasant Food Justice Project! With starvation level welfare rates and minimum wage, many people in our community can't afford healthy food. The Mount Pleasant Food Justice Project is fighting back and getting organized. As a grassroots organization we need your support.

For $10 (or $12 at the door) you get a full dinner, including:
* Fresh Bannock
* Tasty Irish Stew or Vegan Moroccan Stew
* Green Salad
* Warm Apple Crumble

When: Saturday May 7th, 6-9pm
Where: 672 East Broadway - The Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice
Be sure to get your dinner ticket in advance! Email foodactioncollective@gmail.com or call 604-215-2775 to get your ticket.

Hastings Community Centre Transform Your Eating Workshop Series

Come and learn and share food knowledge. Thursdays 10 am – 12 noon. Twice per Month.

Meal Challenges and Budgeting. Minimize meal frustrations. Choose foods that aren’t hard on your wallet or your heart. Share & expand on skills in cooking, canning & dehydrating. May 12th & 26th

Food Quality and Basic Gardening. Understand what’s in your food or what’s not. Share & start plans for your own garden in order to secure your own quality food. June 9th & 23rd

Where: Hastings Community Centre, 3096 E. Hastings St.
Cost: $30 each month or $60 for all 3 months. Pre-registration required. Subsidies available. Childminding available with separate registration at $6.50/class
Info: 604-718-6233

Food Safe Level One Training Opportunity

We all have questions when it comes to food safety. What should we be concerned with when handling food in our kitchens? What’s safe and what isn’t in our day-to-day work in the kitchen? Come learn the basics about safe food handling in a friendly classroom environment. This is a provincially recognized course taught by qualified instructors. It is suitable for individuals who have a grade 8 or higher reading comprehension level.

When: Sat, May 28, 2011, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where: Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave., Vancouver BC
Cost: $50.00 - $95.00 (sliding scale)
Info: To register contact Darlene Tanaka or call 604-216-2325.

The Food 2 U Program

The Food2U Program is a partnership between the Vancouver Food Bank and Vancouver Coastal Health. The program delivers food to seniors or persons with a disability most Tuesday mornings and is looking for volunteer drivers, with their own car and a valid driver’s license, and passengers. Mileage will be reimbursed for those using their vehicles. Volunteers must be able to work well with people and be physically able to lift 20-25 lb grocery bags. Familiarity with the downtown east side and Grandview Woodland areas is beneficial but not necessary.

Contact Jan Russell at 604-261-6366.

May Schedule

2011-04-28T18:16:00.001-07:00

Rosemary, thyme, chives, and peas growing on the Rooftop Garden.

Despite the rather cold start to our agricultural year, there are definite signs of life in our gardens. On the Rooftop Garden apple trees and blueberry bushes are flowering and kale, coriander, Asian greens, arugula, lettuce, and radishes are making their presence known. We also have several garden "volunteers" turning up--sunflowers, marigolds, and cornflowers to name a few.

Here is the schedule of May events.

Coming in June: our annual food preserving workshop series will return, this year with workshops at Renfrew Community Centre as well as at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. We'll also be planting Native edible plants at the Horley Street Orchard site throughout the summer (the Saskatoon Serviceberry trees at the plant nursery were so tempting today!) so please stay tuned.

Click on this image to view the large version. We hope to see you soon!

Tree planting on Saturday and other announcements

2011-04-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

Last year Vancouver experienced one of its hottest summers on record. Long, rainless stretches combined with ongoing construction at the Slocan Park Field House (no running water!) resulted in some badly damaged fruit saplings...not to mention some vandalism. This Saturday we will be replacing a few of the trees and doing a bit of landscaping.

All interested tree planting volunteers are welcome! We will get started at 9:15am next to the Slocan Park Field House (the building a short walk west of 29th Avenue Skytrain Station) and work until around 11:30. Please dress for the weather and bring a small snack to share.

I hope you can make it!

Here are a few other announcements about local food security events. Enjoy!

Lawns to Loaves

Know a 100 square foot place where we can plant some wheat in the City?

Want to get involved in planting and harvesting?

May 1st information workshop and participatory planting
Strathcona Community Gardens
10AM-12PM.
Contact Hartley for registration details.

The goals of Lawns to Loaves are ambitious yet simple:

1) to successfully cultivate a hundred pounds of organic spring wheat within the city of Vancouver

2) to engage our progressive city in a thought experiment regarding what defines a farm and to symbolically challenge the dominant scale of grain production

3) to overlook traditional notions of efficiency and productivity for a moment in favor of the power of symbolism

3) to teach, engage, and excite all those who encounter this project at any and every stage

In April and May 2011, the lawns to loaves collective will plant seeds in the ground. Where there was grass, there will be wheat. Infect your lawn with Demeter’s gift to humankind.

Our vision is to create an urban wheat farm from an intricate patchwork of micro-fields located alongside alleyways and in backyards, in front yards and on boulevards. Churchs, schools, parks, parking lots...

Food Justice with lauren Ornelas

Vancouver Public Library, Main Branch
350 West Georgia Street Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Room, Lower Level
May 21, 2011 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

lauren Ornelas, Founder and Director of the Food Empowerment Project, will be discussing how we can use our food choices to create a more just world.

Your food choices can have impacts beyond your own kitchen. Food deserts, exploitation of workers and animals, environmental racism – learn about how what you eat and drink might not necessarily be connected to animal exploitation but might indeed have direct connections to human exploitation! And learn what you can do to help create a more just and equitable food system.

lauren Ornelas is the Food Empowerment Project's founder and serves as the group's volunteer executive director. She is also the former executive director of Viva!USA, a national nonprofit vegan advocacy organization. lauren has been active in the animal rights movement for over 20 years. After spending four years as National Campaign Coordinator for In Defense of Animals, lauren was asked by Viva!UK to start and run Viva!USA in 1999. In cooperation with activists across the country, she worked and achieved corporate changes within Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and Pier 1 Imports, among others. She currently serves as Campaign Director with the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.

This event is free & open to the public.
No pre-registration is required.

Growing Soil: Mid-Scale Composting in the City

Tuesday, May 31, 7-9pm
SFU Harbour Centre
515 West Hastings Street, Room 1900
This lecture is free, however pre-registration is required. Click here to register.

With residential food scraps banned from the landfills in 2012 and all organics banned by 2015, Metro Van municipalities need to find a new home for 250,000 tonnes of organic waste in the next few years. Meanwhile, growing numbers of urban, near-urban and rural food producers are looking for supplies of affordable, uncontaminated, quality compost. Rising fuel costs will reward close-to-home solutions, but composting is challenged by odour and pest problems. Who has the best solution for economically growing high-quality soil from food scraps close to sources and end users?

Keynote speaker Dr. Sally Brown, a soil scientist and organic residual specialist from the University of Washington, will speak followed by ten presenters with five-minute explanations of what they offer. Watch for a followup notice with names and descriptions of presenters.

National Volunteer Week

2011-04-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's National Volunteer Appreciation Week and I'd like to extend a hearty Thank You to our amazing volunteers for their generous contributions. Everything at the Food Security Institute is made possible by your hard work.

Please enjoy this video featuring Barry, one of our regular volunteers. This video is courtesy Ian Marcuse from the Grandview Woodland Food Connection and is part of the Buen Provecho project.

Food Policy and the National Election.

It's election time again. Do you want to know where each party stands on food policy issues? Take a look at this Globe&Mail article for a party-by-party breakdown.

Early Spring Snapshots & April Schedule

2011-03-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

Martin from the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project draws a diagram during the Horley Street Orchard pruning workshop.

Wow, March has flown by in a flurry of activity and we're moving on through the agricultural season. We're on the lookout for the big "Last Frost" milestone so that more delicate crops can be put outside. We have several plots still available at the Cheyenne Avenue Garden (for people who live in the neighbourhood, naturally) and are working closely with City of Vancouver staff to prepare the Horley Street Site for tree planting.

Preliminary designs for the Horley Street Orchard will be up soon, including a gathering area surrounded by twining kiwis, espaliered quince and cherry trees, fig trees, and more. The site is currently inhabited by a 20 year old cherry tree, a 10 year old plum tree, and a 5 year old plum tree, as well as a group of overgrown ornamental laurel trees. Before fruit tree planting can really commence we will need to remove most of the laurels because they're damaged and diseased. Stay tuned for more news, or visit the site directly at 2723 Horley Street and help us dream about its future.

Meanwhile, we look forward to building a tool shed at the Cheyenne Avenue Garden, creating a living wall demonstration on the Rooftop Garden, and planting new fruit trees in Slocan Park.

Here's the April schedule (click on it to read the detail) and some snapshots of what's been going on early this spring.

Preparing soil for planting on the Rooftop Garden.

Overwintering crops at Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden.

Annual Seed Swap and Sale at Renfrew Community Centre.

At the cabbage kimchi workshop, a resourceful participant saves green onion roots to plant in her garden.

Kimchi mixing!

The Community Lunch volunteer team eats together after the big service rush. Lasagna day is always especially popular!

Community kitchen featuring handmade green onion pancakes, quinoa salad, and crab cakes.

Removing a diseased branch from a plum tree. When pruning it's helpful to remember the "4 Ds": Damaged, Diseased, Dead, and Directionally Challenged. Branches that meet any of these criteria are good candidates for removal.

Another example of diseased wood removed from a plum tree. To encourage recovery in the tree, it is best not to remove more than 25% at one time. When pruning an older, neglected tree it's best to have a gradual 3 year pruning plan rather than cutting away all the unwanted branches at once.

Growing the Local Bounty: Reports from Farmlands in the Flux

2011-03-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Tyee Solutions presents a 17-part in-depth series on sustainable farming: Growing the Local Bounty: Reports from Farmlands in the Flux.

The series follows reporters' journeys through the greenbelts outside Vancouver and Toronto, learning first-hand from growers, processors and distributors what it takes to make a local food system truly sustainable.

Click here to download the pdf.

Tyee Solutions Society is a non-profit organization that produces catalytic journalism in the public interest. Currently, any organization that would like to republish a Tyee Solutions Series on their website or elsewhere can do so free of charge. Contact Michelle Hoar with details if you're interested.

Job Posting and Vancouver Events

2011-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Position: Sustainability Coordinator
Organization: Simon Fraser University
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia

Date Posted: March 15, 2011
The University is committed to the principle of equity in employment. A more detailed job description may be obtained.

COMPETITION NUMBER: 098
Administrative and Professional Staff (APSA)
Temporary Position

SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR, GRADE 8
FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT
POSITION NUMBER: 109230

POSITION OUTLINE:
The Sustainability Projects Coordinator organizes and coordinates campus sustainability initiatives in accordance with Simon Fraser University's (SFU) sustainability goals, as set out in Policy GP 38 (Sustainability), and in the strategic plans of the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC). The incumbent of this position liaises with campus members to further SAC's strategic goals; develops education and training opportunities for staff, faculty and student community members; represents SFU on external groups; collaborates with Public Affairs on sustainability related media campaigns; designs and distributes educational and promotional materials; assists with integrating principles into SFU's strategic planning processes; and produces SAC's annual report.

QUALIFICATIONS: Undergraduate degree in a field related to sustainability and 4 years of directly related experience in the implementation of sustainability initiatives, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. Good knowledge of sustainability matters related to climate change, energy management, water management, green buildings, transportation, waste management, natural areas, and land use is essential. Strong organizational, computer and administrative abilities and skills in research report writing, and developing communication materials. Public-speaking skill and experience facilitating meetings and interactions with diverse groups. Ability to develop project and task timelines, work independently and on a flexible schedule, with minimal supervision. Experience in developing and delivering training workshops and conducting presentations. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent interpersonal, organizational, decision-making and problem-solving skills. Excellent negotiation and dialogue facilitation skills. Good research skill and ability to analyze and interpret information. Ability to handle confidential information with discretion. Ability to exercise initiative, work independently, and as a member of a team. Ability to use standard office applications (e.g., MS Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, etc.). Ability to use standard design applications (e.g., Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dreamweaver, etc.).

SALARY RANGE: $2,094.88 - $2,501.75 bi-weekly

START DATE: ASAP

POSITION END DATE: April 30, 2012
A detailed resume and cover letter quoting Competition #098 must be received in our office by 4:30 pm on March 28, 2011, addressed to the attention of Judy Hodgkins, Human Resources Advisor.

Please follow the application instructions.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

When applying, please indicate that you saw this posting at GoodWorkCanada.ca.

Seed Savers Garden Forum

Village Vancouver, the Environmental Youth Alliance, and a handful of eager seedkeepers are hosting the first of several SEED SAVERS GARDEN FORUMS, on Sunday, April 3rd, 1 – 3pm in the EYA Youth Garden, at the far eastern end of Cottonwood Community Garden (the corner of Raymur and Malkin).

We wanted to host this event in order to bring together experienced seedkeepers and beginners, in order to facilitate an accelerated, community capacity building in the skill of saving seeds.

With the current insecurity of our global food system, the relentless encroachment of genetic modification into commercial seeds and the glorious return of urbanites to growing their own food right in their own communities, we need to re-learn this ancient, time-honoured human practice of saving seed.

Would you be willing to make time out of your busy schedules and come join us for a couple hours in the garden – to share what you know, ask your questions and get to know others in the community who are inspired to do the same things that you are? For this first meeting, we have loosely set a few themes to guide conversation. However, this is NOT a workshop – rather a forum for discussion and the sharing of knowledge. We would like to talk about: PLANNING THE GARDEN FOR SEED SAVING (Soil building, space requirements, isolation and cross-pollination, garden design strategies, collective-multi garden seed saving).

Hope to see you there! Please email Amy Tran for more information.

In Every Community A Place for Food: A Webinar with Nick Saul and Matt Galloway, Apr 6 12-1pm EST

The Stop recently announced that it is creating two new Community Food
Centres (CFCs) in Stratford and Perth Ontario. At the same time, we're
getting ready to launch a new learning network and set the stage for
creating CFCs across the nation. Are you interested in learning about this
new movement? Wondering how you & your community can get involved? On April
6th, tune in at your computer for a one-hour Interview and Q&A with CBC's
Matt Galloway and The Stop's Executive Director Nick Saul as they discuss
this exciting new initiative.

Registration is required and limited to 100
people. To register, please go to this websiteor contact Elizabeth Fraser for more information.

Upcoming Vancouver workshops & small grant opportunities

2011-03-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

TRANSFORM YOUR EATING WORKSHOP SERIES.

Do you have concerns and challenges with what you and your family are eating? Do you want to eat more local food, more simply and more on budget? Take control over your health and nutrition through a collaborative, hands-on approach that includes opportunities for cooking and canning. Facilitated by registered nutritionist Reanne Price. Thursdays 10 am to 12 pm, twice per month. Register for an individual session for $30 or for all three sessions for $60. Each session features two workshops. Child minding available for $6.50 per two hour class (pre-register for child minding
please). Sessions begin April 14 and run through June. For more information call the Hastings Community Centre at 3096 East Hastings Street. 604-718-6222.

GROWING EDEN IS A BRAND NEW GARDEN SPACE AT 57TH AND CAMBIE (next to the
Farmers on 57th market garden).

We are looking for twelve families from the neighbourhood who are living on a low income and who are interested in learning about the pleasures of growing and eating your own garden harvest. We will meet Fridays 10 am-1 pm (first week of April to end of September, 2011) to plan, plant, tend and enjoy our garden. We’ll harvest from
the garden each week, and prepare a fresh organic lunch together in our mobile outdoor kitchen. Each family will also take home a harvest box. We are inviting families from nearby coops to apply (Vera Housing, Ashley Mar and Ashdown Gardens). We have spots for 12 families. All garden tools, seeds, soil amendments are provided. Please bring a sunhat and clothes to work and eat outdoors. Children are welcome. Contact Jen or leave a message at 778.554.9643. Here's the website.

NEIGHBOURHOOD SMALL GRANTS 2011.

These grants provide $50 to $500 to groups of neighbourhood residents who want to work together on a small event, program or project that enhances their neighbourhood. Deadlines in March and April 2011. More details here.

"TAKING STOCK: DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN THE COMMUNITY"

Part of the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Leadership Workshop series. Led by Rosanne Lambert and Janet McLeish.
Part 1 - Thursday March 24th, 6:30 – 9:30
Part 2 Thursday March 31st, 6:30 – 9:30

Maximum 10 Students. Pre-registration is required.
Cost Per Course: Adults - $20.00 + HST
Seniors and Students - $10.00 + HST
For more information, visit www.cnh.bc.ca or call 604.435.0323

Spring Seed Sales

2011-03-10T15:28:00.001-08:00

[Click this image to view a larger version]

March Madness!

2011-03-01T18:53:00.001-08:00

Analyzing a 5 year old apple tree during a pruning workshop at Slocan Park. Apple and pear trees are hardy enough to prune in late winter, while stone fruit trees (peaches, cherries, plums) are better pruned in warmer weather.

March is here and with it come seed swaps, orchard planning, community garden start-ups, early planting, and restoration planning for the Native Berry Trail, along with the usual community kitchens and delicious community lunches.

Below you'll find a schedule of March events and information on planting and seasonal food availability. Not all activities take place at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Detailed information is provided below the calendar.

Click the schedule to view a large version. See you soon!

Additional details

Horley Orchard Planning Session
Thursday March 3
6:30pm
Duke Street Early Learning Centre (2708 Duke Street)

Native Berry Trail Restoration Meeting
Tuesday March 8
6pm
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Seedy Saturday
Renfrew Park Community Centre
Saturday March 12
10am-3pm
2929 East 22nd Avenue
Low-cost seeds and some potted kitchen herbs!

Community Kitchen
For families with young children only
RSVP required for child-minding
Sunday March 13
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
11am-2pm

Food Security Advisory Committee Meeting
Local residents, volunteers, students, and employees welcome
Renfrew Park Community Centre
Tuesday March 15
1-2:30pm

Rooftop Garden Volunteer Team & Job Posting

2011-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Spring approaches and it's time to get the Rooftop Garden in motion for another bountiful year. Evening drop-in begins again next week and we'll be cleaning, weeding, and planting hardy peas.

Here are the dates for March and April. All dates are 5-7pm.

Wednesday March 2
Wednesday March 16
Wednesday March 30
Wednesday April 13
Wednesday April 27

From May to September we will meet every Wednesday evening as we did last year.

Please come by, and bring friends or family members who would like to learn a bit about gardening or share some of their skills with others.

Thanks and see you soon!

Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage Food Security Network (TLCC) Job Posting

Position Title: TLCC Coordinator
Reports to: TLCC Board of Directors
Term of Contract: Starts immediately until end of June 2011 with possibility of extension
Hourly Wage: $20.00/hr, 10 hrs/wk. Flexible schedules can be negotiated.

Deadline: Applications must be received by 4:30pm, March 8th 2011

Description of Position:

The TLCC Coordinator will oversee overall TLCC coordination and support related activities with the following goals:

Primarily responsible for actively pursuing & securing sustainable and ongoing funding for the TLCC activities

Support and maintain the existing pocket markets at Brant Villa and developing 1 new pocket market.

Regular distribution of relevant information to Network members. Coordinate and facilitate monthly TLCC Board meetings

Build community capacity to be involved in food security initiatives and increase awareness of available food security resources and networking opportunities.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Identify funding opportunities, develop grant proposals and create a "sustainability plan."

• Identify and sustain opportunities for capacity building and partnerships between community leaders and agencies which would help support the work of the TLCC over the long term.

• Maintain and develop an email distribution list and blog. Develop promotional materials for Network activities.

• Monitor program finances, maintain accurate financial records, and ensure responsible budget implementation.

• Collaborate with other food security networks in Vancouver to share resources and identify opportunities for strengthening working relationships.

Qualifications:

• Sound understanding of food security principles and the spectrum of food based programs in Vancouver

• Confident leadership experience with community development and capacity building approaches to project development.

• Experience with community work and committee based processes, particularly related to pocket markets or farmer’s markets

• Grant and funding report writing skills

• Strong communication and computer skills, organization and time-management
• Must have a valid Food Safe certificate or be willing to obtain one.
• Experience with volunteer supervision, recruitment and training

NOTE: this position requires use of your own vehicle and may require access to a home based workspace.

Applications will be accepted until 4:30pm, March 8th 2011.
Please submit your resume and cover letter to:
TLCC Food Security Board of Directors
Attn: Marlene Bell at spiritros [at] telus.net or Fax: 604-873-4402

Upcoming Events

2011-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Fermentation workshop - daikon kimchi and sauerkraut.

Hey Neighbours!

February and March are busy times for food growers in the Lower Mainland. It's time to lay down your soil amendments (such as manure, dolomite lime, or seaweed) and to get your peas and broad beans into the ground. Some crops like Asian greens, artichokes, fennel, and leeks can be started indoors in February. Next month you'll be able to direct plant garlic, Asian greens, kale, collards, radishes, and arugula. Yummmmy!

We start weekly Rooftop Garden drop-in on Wednesday evenings in March (5-7pm) and this year we have a very exciting (?) battle with rats and mice on our hands. Also yummy.

Here is a list of upcoming events and important dates. When registering for the pruning workshops, please send any questions you may have about fruit tree care so that our arborists can come prepared to answer you.

Pruning 101 workshop with David Tracey
Slocan Park
English with Chinese translation available
Tuesday February 22
9am

Pruning 101 workshop with Martin Anevich
Horley Street Small Space Orchard
2723 Horley St
Saturday February 26
11am

Planning the Horley Street Small Space Orchard
Location TBA
Thursday March 3
6:30pm

Berry Trail Restoration Planning
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce St.
Tuesday March 8
6pm

Seed Sale and Swap
Renfrew Community Centre
2929 E. 22nd Ave.
Saturday March 12
10am-3pm

Renewal/Sign-up Deadline for Cheyenne Avenue Garden
March 15 2011
Please make arrangement for payment (cash preferred)
$10 for new gardeners, $5 for returning gardeners

Work Party and Orientation
[Required for all interested plot holders--choose Saturday or Sunday]
Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden
2755 Cheyenne Avenue
Saturday March 19
1pm-3pm

Work Party and Orientation
Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden
2755 Cheyenne Avenue
Sunday March 20
1pm-3pm

Work Party and Orientation
[Required for all interested plot holders--choose Saturday or Sunday]
Collingwood Community Garden
100m east of Joyce Skytrain Station Exit
Saturday March 26
1:30pm-3pm

Work Party and Orientation
Collingwood Community Garden
100m east of Joyce Skytrain Station Exit
Sunday March 27
1:30pm-3pm

RSVP for sessions you will be attending and please share this information with your friends and neighbours! Thanks and see you soon.

Bill C-474 and February Events

2011-02-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

About 30 people, comprised of a few families and friends from an elementary school in Toronto, gave their time and skills to this project with the goal of informing Canadians of the growing prevalence of GMO's in Canada. Bill C-474 proposes to create a regulatory obstacle to any futher approval of GMO seeds for sale. MP's vote on Feb 9.

Watch their video here:

Gardening season is here again!

Gardening season fast approaches again. February is a good time to consider your planting possibilities (given your space, light, and soil conditions...as well as crop-rotation principles. More on that later) and to enrich the soil with garden amendments like manure and finished compost. You can also begin planting hardy cold weather crops like peas and broad beans.

The Food Security Institute is helping to connect our neighbours with food growing opportunities. These include our very own Rooftop, the Cheyenne Avenue Community Garden, Collingwood Community Garden, and Horley Street Small Space Orchard.

PosAbilities is planning a new community garden at 29th Avenue and Kaslo and they're looking for interested gardeners, and Windermere Secondary is in the very early planning stages of a community garden on their school grounds.

If you love gardening or want to learn more about growing your own food, there is no shortage of opportunities. To get involved with the posAbilities garden, contact Cintia. To learn more about the Windermere garden expansion, contact the organizers. To get more information on any of the other growing opportunities listed above, contact Stephanie.

February Schedule

Click on the schedule below to view a large version of the image.

Please note that the February 22nd workshop will be held in Slocan Park (at 29th Avenue Skytrain Station) next to the Field House in English and Chinese.

The February 26th workshop will be held at the Horley Street Small Space Orchard (2723 Horley Street) in English only.

Pre-registration for all events is required.

See you soon!

News and Resources

2011-01-05T12:18:00.001-08:00

Poetic graffiti on the Native Berry Trail mural.

Happy New Year! I hope you're as excited as we are about the coming year.

In 2010, world food prices rose at an alarming rate, resulting in increased food insecurity. "Soaring prices of sugar, grain and oilseed drove world food prices to a record in December, surpassing the levels of 2008 when the cost of food sparked riots around the world, and prompting warnings of prices being in 'danger territory.'" You can read more here.

But the news isn't all bad. Lots of people are doing important policy- and neighbourhood-based work to strengthen food security in communities around the globe. Here are some workshops, learning resources, and job/volunteer opportunities that you can get involved with right in Vancouver. Be sure to check in to our blog for monthly event calenders for activities in the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.

Aboriginal Food Facts

Here is an illustrated guide to traditional Aboriginal foods in BC. The guide was produced by the First Nations Health Council. Here also is the FNHC's First Nation Community Nutrition Needs and Assets Survey.

Growing out of Hunger

Featuring Will Allen, CEO, Growing Power Community Food Centre, Milwaukee & Chicago. Find out how Will Allen, urban farmer and community activist, is dedicated to supporting low income and small family farmers and bringing healthy, affordable food to urban areas. Will has over fifty years experience in farming, marketing and distributing food and has shared this knowledge with youth, adults, community groups, immigrants, farmers and consumers.

Where: Croatian Cultural Centre 3250 Commercial Drive (and 14th) Vancouver. 
When: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 7-9pm
This lecture is free, however pre-registration is required. 

Britannia Community Centre Food Workshops

All workshops at Britannia Community Centre, Pre-teen Centre (604-718-5800)

Eightfold Eats: Gluten & Sugar-Free Baking

Eightfold Eats presents dual workshops with curriculum aimed at educating and informing on important health related topics. Join Mike Robinson, holistic nutritionist, Life Coach and culinary chef for these informative, fun, and affordable workshops. Each workshoop will provide information, tips on cooking and handouts. Including Baking Demo, How to Bake Gluten & Sugar-Free & make diabetic safe. learn about macrobiotics and the truth about all alternative sweeteners, body cleanses and supplements.

When: Feb 6, 1:30 - 3:30pm
Cost: $20

Sauerkraut Fermentation

We will learn how to make your own tasty and nutritious sauerkraut. It's easy and fun. This workshop is open to all and no experience is necessary.

When: Sat. Feb 26, 2 - 4:30pm
Cost: $12

Canning for Beginners

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project in partnership with the Grandview Woodland Food Connection present this workshop. We will cover the basic canning methods for fruits and vegetables, equipment, and food safety. This is a hands-on workshop and you will take home a canned treat.

When: March 5, 2 - 5pm.
Cost: By Donation

All About Sprouts

Come learn about the amazing benefits of living sprouts and how to incorporate them into your daily diet for just pennies a day. This workshop will cover the health benefits of sprouting, methods and recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cost includes one sprout starter kit, sample snacks and lots of fun.

When: Wed, March 16, 6 - 9pm
Cost: $15

Strathcona Community Centre Food Security Workshops

To register for any workshop: 604-713-1838.
Please visit Village Vancouver or Strathcona Community Centre for more info.
Where: Strathcona Community Centre
601 Keefer St
Subsidy available with Leisure Access Card.

Garden Planning and Preparation with Grant Watson

This course will get you started in thinking about how to start a food garden, and taking the first important step of getting the beds ready for planting. A sound garden plan that takes all the key factors into consideration has a better chance of producing and winning your enthusiasm. Includes two hours of class time and a one hour practical activity. Grant Watson is a former organic farmer,community organizer and local food advocate.

When: Jan 9 Sun 1:30-4:30 and Jan 23 Sun 1:30-4:30pm.
$35.

Two Block Diet with Kate Sutherland and Julia Hilton

The idea is simple: invite everyone from both sides of two city blocks to come to a meeting about helping each other grow more food. Some people have tools, others have knowledge of starting plants from seed, others are experts in garden bed preparation, and with many hands, the work is fun.

When: Jan 11 Tue 7-8:30.
$10.

Village Vancouver Meetup and Potluck

Meet other community minded people, find out more about Village Vancouver and Transition Towns, discussions on community sustainability and resiliency.

When: Jan 24 Mon 6:30-9:30pm.
Free - donations accepted.

Backyard Chickens 101 with Duncan Martin

In this interactive session, you will learn the simple basics of proper care and keeping of small flocks of hens, and meet neighbours who share your interest.

When: Jan 25 Tues 7-9pm.
$10

Sustainable Food Systems: Issues and Implications

An opportunity to explore some of the most pressing issues of our time, this course will offer a range of compelling topics. Read and discuss popular and scholarly writings on food policy and food choices and their impact on environment, health, and community. The course will take a global overview of the paradox of world hunger alongside widespread obesity, of controversial biotechnologies such as genetically modified foods, and of the challenges for ecology and health of large-scale livestock production. Examine some of the many local food initiatives in our city and elsewhere. This course is part of the Sustainability Management program at UBC Continuing Studies, but is open to anyone and everyone. Instructor: Eleanor Boyle. She'll be teaching the course, drawing from her background in food policy and behavioural sciences, as outlined at her website. Please feel free to email her with questions.

Click here for course details.

Community Kitchen Coordinator Job Posting: Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project

The Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project is seeking candidates to fill the position of Community Kitchen Coordinator. This position facilitates community kitchen and smokehouse sessions with Aboriginal groups and programs from Vancouver's East side in a fun, culturally appropriate, safe, informative and skill-building atmosphere at the Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden at UBC Farm in Vancouver BC.

Click here for more information on the position & how to apply.
Application deadline: January 7, 2011

Farm Intern Job Posting (Part-time), Fresh Roots Urban Farm

Fresh Roots Urban Farm is an organization committed to creating access to local, healthy, organically grown food in Vancouver through urban farming and community engagement. By utilizing neighborhood backyards and schoolyards, we nurture future farmers to sow the seeds of a sustainable urban food system.

This is an internship position where you will have the opportunity to further your urban farming knowledge and small-scale community engagement business skills.This position is part-time, minimum 24hrs/week from mid-March through October. It offers you the opportunity to experience a full growing season as well as work in East Vancouver neighborhoods building reliable community food systems.

Activities for all interns may include, but are not limited to:

Seedling production, bed preparation, cultivation/weeding, transplanting, pest management, drip irrigation installation and maintenance, harvesting, application of soil amendments, safe use of equipment, compost and worm compost maintenance, working with volunteers, help planning and facilitating farm workshops and events, maintenance and cleaning of tools, attending CSA pick-up locations, working in neighborhood schoolyards and backyards, consistently engaging with the local community, food community, VSB community.

To apply, please e-mail your resume, brief cover letter explaining why you wish to be an intern at Fresh Roots Urban Farm, what skills and experiences you bring with you, and explain your future farming plans and ideals to:
Ilana Labow: ilana@freshroots.ca
no later than January 20, 2011.
For more information check out www.freshroots.ca

The Food 2 U Program (Volunteer Posting)

The Food 2 U program is a partnership between the Vancouver Food Bank and Vancouver Coastal Health. The program delivers food to seniors or persons with a disability most Friday mornings and is looking for volunteer drivers (with their own car) and passengers. Mileage will be reimbursed for those usingtheir vehicles. Volunteers must be able to work well with people and be physically able to lift 20-25 lb grocery bags. Familiarity with the downtown area is an asset. For further information, please contact Carrah Boumeat 604-215-3931

January Events and Lunch Menu

2010-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

(Click schedule to view the large version)

Community Lunch is served every Tuesday and Thursday at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Hot three-course meals are lovingly prepared by our intergenerational volunteer team. A la carte items are available, and vegetarian options (though not always listed) are generally available as well. Seniors are served at noon, and all others at 12:10.

Adults - $6
Seniors - $4.85
Students/Children - $3.25

All proceeds support our Seniors' Wellness program.

Tues 04
Black bean soup
Grilled ham, spinach, and pepper wrap
Salad
Apricot crumble shortbread

Thurs 06
Chicken stir-fry on noodles
Salad
Vanilla cup cake

Tues 11
Mushroom barley soup
Breaded fish with tartar sauce
Salad
Spiced honey cakes

Thurs 13
Seafood pasta
Salad
Sticky date bar cookies

Tues 18
Split pea soup
Spinach pie or chicken pie
Salad
Blueberry muffin

Thurs 20
Chicken Enchiladas
Salad
Banana bread

Tues 25
Lentil soup
Fish sandwich
Salad
Mixed fruit with white chocolate sauce

Thurs 27
Lamb, spinach, and chickpea hot pot on rice
Salad
Chocolate biscuit cake

Unravelling the mysteries of Canadian cooking

2010-12-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Food Skills for Families students at our local ELSA program.

ESTHER HSIEH
VANCOUVER— From Thursday's Globe and Mail
View the original article here.

The smell of fresh baking hangs in the air as Lyn Brooks bends over to open the oven. His students are jockeying for the best vantage point behind him. As he pulls the hot tray out, there is an explosion of “oohs and ahs”. Mr. Brooks is teaching a cooking class for new immigrants and the mystery of the muffin has been unravelled.

Student Mihret Bahta, who emigrated from Eritrea, is delighted with the muffins. She is impressed to learn that buttermilk is one of the ingredients and explains, “In my country we make cheese with buttermilk.” She is equally impressed with bran. From her experience back home grain husks (bran) are fed to animals or thrown away. “I didn’t know that’s where all the nutrients are,” she says.

However, she is hesitant to try the muffin recipe at home due to previous baking failures. She, like many immigrants, is not used to using an oven in her homeland and finds baking a difficult part of Canadian cuisine.

Today’s class is the second module of Food Skills for Families, a cooking program developed to educate vulnerable populations about healthy eating, shopping and cooking. Mr. Brooks is a facilitator for the program and feels that teaching new immigrants in a community kitchen environment has been a brilliant application of the class.

Diane Collis, the manager of Fresh Choice Kitchens, (formerly the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project) explains that increasing nutritional intake, developing social wellness and financial savings are the main benefits of participating in a community kitchen. In addition, for new immigrants she says, “It’s a space for them to learn about Canadian foods, kitchen tools and equipment in a social and fun way while still honouring their own culture. It’s been a successful tool in supporting people who are integrating into their new home, and it provides a safe and neutral place to meet other people.”

She cites the program at Strathcona Community Centre as an excellent example of how a community kitchen can be used to positively influence a neighbourhood with a high immigrant population.

The program at Strathcona is unique because it combines a community kitchen with its two neighbouring elementary schools. The schools are a good vehicle to break down barriers to food and to engage children and parents new to Canada in learning about what good food is, where to find it and how to prepare it in an affordable way.

Jane Newton-Moss is the co-ordinator of the Cooking Fun for Families program at the centre and understands that new immigrants face many challenges adapting to Canadian food culture.

Language is an obvious barrier and Ms. Newton-Moss credits a lot of the success of her program to her translator Molly Fong, who is a Neighbourhood Assistant. Although sometimes a translation is not enough: Ms. Fong recalls a class where one of the students read the Chinese translation on the butter label and then asked her if it really was “cow oil.” A 45-minute discussion then ensued about cheese, butter and where they come from.

Navigating a Canadian supermarket for a newcomer is also challenging. The products are unfamiliar, the store layout is foreign and the choice overwhelming. Discerning refrigerators of milk for someone who is unfamiliar with dairy products is daunting, to say the least. So Ms. Newton-Moss has integrated a trip to the supermarket as part of the program’s curriculum to help break down the complexity of a grocery store.

She also knows you can never underestimate how culture influences our use and understanding of food. She laughs when she remembers teaching her first class 12 years ago. “I was making minestrone soup because, well, who doesn’t like minestrone soup?” she says. But she was in for a surprise when the soup was almost ready and her students started removing all the vegetables and beans. As she later learned, they came from a region of China where soup is only eaten in the form of broth.

The class has come a long way since then, but the surprises haven’t stopped. The week before Thanksgiving, she asked her class how many people were going to cook a turkey and no one put up their hand. Naturally, they were intimidated by the task, but she was also surprised when some of her Buddhist students were concerned about the religious aspect of the holiday.

She explained that Thanksgiving is mostly celebrated in a secular manner in Canada, and went on to give a brief history of the holiday (harvest, the changing of the season, first nations’ tradition). When she suggested they could cook a chicken instead, her students agreed enthusiastically. She’s hoping that by Christmas the students who will celebrate the occasion will feel confident enough to try a turkey.

Food Skills for Families students show off their oven skills with freshly baked homemade pizzas (April 2009).

2010-12-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

During the holidays many people want to give back to the community by volunteering or donating. In an effort to keep people in our neighbourhoods from going cold or hungry many schools, workplaces, and faith-based groups collect non-perishable food items or warm clothing for food banks and community service organizations.

Who is hungry in our society? Why do people experience poverty in Canada? What can we do to help? Here are some ideas.

What's a food bank?

Canadian food banks first opened as a temporary way to help people through hard times. Today they are an entrenched support service for many vulnerable people. Their goal is the elimination of hunger so that food banks can close forever. In addition to supplying people with 3-5 days' supplies of emergency food, some food banks assist community programs through food donations and training opportunities. Some do research to find long-term solutions.

Almost no Canadian food banks accept government funding, insisting that governments should focus their time and money on policy solutions to end poverty.

Who's hungry?

From 2008 to 2009, the number of food bank users in Canada increased by 18%. The number increased by 9% more between 2009 and 2010. This 27% increase is linked to the recession, and signals a disturbing trend towards more poverty and hunger in our prosperous country.

Especially vulnerable groups include children, seniors, the “working poor,” persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, and people on social assistance.

Did you know that less than 5% of 2009 Canadian food bank users were homeless? Homelessness is the most visible form of poverty in Canada, but hunger is widespread and largely hidden. In BC, lack of affordable housing is a big reason that even fully-employed people go hungry. In Vancouver it is common for people to put a disproportionately high percentage of their income towards housing (up to 80-85%, according to Cheryl Carline of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank), leaving little else for food, child care, diapers, toiletries, transit, or savings.

People with jobs make up the second largest group of food bank users. As our economy changes, well-paying jobs in industries like forestry or manufacturing are being replaced by retail and food service jobs that pay less and tend not to offer extended medical benefits or pension. Minimum wage has not increased since 2001, and many people with full-time jobs are unable to meet basic needs for themselves and their families. Unaffordable child care and inadequate social assistance rates are other big financial barriers for many families.

A sudden injury or serious illness could happen to anyone and can trigger a slide into poverty. A comparison between disability benefits and the realistic cost of living in Vancouver shows that benefits do not support an adequate quality of life. Thus, many persons with disabilities turn to food banks for support. If no policy improvements are made, we can expect a rise in food insecurity as Canada's population ages.

What should I donate?

Stick to healthy foods, avoiding ultra-processed or sugary items which are not nutritious. Avoid things that require added milk or eggs, including macaroni and cheese and certain canned soups, as these fresh foods can sometimes be scarce in low-income households. For insight into food bank users' perceptions of macaroni and cheese, click here. You can also donate money directly, which helps food banks offer training opportunities and buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

More than 30% of people relying on food banks are children. Donate foods that would best support a child’s development, and take the opportunity to talk to your own kids about why healthy eating is so important.

Food bank users come from all backgrounds, ages, and education levels. In 2010 nearly 900 000 people Canadian food banks per month. They have enormous potential and lots to contribute. Let’s try to understand the causes of poverty and hunger, promote supportive policy changes, and think of our donations as investments with long-term human-powered returns.

Most needed items

Baby food and baby formula
Beans and lentils
Canned fruit and vegetables
Canned fish and meat
Cans of soup or hearty stew
Cereal
Peanut butter
Tetra pack, canned, or powdered milk
Tomato sauce
Whole wheat pasta and rice

Please do not donate

Cake or brownie mix
Expired items
Homemade items (e.g. jams, pickles)
Junk food like chips, cookies, popcorn
Open packages of food
Products containing alcohol

Learn more:

Daily Bread Food Bank's Learning Centre

Food Banks Canada’s Annual Hunger Count

The Cost of Eating in BC 2009. Dietitians of British Columbia

Need support?

Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society
604-876-3601

The Warehouse/Food for Families
604-254-2489

Quest Food Exchange
Low-cost grocery store (referral required). Contact Stephanie at 604-435-0323 for more information.

Watch Food Secure Canada's Conference Online

2010-11-27T00:41:00.001-08:00

Food Secure Canada's Biennial Assembly is happening this weekend in Montreal. If you (like me) wish you could be there, you can watch the conference live.

This year's theme is Food Security and Community Development. Featured speakers include: Lise Bertrand, Montreal Public Health; Priscilla Settee, Professor of Native Studies, University of Saskatchewan and Board member, CCPA; Wayne Roberts, former Manager, Toronto Food Policy Council; Benoit Girouard, Union Paysanne, on the Pronovost Commission into the Future of Agriculture in Quebec, my good friends at Green Thumbs Growing Kids, and many others!

Neighbourhood Fruit Trees

2010-11-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

A freshly picked Slocan Park walnut.

Did you know that the 49 000 population of Renfrew-Collingwood includes a higher proportion of seniors, new immigrants, and/or low-income families than the City of Vancouver as a whole? And did you know that the people in all of these groups have a higher likelihood of experiencing hunger, compromised nutrition, and social isolation?

The idea for the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute (RC FSI) emerged when a group of concerned residents began thinking about increasingly evident hunger, isolation, and poverty issues in the neighbourhood. They wanted to develop a community response to a silently growing problem, and they wanted everyone to know that food is a human right--even for those who live without a lot of material resources. That's how the RC FSI was born. We have been working with community partners, residents, and volunteers to overcome food insecurity in our neighbourhood since 2002.

The RC FSI identifies food security challenges in our neighbourhood, and with the help, leadership, and feedback of the people who live here, we strive to address these issues. Part of this vision is to create a neighbourhood where everyone (regardless of their financial situation) can access fresh and local food...and have the space and skills to grow food if they wish to.

In 2005, RC FSI began working closely with Renfrew Park Community Centre and the Vancouver Park Board to pilot a circle of fruit and nut trees in Slocan Park (near 29th Avenue Skytrain Station). In addition to the nutritious benefits of having fruit trees in a public park, the trees were part of a bigger mission to beautify Slocan Park and make it safer. Other improvements to the park included a covered area for community activities, a totem pole, improved lighting, tile mosaic work, painted murals, and more.

The Slocan Park fruit trees were the first of their kind to be planted in a Vancouver public park. Since this was a very new project, The Park Board had many questions and concerns. They knew the trees would benefit the community, but wanted to know who would tend to the trees on a daily basis. Young trees need a lot of love just to survive, let alone bear fruit. Even mature fruit trees require regular and skillful pruning, mulching, and fertilizing. There were also concerns that unpicked fruit would fall to the ground, attract insects, and generally create a slippery mess.

A neighbourhood Tai Chi group that meets daily in Slocan Park stepped forward to offer to care for the trees. They received information and support from Vancouver arborist David Tracey, whose organization Tree City had been a strong supporter and project advisor from the beginning.

The trees (including quince, apple, pear, Asian pear, and walnut) have been living near the Slocan Park field house ever since.

This hasn't been an easy journey! The first apple trees succumbed to disease and had to be replaced soon after. The trees have also been subjected to vandalism by unseen park users and passers-by who tear off branches from the young saplings. Early in the life of the quince tree, someone broke the central leader (main trunk) in half and today it looks more like a shrub than a tree.

It has become clear that trees growing in public spaces are more vulnerable than those growing in the shelter of a backyard. They need a lot of extra support in order to thrive.

Planting a persimmon tree at the 2009 Harvest Fair.

Damaged persimmon tree. Photo by Derrick Chiang.

In 2009, RC FSI fundraised to add four additional trees (two persimmon and two fig) to give the existing trees more presence and diversity. During the annual Moon Festival and Harvest Fair, volunteers and many local families helped to put the trees in the ground. Sadly, within two days of planting, one of the persimmon trees had been kicked over. The trunk had been snapped off at the base and the tree couldn't be saved. The tree's destruction was discouraging, but the RC FSI fundraised again to replace the tree in early spring 2010.

Falaise Park Orchard

Fruit trees waiting to be planted.

So it is with a lot of excitement that we have witnessed a big change in Vancouver. Compared to four years ago, there is now much greater political support and more resources allotted to urban agriculture and edible landscaping initiatives. The City's Greenest City Action Team is aiming to plant 150 000 trees (especially food-bearing trees) by 2020. The Park Board has been able to dedicate more resources to tree planting and tree care, working with community groups to take ownership over the trees and building a legacy of accessible local food for all residents.

On November 10th, the Park Board and students from Renfrew Elementary School, Vancouver Christian School, and Windermere Secondary School joined forces to plant 25 fruit trees in Falaise Park. RC FSI was on hand to express support for the new community orchard, and to speak about the educational opportunities (including canning, fruit dehydration, and tree care) that we'll be able to bring when the trees begin to bear.

The crowd planted 5 trees each of apple, cherry, plum, pear, and peach. Their early care will be provided especially by the Christian School students and the Park Board. It was a great honour to be part of such a celebratory and special occasion (not to mention the fact that we had crisp, clear, and beautiful weather)!

A beautiful day to be planting trees. Photo by Michael Levenston from City Farmer.

Falaise Park and the surrounding subdivision were originally built for military personnel returning from WWII. The story of returning soldiers and their "war brides" is an important part of our neighbourhood's history (you can read more here). Although no one mentioned the date (November 10, just before Remembrance Day), it was significant to me that so many children should gather in peace to plant trees as a legacy to their own children. It also seemed appropriate that Renfrew-Collingwood, home to that first humble circle of Slocan Park saplings, should also be home to Vancouver's first public park orchard of this scale!

Other Neighbourhood Fruit Projects

Collingwood Neighbourhood House will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. As part of the festivities, we will be honouring our eight major funders by planting a fruit tree for each in nearby Collingwood Park. Once the trees begin to bear, any fruit not picked by local residents will be collected and used for educational workshops, in food programs (such as the Breakfast and Shower Program), and redistributed to low-income neighbours.

Staking an heirloom apple tree at the Horley Street small space orchard.

Throughout this fall and winter, we are also working on a small-space demonstration orchard at 2723 Horley Street. We will be planting fruit trees, Native edible berries and nuts, and other fruiting plants to demonstrate different strategies for growing fruit in small urban spaces. We also hope to reclaim some space from our sprawling and most-loved invasive plant, the Himalayan Blackberry, to show how Native species can be reintroduced to formerly overrun spaces.

Building the Native Berry Trail (August 2007).

The reintroduction of edible Native plant species is also demonstrated at the Native Berry Trail (beneath the Skytrain tracks between Joyce and Rupert Streets). The Berry Trail was built by the Collingwood Community Gardeners and other enthusiastic volunteers in 2007. Garbage and invasive Morning Glory and Himalayan Blackberry plants were cleared away and replaced with a range of Native edible plants (including Oregon Grape, huckleberry, and beaked hazelnut). Against the backdrop of Jerry Whitehead's lush community mural, the Berry Trail honours the Aboriginal history of the Collingwood Neighbourhood. Lately the Berry Trail has been the subject of a lot of vandalism and garbage dumping and needs lots of help.

We are looking to build volunteer stewardship teams for these three sites. If you love trees, fruit, or Native plants and you want to get involved, contact us with the words "Fruit Growing Project Volunteer" in the subject line.

With your help, we can strengthen community food security supports and make organic, local food accessible for all our neighbours. We look forward to hearing from you!

EAT THIS: art feeds us (Reminder)

2010-11-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends, Allies, food lovers and music lovers!
Join Us!

Friday November 5
EAT THIS: art feeds us
Free Entry – Doors at 6:30pm
ALL AGES!!
Russian Hall (600 Campbell Ave.)

An exciting new collaboration between Heart Of the City Festival, RayCam Media Lab and Check Your Head. An evening celebrating youth films, spoken word performances, food for the people and the Hip Hop Hope CD Release!. Youth from Raycam Media Lab, Power of Hope, Reel Youth, A.M.E.S. and L.O.V.E (all organizations dedicated to honouring youth voice) will be featured in this evening extravaganza.

Come join us for an evening where food nourishes our body and art nourishes our souls.

7pm - 8pm - Food Justice from mind to mouth (seasonal food by chef Cari Lynn Reid)
Come together to share a meal and learn and discuss what Food Sovereignty / Food Justice means in our community and how to further take action to ensure that our future includes issues of food justice.
Local food justice experts will facilitate discussion and share knowledge on Food Justice issues while you eat!!!

Learn how to get involved in food justice actions in your community! Awesome community orgs will be tabling and displaying their incredible projects!
(food and discussion start at 7pm sharp!)

8pm - 9:30pm - Youth Films and Spoken Word Performances:
Films from AMES and Reel Youth
Spoken Words by youth from Hip Hop Hope and L.O.V.E.
also performing.....Cynthia Oka, Fatu, Mike D, Nadia Chaney

9:30pm - 11pm - Dance the night away
DJ BuzyB and Su Commandante keep the dance floor going.

Hope to you see you there!

Please note that we regret the Russian Hall is currently an unaccessible building. Many apologies.

Carlos Monteiro on Ultra-Processed Foods

2010-11-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Mary Lee from Evergreen Community Health Centre for sending in this thoughtful article on processed foods and public health. Here is an exerpt:

"The most important factor now, when considering food, nutrition and public health, is not nutrients, and is not foods, so much as what is done to foodstuffs and the nutrients originally contained in them, before they are purchased and consumed. That is to say, the big issue is food processing – or, to be more precise, the nature, extent and purpose of processing, and what happens to food and to us as a result of processing. Specifically, the public health issue is ‘ultra-processing’, as defined here. This is my basic proposal."

To read the full article, The Journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association.

Home Grown @ The Museum of Vancouver

2010-11-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Museum of Vancouver has several events this November presented in conjunction with the exhibit Home Grown (on now thru Jan 2). Have a look and please pass this info on to your local food networks. Thank you.

Home Grown Talk & Tour with Chris Hergesheimer

Thursday, November 4th at 7pm
Chris Hergesheimer, FarmFolkCityFolk Grain Chain Coordinator and owner of The Flour Peddler, discusses
growing local grain and the first grain community shared agriculture (CSA) in the Lower Mainland. Presented by FarmFolkCityFolk. Free with admission.

Family Workshops

Saturday, November 6th, 13th & 20th

Spend a day at the museum getting dirty! Fun food-themed activities for families with kids ages 5-12. Register your family for a workshop on gardening, backyard chickens or seed saving. Presented by Vancity. $20 per family (up to 4 people) for one workshop, includes admission to the exhibits. MOV family members are free. Register: 604.736.4431. > workshop details

DTES Kitchen Tables Series

Sunday, November 21st at 1:30pm

Join community activists and food specialists for the discussion Making Food, Making Jobs: Downtown Eastside Residents working in their local food economy. Presented by The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and the Potluck Café Society. Free with admission.

Food & Beers Series with the authors of The 100-Mile Diet

Thursday, November 25th at 7pm

How Do We Compare To Other Cities? James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, authors of The 100-Mile Diet, share their top ten list of innovative local food projects currently underway in North America. Presented by Tides Canada. Tickets $15, includes admission to the exhibits.

For more information you can visit www.museumofvancouver.ca

We hope to see you this month at MOV!

Fall Snapshots I: Renfrew Ravine Harvest Moon Festival

2010-10-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Home grown vegetables submitted to the annual Harvest Competition at the Moon Festival in Slocan Park: buttercup squash, eggplant, chayote, and mo gua (fuzzy gourd).

Fall is busy time at the Food Security Institute. Here are some photos of the Renfrew Ravine Harvest Moon Festival. Pictures of canning workshops, community kitchen, and the Rooftop Garden coming soon.

Volunteers making the Community Harvest Soup at Renfrew Community Centre.

The Community Soup is an annual feature at the Moon Festival. Garden fresh vegetables and herbs are donated by local residents and groceries, from the Rooftop Garden, and from Windermere Secondary's organic garden.

Fresh veggies harvested from the Rooftop Garden: mixed beets, canary chard, and Hungarian wax peppers.

The soup is lovingly prepared by volunteers. Steaming bowlfuls are sold as a fundraiser for Still Moon Arts Society, the organizers of this great community event.

The Harvest Competition at the Moon Festival is an opportunity for neighbours to talk about their gardens, different vegetables, and how to grow and eat them. Here are a few entries into the competition:

(Sexiest squash?)

(...?)

Local politicians Don Davies and Adrian Dix were on hand to raise awareness of the "Save Our Schools" campaign and to judge the competition entries.

One of our contest winners. This year many wonderful prizes were donated by Charlie's Chocolates, Gardenworks, Kensington Pottery Club, Museum of Anthropology, Purdy's Chocolate Factory, and Save-On-Foods.

Many thanks to Still Moon Arts Society, Renfrew Park Community Centre, and all the people who organized this wonderful event!

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAGSCD)

2010-10-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Inaugural Issue of JAFSCD Is Online!

The inaugural issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) is now online. The first issue of this international, peer-reviewed journal of applied research and policy analysis is currently open and available free to the public at www.AgDevJournal.com. This allows you to check out the first issue before subscribing. JAFSCD is for agencies, organizations, and academics interested in expanding local and regional food systems.

The inaugural issue is on the timely topic of "Growing New Farmers," with five articles focusing on the opportunities and challenges of assisting the next generation of farmers.

Additional articles address a wide range of food systems and community development topics.

Click here for the JAFSCD journal website, or here to visit the Community of Practice website.

EAT THIS: art feeds us

2010-10-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

Friday November 5

An exciting new collaboration between Heart Of the City Festival, RayCam Media Lab and Check Your Head. An evening celebrating youth films, spoken word, performances and food for the people. Youth from Raycam Media Lab, Power of Hope, Reel Youth and L.O.V.E (all organizations dedicated to honouring youth voice) will be featured in this evening extravaganza. Check Your Head is dedicated to educating youth and their communities on food justice issues bringing local solutions to the forefront in this important movement. Come join us for an evening where food nourishes our body and art nourishes our souls.

Friday Nov 5  Free Entry – Doors at 6pm!!
Russian Hall (600 Campbell St, Strathcona area)
Interested in volunteering or sponsoring this event? contact: Anna @ checkyourhead.org

Local Food Plans: Lessons from Other Communities

2010-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Local Food Plans: Lessons from Other Communities
Plus Dialogue on the Regional Food System Strategy in Metro Vancouver
Tuesday, October 5 and Wednesday, October 6

Concerns about food— its impacts on our health; its inaccessibility to many low income people; its vulnerability to climate change, soil erosion, water shortages and rising fuel prices; demand for local food; its role in creating new jobs; and the need for farmers to be able to make a decent living—have vaulted food strategies up the public policy priority list. Find out how Toronto, Portland and California are planning to transform local food production, distribution and land use.

In the second half of the afternoon, help shape Metro Vancouver’s Regional Food System Strategy. Over the past two years, representatives from all levels of government, the agriculture and food industry, community organizations and the public have provided valuable input on how to make our food system more sustainable, resilient and healthy. At this session, after a brief presentation on the draft Regional Food System Strategy for Metro Vancouver, participants will break into discussion groups and be asked for their feedback. The presentation on lessons learned from other communities from the previous session should provide food for thought for these discussions. Results will be used to refine the Strategy and clarify key areas for collaboration.

Speakers
Sibella Kraus, President/Director, SAGE (Sustainable Agriculture Education), Berkeley, California
Dr. David McKeown, Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto
Judy Shiprack, Multomah County Commissioner, Portland, Oregon
Moderator: Peter Ladner, Fellow of the SFU Centre for Dialogue

Registration
Tuesday, October 5, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
2-4pm Local Food Plans: Lessons from Other Communities
4:30-6:30pm Dialogue on the Regional Food System Strategy in Metro Vancouver

Wednesday, October 6 (repeat session of Tuesday), Compass Point Inn Hotel, 9855 King George Highway, Surrey
2-4pm Local Food Plans: Lessons from Other Communities
4:30-6:30pm Dialogue on the Regional Food System Strategy in Metro Vancouver

For more information or to register, please visit the SFU website.

Annual Harvest Fair, Volunteers & Donations Needed, Upcoming Canning Workshops

2010-09-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Garlicky pickled carrots and beans, blueberry jam, strawberry-rhubarb jam, and other small batch preserves from our Summer/Fall canning workshop series.

The days are growing shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the leaves are falling from the trees. You know what that means--harvest abundance time! Despite the strange agricultural season we have had so far (anyone else still waiting for their tomatoes to turn colour?), there are plenty of tasty things to be harvested right around now. Late summer squashes, beets and chard, apples, plums, salad greens, pea tips, radishes, and carrots are only a few of the delicious local goods on offer.

During the 2010 canning workshop series, we have made an assortment of jams (including blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, and strawberry rhubarb), canned tomatoes, and pickled vegetables, as well as low-acid convenience foods (pasta sauce, vegetable soup, and chicken soup). Canning some of these items can be a big job, but the more often you can, the easier and and faster it gets. Plus, canning with a group of friends is fun and makes the work go by much faster.

To try your hand at small batch preserving, please register for one of our FREE upcoming workshops:

Wednesday October 13, 5-8pm - cucumber pickles; daikon and carrot pickles

Wednesday October 20, 5-8pm - preservation by fermentation (sauerkraut and kimchi)

Harvest Fair!

On Saturday September 25, Food Security will be joining forces with Still Moon Arts Society to host our annual Harvest Fair and Moon Festival. This day-long event fuses culturally diverse autumn traditions as the daytime agricultural and community fair morphs into a spectacular Mid-Autumn full moon event at sunset.

The Harvest Fair takes place in Slocan Park from 4-7pm and features a harvest competition, live performances, games, steaming hot bowls of community soup and toasty homemade bannock, last-minute lantern-making, and more.

The dusk lantern parade begins around 6:45 and leads the crowd on a winding route to nearby Renfrew Ravine. The Ravine will glow with the light of hundreds of handmade paper and glass lanterns, and will be alive with the buzz of live music, fireworks, and dancing.

We are seeking donations of garden vegetables for the community soup. To donate, contact Stephanie.

Cultivating Food, Cultivating Community

Fall Workshop Series at Strathcona Community Centre

Sunday, Sept 19th (Harvest Festival)
Apartment and Container Gardening workshop with Robin Wheeler
10-11:30 am
Registration # 45502.401
Suggested $5 donation, no one turned away.

We will cover the problems of tiny gardens and will address some cures. We will talk about the best plants for small gardens and how to get the biggest, healthiest harvest possible.

Food Preservation Basics workshop with Robin Wheeler
11:45 am -1:15 pm
Registration # 45502.401
Suggested $5 donation, no one turned away.

We will go over the Top 10 food saving techniques and their pros and cons. We'll talk about seasonal availability and how to take advantage of sales by preserving, plus what supplies we should have on hand at all times to be ready for any disaster.

Sunday, September 26th
CANNING 101 Presented by the Environmental Youth Alliance
1-4pm, FREE
Registration #45560.401

Come learn a simple way to preserve local fruit! The workshop will focus on how to safely preserve food using proper canning and freezing methods. Participants will be able to take home preserves of locally harvested fruit. Specific fruit used in the workshop will be dependent on what is currently being harvested. All food and materials are included in the cost of the workshop.

Sun, October 3rd
CANNING 201 Presented by the Environmental Youth Alliance
1-4pm; FREE
Registration #45561.401

Come learn more ways to preserve local fruit and vegetables! The workshop will focus on how to safely preserve food using proper canning and pickling methods. Participants will be able to take home preserves of locally harvested fruit and/or vegetables. Specific foods used in the workshop will be dependent on what is currently being harvested. All food and materials are included in the cost of the workshop.

Sunday, October 10th
CANNING 101 Presented by the Environmental Youth Alliance
1-4pm; FREE
Registration #45562.401

Come learn a simple way to preserve local fruit! The workshop will focus on how to safely preserve food using proper canning and freezing methods. Participants will be able to take home preserves of locally harvested fruit. Specific fruit used in the workshop will be dependent on what is currently being harvested. All food and materials are included in the cost of the workshop.

Saturday, October 23rd
Building Food Resiliency in the Community with Ross Moster
1-4 pm; FREE
Registration # 45503.401

Getting together with others in our community to grow, share, celebrate and engage in other neighbour-generated activities around local food is not only fun, but can lead to satisfying and productive connections which can help free up our time, lower our carbon footprint, save us money, and make our blocks, neighbourhoods, and communities safer, healthier, and more sustainable.

Learn what Village Vancouver and others are doing to help neighbours network around food and food security and share what you are doing! This will be a highly interactive event - we will explore how we can collaborate in all possible ways to increase grassroots activity around food sustainability in Strathcona.

Saturday, October 30th
Seed Saving in the City workshop
10 am -1pm
Registration #45504.401

Fee: $30, no one turned away

We will be discussing seed saving basics, the politics of seeds, how to build a seed collective and learn to select for good traits. We'll learn about isolation distances, small business creation, hear stories, and work together to create the base for a local seed chapter. Facilitated by: Maria Hunter, Dragonfly Seeds; Mojave Kaplan,Planting Seeds Project; Robin Wheeler, Edible Landscapes www.bcseeds.org

Keeping Chickens in Strathcona

Many people have begun to keep backyard chickens, and many others are thinking about getting them. With the recent passage of the Vancouver Bylaw legalizing the keeping of backyard chickens, and so much interest in chickens, it is important for everyone’s sake (chicken owners, neighbours, and chickens alike) that chicken owners know how to take care of them properly.

Wednesday, November 3rd
Backyard Chickens 101 workshop
7-9 pm
Registration #45505.401

$10 suggested donation

Learn about the basics of proper care and keeping of small urban flocks of hens, and meet neighbours who share your interest. This interactive session will help participants discover the ease of caring for small flocks.

Tuesday, November 9th
Creating a Coop Co-op with Ross Moster
7-9 pm; FREE
Registration #45506.401

Learn about Village Vancouver's city wide Chicken Coop Co-op group and meet other neighbours with interests around chickens, and begin to explore how you can support one other around chicken keeping (e.g., acting as resources for each another, sharing information, organizing bulk feed buying, etc.). We will start a coop co-op in Strathcona.

Tuesday, November 23rd
Mad City Chickens: Coming to a Backyard Near You! Film screening
with Q&A session to follow.
7-9 pm; by donation
Registration #45507.401

Mad City Chickens (79 min. film) is a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From chicken experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen or an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge-- and even a mad scientist and giant hen taking to the streets -- it's a humourous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.

Sunday, November 14th
Garden Planning and Preparation with Grant Watson
2-5pm
Registration #45508.401

$35 suggested fee; no one turned away

This course will get you started in thinking about how to start a food garden, and taking the first important step of getting the beds ready for planting. A sound garden plan that takes all the key factors into consideration has a better chance of producing and winning your enthusiasm. We’ll do a hands-on activity as well.

Planning includes: goal setting, location, layout, coldframes/greenhouses, and

ordering seeds. Preparation includes: sheet mulching, tilling/digging, cover crops/green manures, starting seedlings, irrigation, planting perennials and beneficial.

Sunday, December 5th
Healthy Food on a Budget with Robin Wheeler
1:30 -3 pm
Registration #45509.401

Suggested donation $15-20.

It gets harder and harder to stretch a food dollar, especially when we want to keep our nutrient level high. In this class we'll look at micro growing, gleaning, nutrient dense foods, bulk buying and other tricks for getting the most value for our dollar.

Concepts in Year Round Gardening with Robin Wheeler
3:15- 5:15 pm
Registration #45510.401
Suggested donation $25-30.

The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles - why we want them, how to get them. We will plan round the calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the garden.

Pause for community service announcement

2010-09-03T18:56:00.001-07:00

Dear Neighbors:

The campaign to save Graham Bruce Elementary, Sir Guy Carleton Elementary and Collingwood Neighbourhood School is going well. Thank you for your support in signing the petition to save the school. To date, 1600 people have signed across our community. And we are just getting started.

I want to invite you to join me at a Community, Parent and Student Rally on Monday September 6th (Labour Day) at 11 a.m. The rally will start at the corner of Joyce and Kingsway under the Collingwood clock in front of Carleton Elementary School. With school starting the next day, it will be an excellent chance to let the BC government and the VSB know how strongly we support our schools.

Hope to see you at Joyce and Kingsway at 11 a.m. on Monday September 6th (Labour Day). Bring a sign if you can and please ask your friends and neighbors to come.

See you there.

Adrian Dix MLA (Vancouver Kingsway)

Derrick Harder
Constituency Assistant
Adrian Dix, MLA for Vancouver Kingsway
Ph. 604.660.0314 / Fax. 604.660.1131
email. derrick.harder@leg.bc.ca / www.adriandix.ca

Updated Canning and Community Kitchen Schedule

2010-08-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Jam and personalized portraits at the Food Security Institute.

Thanks to all who came to this week's community kitchen and helped put together such a delicious and healthy meal. The menu included roasted mint and chicken skewers, bean salad, Greek cucumber salad, pita bread, lemon roasted potatoes, and strawberry-rhubarb cheesecake. Another scrumptious dinner party for 15 with $40 + pantry staples and fresh garden items!

Here's a list of upcoming events and workshops. All events are FREE and held at Collingwood NH (5288 Joyce St.) unless otherwise noted. RSVP as space is limited; please let us know if you have child-minding needs:

Wednesday September 1, 1-4pm - canning chicken soup or vegetable soup

Wednesday September 15, 1-4pm - canning pasta sauce

Friday September 24, 1-4pm - making the community harvest soup @ Renfrew Park Community Centre kitchen (volunteers needed)

Saturday September 25, 4-7pm - Harvest Fair at Slocan Park (food, music, art, and harvest abundance! Volunteers needed)

Wednesday September 29, 2:30-8pm - farmers' market trip (2:30pm-4:30pm) and community kitchen dinner (5-8:30pm). Meet in the CNH lobby at 2:30 if you would like to come farmers' market shopping with us.

Wednesday October 13, 5-8pm - cucumber pickles; daikon and carrot pickles

Wednesday October 20, 5-8pm - preservation by fermentation (sauerkraut and kimchi)

Wednesday October 27, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner

We are also hosting a fall session of Food Skills for Families, a free weekly cooking class (held over six weeks) that focuses on healthy cooking on a budget. Registration priority is for newcomer parents or grandparents caring for young children. Please let me know if you would like to register.

A few snapshots:

Baby carrots!

Chanel and a handful of baby heirloom carrots.

Cheesecake with homegrown strawberry-rhubarb topping.

Chicken Skewer Crew!

Never too young for skills-sharing. Right, Barry?

You can make friends with salad.

Moving the compost on Cheyenne Avenue has turned out to be an emotional process. More so for some than for others.

But at least now we know you are never too young for garden building...

...right, children?

Announcements Galore!

2010-08-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of food security activities going on or coming up! Here is a sampling, in no particular order. Stay tuned for updates on the Cheyenne Avenue Garden build, new evening dates for canning workshops, and information about the annual Harvest Fair and Moon Festival (September 25th).

Shared Harvest

Shared Harvest is a "craigslist" for Metro Vancouver's food system. Visit the new website! Shared Harvest is a tool to help Metro Vancouverites find local food. This is a pilot project funded by Enterprising Non-Profits.

The concept is very simple. You place a free Wanted, Available or Donation ad for a food item on the website and when there is a match you'll be contacted. Farmers, backyard gardeners, charities, grocers, farm to school programs, neighbourhood food networks, restaurants, community kitchens, distributors can all be part of this local food networking site.

If you have a bumper crop of zucchinis, donate it to a worthy food security organization. Looking for BC tomatoes for your canning collective? Place an ad. This brand new site can also be a central stop for food related Events in our area. There's an easy-to-post event calendar which is great for event planning as you can see who is doing what, where and when.

As it grows, Shared Harvest will help develop a more dynamic, sustainable food system where it is easy to find local food and where viable nutritious food is not added to the waste stream. Shared Harvest Metro Vancouver is a FarmFolk/CityFolk project and the goal is to have a series of interlinked Shared Harvest "Regional Food Districts" across BC. Metro Vancouver is the first and there will be three more in the next twelve months, to be chosen based on public interest and sponsorship.

Membership is free to join the Shared Harvest network. Take a look and tell your friends. Add a listing. When there is a match, an automatic email will be sent to you and your match. As the site develops you can stop in and discover what's Wanted or Available simply by browsing the site.

Website: http://www.sharedharvest.ca/metrovancouver

Shared Harvest blog: http://sharedharvestbc.blogspot.com/

Next Up: A Leadership Program for Young People Committed to Social and Environmental Justice.

The application process is now underway for a new cohort of Next Up participants. This is an amazing, intensive and transformative program for young social change activists between the ages of 18 and 32. This year we're excited to announce that the program will operate in three provinces: Next Up BC in Vancouver, Next Up Alberta in Edmonton, and Next Up Saskatchewan in Saskatoon - so please forward this call to your friends and colleagues in those regions.

In each province, 13 young people will be selected. Participants will develop life-long relationships, explore different leadership styles, meet some of the province’s leading change-makers, learn new leadership and organizing skills, and be exposed to current and topical social justice issues and progressive governance.

The application deadline for Next Up BC is Sunday Sept 12 (deadlines vary for each province). The program runs between October 2010 and April 2011.

Please forward this call far and wide -- to individuals, organizations, institutions and your progressive networks. Thank you in advance for helping us find the fabulous young leaders for Next Up 2010/11 -- you'll be thankful you did years from now:)

Application forms and more information can be found at: http://www.nextup.ca

Next Up is a project of genius (the global youth education network society), in partnership with the Columbia Institute Centre for Civic Governance, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and the Parkland Institute.
-------------------------------

Seth Klein
Director, BC Office
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
seth@policyalternatives.ca
tel. (604) 801-5121 1400 – 207 West Hastings St.
fax. (604) 801-5122 Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7
CCPA webpage: http://www.policyalternatives.ca

The CCPA is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy research institute, dedicated to social, economic and environmental justice. We produce and promote progressive research on a wide range of provincial and national policy issues.

VanDusen Botanical Garden Workshops

GMO & Terminator Seeds, the Old and New with April Reeves, Director of GE Free BC

September 9, 2010

7:30 p.m. in the Floral Hall

April Reeves will be discussing the history and technology of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with a focus on terminator seeds. As we address the question, "Why should we be aware of terminator technology?" April will also explore the long term vision and dangers of this technology and what you can do about GE Terminator crops & trees. Bring your questions for answers about all types of GM technology.

Garden Makeover – Weeds

Sat. August 21, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Cost: Members $42 / Non-member: $52

Instructor: Gerry Gibbens

Join Gerry to renovate a piece of VanDusen’s Fern Dell and get some hands-on knowledge on controlling a weed filled garden bed. As you overhaul a plot in the Garden, class participants will remove all the plants to be saved, replace the infested soil and replant the area. This course will be outdoors in the shade of the Fern Dell. Dress in work clothes and bring your gardening gloves.

Family Program: Super Seeds

Sun. September 19, 10:30a.m. - noon or 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Member: $15 / Non-member: $25

Seeds come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some can be eaten and some can't. Discover the ingenious ways that seeds travel, what they are composed of, and how they grow. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration required

Click here for registration information and to find out about other workshops.

Backyard Bounty Urban Agriculture Workshop Series

Join the Backyard Bounty crew for this series of workshops to be held at the Strathcona Community Garden Eco-Pavillion. For more information on Backyard Bounty visit the website.

Honey Bees: Saturday August 21st, 9 am to 1 pm. Join urban beekeeper Clelie Murray-Chevrier in a facilitated discussion about urban beekeeping. This is your chance to find out more about what it takes to keep bees in the city and to get your questions answered. After some discussion time we will walk a couple blocks and get a tour of one or two urban hives. Free! Email Clelie for more information: bees@backyardbountycollective.com.

Chickens: Saturday, September 11, 1:00 - 3:30 pm. Learn the basics of Vancouver's chicken bylaw and learn what it would take for you to start getting fresh eggs from your own backyard. Chicken-coop-builder Duncan Martin will let you in on some tips for building your own coop (or buy one of his kits!) and introduce you to everything you need to know about basic care, sourcing chickens and supplies, and helpful resources for future reference. Also: Come away with your own recycled-container waterer. Suggested donation: $10-15. Email Duncan for more information: chickens@backyardbountycollective.com.

Food Safety Free Online Course

Free Professional Development Opportunity The Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport recently launched Caring About Food Safety, a 1.5 hour self-guided course about the safe and healthy preparation and handling of food. The course, offered at no cost, is designed to raise awareness about protecting public health by preventing the spread of food-borne illness.

The course is designed for anybody who prepares, handles or serves food to people beyond their immediate friends and family. It will be particularly useful for people whose clients are typically more susceptible to food-borne illness, and for whom there are no mandated food-safety training requirements.

Visit Caring for Food Safety.

Community Kitchen Roundtable

This free opportunity to meet other community kitchen leaders, to share and hear about other kitchen activities, challenges & successes. No registration required.

Thurs, Nov. 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Thurs, Mar 3, 2011 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Thurs, June 9, 2011 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave., Vancouver
Please contact Shona at shonal@foodbank.bc.ca for more information.

Community Kitchen Leadership Workshops

During this workshop you will have the opportunity to find out more about community kitchens, different ways a group can work and how you can lead or start a community kitchen. Learn the history of the community kitchen movement and the effect it has had around the province. Hear about the different kitchen models that run successfully in our communities. Experience a community kitchen first hand! Lunch will be provided.

Thurs, Oct 21, 2010 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.
Thurs, Dec 2, 2010 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.
Thurs, Feb 10, 2011 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.
Thurs, Apr 14, 2011 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.
Thurs, Jun 2, 2011 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave.  Cost: $45.00 (lunch provided).  
To register: Contact Darlene Tanaka, at 604-876-0659 ext 105 or darlenet@foodbank.bc.ca

7th Annual Corn Festival

Everyone is invited to the 7th annual Corn Festival celebrating corn traditions of Latin America. Come try delicious Latin American food made with corn, music, dancing, children’s activities and more. Organized by C.E.L.S.A.N. Canadian El Salvador Action Committee to raise funds for community development in El Salvador.

Sunday Sept. 5, 1 – 7pm.
Britannia Community Centre. Gym D.
For more information call 778-385-5394

Talk Green to Us

Vancouver has embarked on an ambitious program to become the Greenest City by the year 2020. The framework for this endeavour is spelled out in a report called Toward a Bright Green Future. And on a very positive note, an entire section of this report is devoted to the subject of local food.

A key aspect is to activate citizen engagement with the process, gathering ideas from the community at large and integrating them into the overall program.

The City has set up an on-line forum that allows ideas to be proposed, discussed and debated. You can check it out here, at: talkgreentous.ca. We're looking for all the good food ideas that we can get and I'm hoping that you might contribute in that regard.

Send us your plans, dreams, notes and schemes for making Vancouver even more food-friendly.

Home Grown

On August 26th, Museum of Vancouver and FarmFolkCityFolk will launch the exhibition Home Grown, a photographic exploration of local food production and sustainable farming in Vancouver and the surrounding region.

For more information, visit The Museum of Vancouver's website.

Upcoming canning workshops!

2010-08-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone is welcome to attend these free upcoming canning workshops. Bring home valuable skills on how to safely preserve food and even a jar of your own! If you are interested, please register with Chanel at cly@cnh.bc.ca to help determine the amount of ingredients needed to be purchased.

Wednesday August 11, 1-4pm - pickled cucumbers and beans
Wednesday August 18, 1-4pm - blackberry jam
Wednesday August 25, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner
Wednesday September 1, 1-4pm - chicken or vegetable soup
Wednesday September 15, 1-4pm - pasta sauce
Wednesday September 29, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner

Happy canning.

Summer Fun with Food Security - Cheyenne Garden, TEAM Jam Session, Community Kitchen

2010-07-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

July 25th Cheyenne Ave. Community Garden Workparty

TEAM (Teens Educating Against Misuse) Strawberry and Blueberry Jam Making Workshop

July 28th Community Kitchen

Menu:

Gazpacho

Pappardelle (bow tie pasta) with zucchini in a creamy yogurt sauce

Quinoa and black bean salad with a cumin lime dressing

Asian coleslaw

Watermelon

Corn on the cob (not shown)

Ice cream with frozen peaches (not shown)

Thanks Barry!

Even after second and third helpings, we still had leftovers.

Parsley and chives harvested for community kitchen.

Sunflowers sunbathing in the rooftop.

Busy honeybees in the oregano flowers.

2010-07-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Home Canning with a Side of Humour.

A recipe that calls for "6 cups of crushed strawberries" is telling you to crush the strawberries FIRST, then measure out six cups. The reverse order of operations leads to widespread puzzlement in the kitchen, and the odd sense that your recipe book has lied to you. Lessons learned.

You can wash, sort, and prepare (e.g. hulling or peeling if needed) fruit at its peak freshness and freeze it in sturdy containers or freezer bags. If you plan on making jam with your fruit, you can thaw it out in the refrigerator, or use a homemade bain-marie. Here, we placed a metal bowl over a large pot of simmering water to defrost the berries with gentle steam.

Or you could make your friends and family smash the frozen berries, which is apparently much more fun.

Headspace: It's important to leave a small amount of empty space at the top of the jar. The space will be specified in your recipe, and a canning ruler (like the one in the picture) is a helpful visual aid.

Upcoming Gardening Workshops with Grant Watson.

Until recently, Grant Watson was a resident of Renfrew-Collingwood, and has been helping out with the new Horley St. Orchard and Cheyenne Avenue Garden. He will be leading two gardening workshops at School of Chalk in Strathcona on July 25. For more details on workshop contents, see www.gourmetgardens.ca

Winter Gardening

Location: 593 E Georgia St, Vancouver
Date/Time: 25-July, 10am - noon

Overview
Learn how to start a winter vegetable garden, when, and what to grow. We will cover the options for extending the season of various food plants, and what varieties have been bred specifically for frost tolerance and longer storage life.

Soil Fertility and Plant Health
Location: 593 E Georgia St, Vancouver
Date/Time: 25-July, 1 - 4 pm

Overview
An extremely important topic in organic gardening is soil health and fertility. Healthy soil is a vibrant community. Learn how to be an ally, not an enemy of your soil. We'll also cover some key techniques for promoting and protecting your annual and perennial food plants, as well as the ones that just look pretty, from disease and pests.

--

Grant Watson
Grant's Gourmet Gardens
778 869 4060
www.gourmetgardens.ca

Food Security Snapshots

2010-07-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, part of the Collingwood Days community festival.

One of the mason bee houses on the Rooftop Garden. We had a total of 17 plugged holes at the Rooftop and also 17 plugged holes in the mason bee condo at the Collingwood Community Gardens. To learn more about the blue orchard mason bee and the importance of pollinators, visit Mason Bee Vancouver.

Everybody say "MOO!" We teamed up with CNH Settlement Services and the Seniors Wellness program for a local food adventure at Avalon Dairy.

Avalon is a family business that is right in our neighbourhood. It's the oldest continuously operating Dairy in BC. In the background you can see the original Crowley family farmhouse that was built in 1908.

Our guide answers questions outside the bottling room. We weren't able to enter the processing building due to health regulations.

A glimpse inside the bottling room. Avalon is known for their glass bottles. Glass containers have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. This is partially due to health concerns over harmful compounds in food-grade plastics (especially Bisphenol A, or BPA). A summary of concerns about BPA can be found in this brochure released by the US Bureau of Environmental Health in 2009. The Canadian Government amended the Hazardous Products Act in March 2010 in response to growing research on the harm of BPAs. More information about these changes can be found here.

Community kitchen participants hulling strawberries for dessert.

Grating carrots for salad.

Strawberry monkey!

Sharing food skills during community kitchen.

The Renfrew Collingwood Aboriginal Youth Canoe Club hosted the 2010 Pulling Together Journey from July 1-July 9. The Pulling Together Journey brings law enforcement officers and government representatives (including municipal police, RCMP, and Border Services, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans) together with Aboriginal Youth for a nine day canoe and camping journey. Along the way, the participants are welcomed into the different Aboriginal territories by local community members, and learn about protocol and culture. Here, Canoe Club members paddle The Spirit of the Salmon from Dead Man's Island in Stanley Park to Ambleside.

A small group Food Security people helped to prepare the big dinner feast in Semiahmoo on the final day of the journey. We learned about indigenous food traditions, cultural celebrations, and got to share in a bountiful feast. Here, food security volunteer Barry enjoys the scent of smoking salmon.

We shucked a lot of fresh Dungeness crab! The feast also included bannock, clam chowder, and smoked salmon, as well as fresh berries for dessert.

Square foot gardening at the Collingwood Community Gardens.

Supplies for a peach salsa and tomato canning workshop.

Peeling blanched peaches for the salsa. We used the peach salsa recipe from Bernardin's Guide to Home Preserving. Be sure to use tested recipes from reputable sources for home canning, especially for low-acid foods like vegetables and fish.

After a long 45 minutes of waiting for our hot-packed tomatoes to come out of their boiling water bath. Processing times differ for different jar sizes and different methods (e.g. whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes all have different processing times), so always consult a reliable recipe when canning at home.

WOW!! Home canning!

Garlic scapes on the Rooftop Garden. We were affected by Garlic Rust Fungus, so the bulbs we harvested were quite small this year.

Practicum student Chanel with freshly harvested garlic scapes and bulbs.

Plump peas grown on the roof.

Blueberries growing on the roof.

Cheyenne Street Garden Update & Summer Canning Workshops

2010-07-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yay! The first piece of sod has been removed! ...only 250m2 left to go.

A million thanks go out to all the wonderful volunteers who came out this weekend to move gravel (mistakenly delivered to the incorrect address! Oh dear), cut and remove sod, saw wood, and build raised garden bed frames. Thanks also to the many positive and supportive neighbours who jumped in to help with the build, as well as those who brought us snacks and cold drinks.

Dates for the next building phase will be announced soon; the City has kindly offered to level the soon-to-be wheelchair accessible area and we'll be able to continue building once leveling is complete. To get involved with the build, or to inquire about available plots, please contact Jason.

More photos of this weekend's build will be posted shortly, as well as photos of our recent field trip to Avalon Dairy, exploring indigenous food traditions in Semiahmoo, and the canning workshop series.

Here's the schedule for this summer's canning and cooking workshop series. Space is limited and demand is high; please register by contacting Stephanie. We are now accepting donations of clean, gently-used mason jars. Mason jars are produced by companies such as Bernardin, Ball, and Kerr. They are also used by some commercial pasta and jam producers (all mason jars are marked directly on the jar). For your safety, please note that not all glass jars can be reused for safe home canning.

Wednesday July 14, 1-4pm - canned tomatoes and peach salsa
Wednesday July 21, 1-4pm - seasonal fruit jam
Wednesday July 28, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner
Wednesday August 11, 1-4pm - pickled cucumbers and beans
Wednesday August 18, 1-4pm - blackberry jam
Wednesday August 25, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner
Wednesday September 1, 1-4pm - chicken or vegetable soup
Wednesday September 15, 1-4pm - pasta sauce
Wednesday September 29, 5-8pm - community kitchen dinner

Students from Windermere and Van Tech building garden beds.

July 11-12: Volunteers Needed to Build Community Garden

2010-07-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

UBC Planning students at the site of the future Horley Street Community Orchard.

Hello Food Security Friends!

With the support of the City of Vancouver, the 2010 Community Gardens Initiative, and Evergreen Foundation/Walmart, we are excited to begin Phase I construction on a new community garden at 2755 Cheyenne Avenue!

The garden will feature a gathering area shaded by fruit trees, wheelchair accessible raised beds, a 3-bin compost system, and plots for local group homes and Norquay Elementary school (other garden plots will be available for local residents and organizations as well). Here is a draft of the garden design (courtesy Jason Hsieh) in case you would like to offer suggestions or feedback before the design is submitted to the City's Engineering department for final approval. This draft was designed in consultation with neighbourhood residents and representatives of the City of Vancouver.

Neighbours discussing local concerns and garden design priorities.

Early draft of the Cheyenne Avenue garden design.

When:
Sunday July 11: 10am-5:30pm
Monday July 12: 2:30pm-8pm

You are welcome to join us for both days, either day, or part of the day. Any help is appreciated.

Where:
2755 Cheyenne St., close to the #19 bus route and 29th Ave. Skytrain Station. Parking near the site is limited. If possible please walk, cycle, or use transit.

What to Bring:
-work or garden gloves
-hand tools if you have them (such as a hammer, hedge clippers, or large spade)
-wheelbarrow if possible
-hat/sunscreen/water bottle
-potluck snack to share (we'll bring some light snacks, too. Please advise of any food allergies)

What to Expect:
-some sod removal
-creating accessible pathways with bark mulch and gravel
-constructing raised beds and compost bins
-assembling tool shed
-moving soil and compost
-pulling weeds
-community potluck!

Who:
Anyone, with any level of building or gardening expertise, is welcome! Building experts can look forward to sharing skills with beginners, and beginners may be surpised to discover what they already know. Many hands make light work. Younger children must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times as we are not able to provide child-minding for this event. Until pathways are completed, wheelchair accessibility is limited.

Please reply with your availability to Jason Hsieh. Thank you!

Agriculture and Climate Change: A Search for Low Greenhouse Gas Food

2010-06-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

With the change of seasons come locally available foods. For example, spring yields rhubarb; summer ushers in a bounty of fruits and vegetables; apples rule autumn while winter supplies root vegetables. Imagine if all this were to change.

By 2050, global agro-ecosystems are projected to undergo rising temperatures and CO2 levels, erradic water availability and an increase of extreme weather events. Join presenters Tara Moreau and Tegan Adams who will introduce the science of climate change, examine the projected impacts on farming, highlight solutions for regional agriculture and explore individual actions for a low carbon diet.

Where: SPEC Demonstration Centre (2150 Maple Street, Vancouver BC) (www.spec.bc.ca/)

When: 10 July 2010 (2-4 PM)

Registration is $10.

Registration is available at www.spec.roundtablelive.org/events.

Note: space is limited to 30 participants to allow for interactive dialogue. All funds go to SPEC’s School Gardens Project, which promotes sustainable food choices through hands-on agriculture experiences in Vancouver area schools.

Supporters
Institute for Sustainable Horticulture, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

Job Posting: Sous Chef at Potluck Cafe

Potluck Cafe and Catering at 30 West Hastings St in Vancouver is seeking a Sous Chef.

Hours of Work: 40 hours/week on average

Salary: Competitive Salary + Staff Benefits Package

Primary Duties: The Sous Chef position is a 100% hands on food production role that also includes comprehensive kitchen management responsibilities. Under the guidance of Chef and Executive Director, the Sous Chef is responsible for the planning and execution of all aspects of Potluck's busy 'food operations' including corporate catering, community meal programs and the café. The Sous Chef is responsible for ensuring that all food operations are efficient, well organized, and meet food safe standards while guiding the creation of innovative menus according to Potluck nutritional, sustainability and budget goals. The successful candidate will integrate well into the Potluck mix working to ensure a supportive work environment for all food operations staff which includes individuals from all walks of life and abilities.

For information on qualifications: View the job posting.

To Apply: Please email your resume and cover letter to Heather O'Hara, Executive Director at heather [at] potluckcatering.com. Only candidates invited for an interview will be contacted.

Vancouver Community Garden Seeking to Connect with Community Kitchen

The new EYA community garden at the corner of Raymur St. and Malkin Ave in Vancouver would like to connect with one local community kitchen on a trial basis to provide some herbs, greens and tomatoes. The ideal kitchen would be interested in food as well as be able to have at least one member come by to help pick the food the day before or the day of the community kitchen. This is the first year for the EYA community garden so the supply won't be huge and this will be a trial to see how the process works and develops.

If your kitchen is interested, please contact Samantha at: samantha [at] eya.ca or call 604-689-4446. Click here for more information about the EYA community garden.

2010 List of Free, Low Cost, and Community Meals in Vancouver

This list was compiled by the Health Information and Referral Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) as a source list for use by staff at VCH and other community organizations. Click here for a .pdf version with an MS Excel attachment.

Albert Battistoni Awarded the 2010 W.J. VanDusen Community Service Award

2010-06-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Albert poses with with Collingwood Neighbourhood House staff members Paula, Cindy, Kulwant, and Nancy. Photo courtesy United Way of the Lower Mainland.

Albert Battistoni has been volunteering at Collingwood Neighbourhood House seven days a week for the last twenty years. Albert has many volunteer duties...and all of us who use the kitchen are especially grateful for his high standards for food safety. He ensures that all program staff and volunteers, as well as visiting groups, adhere to very strict cleanliness standards in and around the kitchen.

Albert's concern for food safety standards comes in part from his extensive experience in the food industry. His family owned and operated the Venice Bakery, the first Italian bakery in Vancouver (artifacts from historic Strathcona, the Venice Bakery, and a few of Albert's stories will be featured at an upcoming exhibit at the nearby Italian Cultural Centre's Il Museo).

Albert says the secret to a long and successful life is to keep moving, keep laughing, and stay connected to others. We are very proud that he is the 2010 recipient of the W.J. VanDusen Community Service Award. Please click below to watch a little video about his contributions to the Renfrew-Collingwood community.

Quest Fundraiser - Saturday June 26th

2010-06-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Uprising Breads Bakery, located at 697 Venables, will be hosting a fundraiser to promote Quest Food Exchange.

Quest is British Columbia’s largest food exchange program. Their approach to rescuing food and reducing hunger involves collecting and distributing quality food - overstock, mislabelled, or near-expired products that would otherwise go to waste - and redirecting it to those in need via four food-assistance programs.

The fundraiser will be held on Saturday June 26th from 9-3pm. There will be a limited quantity of Quest cookies; all proceeds go directly to Quest. A raffle will be held with the first prize winner receiving ‘bread for a year’ from Uprising Bakery. Fun door prizes will be given away too!

Companion Planting Workshop - June 27

The World In A Garden is pleased to present the first of the 2010 Seed to Table Workshop Series.

The first workshop in the nine part Seed to Table Series, explore the techniques and benefits of companion planting. Learn how to naturally enhance your garden this summer with mutually beneficial plant species. Take home seeds and a companion planting chart from West Coast Seeds and a copy of Organic Gardening magazine! Held at Vancouver's most fascinating urban agriculture project:

The World In A Garden, W. 57th Ave. & E. Blvd. 11 am - 1 pm.
$20.
Snacks and coffee provided.
All proceeds go to The World In A Garden.

We're looking forward to learning with you on the 27th of June. Register today as space is limited!

Happy Gardening,
The World In A Garden
--
Lily Canan Reynolds
"The World In A Garden"
Community Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator Intern

Jewish Family Service Agency
305-1985 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 4Y3
tel. 604-257-5151 fax. 604-257-5148
lcananreynolds [at] jfsa.ca

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House Food Activist Job Posting

Job Position: Food Activist 21 hours/week through 31st March 2011 - Thursdays through Saturdays.
Depending on funding, this may become a fulltime, long term position.

The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House [DTES NH] is seeking a part time
Food Activist who will oversee the formal creation of the DTES Right to Food Network, born of our Food Philosophy, food related partnerships and multiple nutritional initiatives since 2004. [Please see our website for further information.]

About the DTES Right to Food Network
The working goal of the DTES Right to Food Network is to ensure that all DTES residents have demonstrated food sovereignty regardless of age, ancestry or income within a local DTES food economy. Its objectives are to increase DTES residents’ awareness of their legal, moral and political Right to Food by drawing upon local, national and international examples of comparable movements and to strengthen DTES residents’ economic capacity by supporting the call for a living wage/adequate housing while investigating potential Community Economic Development initiatives which can contribute to an affordable, accessible, sustainable and culturally appropriate DTES Food Economy.

Roles and Responsibilities
• Coordinate Right to Food Network’s nutritional outreach within the DTES and beyond including liaising with other Vancouver Food Security Networks.
• Employ existing local gap analysis/reports and review international case studies of models for Food Justice and Community Economic Development using Right to Food principles.
• Oversee and expand existing DTES Neighbourhood House Right to Food programming [eg Roving Community Kitchen, Banana Beat] to include Children/Youth Community Kitchens and other creative initiatives.
• Develop effective evaluation tools for Right to Food programs and reflect DTES residents’ priorities and feedback in programming.
• Coordinate the creation and distribution of our Right to Food Zine.
• Represent the DTES NH upon request.

Qualifications
• Minimum 3 years experience working in a similar inner city non profit environment or relevant comparable experience.
• Extensive knowledge of international Right to Food/Food Security movement.
• Familiarity with Four Pillars, especially Harm Reduction.
• WCB First Aid Level 1
• Food Safe Level 1 and 2
• Class 5 Driver’s License
• Class 4 Driver’s License an asset

Skills/Abilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated commitment to beauty and fun
• Understanding and practice of confidentiality and privacy
• Ability and enthusiasm to work in a team
• Supervisory, program and evaluation skills
• Demonstrated understanding of non-judgmental behavior
• Demonstrated comfort working with people of all ages, genders, ancestries, sexual orientations, abilities, occupations and classes
• Mature organizational skills

Reporting
The Food Activist reports directly to the Executive Director.

Compensation
$20/hour with benefits.

How to Apply & Closing Date for Applications
Please email your resume to johanna [at] potluckcatering.com.
The closing date for applications is Monday July 5th.
We thank all applicants for their interest.

Due to administrative constraints only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Food Security Institute is Hiring

2010-06-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Jaime and Crecien potting up sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes).

Thanks to our wonderful Rooftop Garden leadership team, the garden is in full swing. We have been harvesting herbs, radishes, mixed Asian greens, and heirloom varieties of lettuce for use in our community food programs. Rooftop Garden drop-in time (Wednesday evenings 5-7pm) is the perfect time to enjoy our food-producing urban oasis. Look around, take in the sights and smells, share some new gardening skills, and help out our community by contributing some time to the garden!

Scroll down to see a few recent rooftop photos.

Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Security Practicum Opportunity

Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute
c/o Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce. St, Vancouver BC
V5R 6C9, 604-435-0323

Term: 10-week summer student position

Level of education: Secondary or post-secondary with an interest in planning, geography, social work, environmental sciences, agriculture/land and food systems,
anthropology.

Projected start date: Last week of June 2010

Description of Organization: The Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute (RC FSI) is a non-profit organization established in 2002. We support and encourage initiatives focused on organic growing, healthful cooking, harvesting, sharing of food knowledge and resources, leadership development, and capacity building. The RCFSI works in collaboration with Collingwood Neighbourhood House to develop community learning, leadership, and networking around the issues of food security and food sovereignty through a community development model.

We believe that food is a human right, and that the “right to food” means more than meeting basic nutritional requirements. We use food as a meeting point for community capacity building, inter-cultural and inter-generational understanding, and making Renfrew Collingwood a place of safety and belonging.

Description of Roles and Responsibilities:
• Assist the Coordinator in promoting and developing food and food growing programs and resources, including rooftop gardening, community kitchens, and mason bee monitoring
• Facilitate or co-facilitate cooking and food preservation workshops with participants
• Work with volunteers and leadership teams to harvest and/or collect locally produced fruits and vegetables for distribution to low-income residents
• Document residents’ food traditions through photography, interviews, and storytelling transcription. Examples include immigrants’ gardening practices and Aboriginal food traditions
• Help map community food resources and facilitate participatory initiatives through volunteer support and leadership teams
• Assist in hosting community celebrations and educational events around organic food growing and sustainable food systems
• Assist in website/blog content development and maintenance
• Document and evaluate progress of work through weekly reports to supervisor

Specific Qualifications: Due to restrictions from HRSDC funding, the suitable candidates must be 15-30 years of age, legally able to work in Canada, and have been in full-time studies in the previous year and be returning to full time studies in the fall of 2010.

Preferred Qualifications Include:
• Knowledge and passion for food issues and urban agriculture
• Familiarity with "food security" and "food sovereignty" issues
• Experience working with/leading volunteer teams
• Organizational and time management skills
• Willingness to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings
• Ability to work independently
• Preference will be given to persons living in the Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood

Training Provided:
• Program development and delivery
• Community development models for sustainable agriculture practices, food sharing, and related issues
• Skills around gardening, food preservation, leadership, and participatory workshop facilitation
• Opportunity to achieve Food Safe Level 1 certificate

Compensation: $8.50/hr + benefits (35 hrs/week; 10 weeks)
This position is subject to funding through HRSDC Canada.

Closing Date: June 17 2010

We thank all individuals who apply for this position, and will be contacting shortlisted candidates directly. No phone calls please.

Please send resume and cover letter to foodsecurity[at]cnh.bc.ca
Attention: Stephanie Lim.

Rainbow chard seedling. Notice the remains of its cotyledons (baby leaves) (May 27).

Icicle radishes are ready for harvesting, interplanted with mixed heirloom carrots. The first feathery carrot leaves are popping up (May 25).

Mixed heirloom lettuce--transplants from thinning (May 26).

Lush perennial herbs: rosemary, thyme, flowering chives, lovage, oregano, lemon verbena, parsley (May 15).

Mixed heirloom lettuces prior to thinning. May 26.

Career Opportunity: Executive Director

2010-06-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

CAREER OPPORTUNITY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Does this Sound Like You?

If you are a motivated self-starter who lives or works in the Renfrew Collingwood neighbourhood of Vancouver, this opening may be for you. If you are confident, organized, and a visionary leader with outstanding leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, this may be the career for you.

About Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Over the last 23 years Collingwood Neighbourhood House has grown into a large multi-service organization serving a neighbourhood of 48,000 people, 70% who have English as a second language. We offer over 165 programs and services in areas of childcare, family support, settlement services, youth leadership, senior supports, culture, recreation, education, and community development. Our approach is to build on the capacities of the people and institutions in our neighbourhood and to develop community leadership. Currently, the neighbourhood house has 118 staff, 215 volunteers, and 65 collaborative partners who assist in developing and delivering broad based services and initiatives created and led by neighbourhood residents, and institutions.

Our Values and Beliefs

• Cooperation and mutual respect among people;
• Self-reliance of individuals and the empowerment of people and the Collingwood community as a whole;
• Social justice and equitable treatment for all individuals;
• Accountable to the community and responsive to its changing needs;
• Full participation of all peoples in social, cultural, and economic life of the community;
• Valuing and recognizing the work and accomplishments of staff and volunteers and providing ongoing support, feedback, and learning opportunities;
• Resident involvement in problem-solving and decision-making;
• Integration, collaboration, and co-operation among service providers within the organization and the Collingwood community;
• Diversity and multiculturalism.

The Responsibilities

The Executive Director is responsible to the Board of Directors and works with the Directors Team to further the goals and direction of the CNH Strategic Plan. This is a management position and includes Board Support, Strategic Planning, Community Research, Community Issue Resolution, Community and Neighbourhood Development, Leadership Development, Public Relations, Human Resources Support and Mentoring, Government Relation and Advocacy, Finance and Fundraising, and Systems Maintenance.

The Ideal Candidate

A contagious passion for capacity-building and inclusive community relations, a commitment to the beliefs of inclusion and respect, a desire to work with our community partners, and an understanding of our unique neighbourhood and its needs are necessary for success as the Executive Director. Good communication skills, both oral and written, as well as a good command of the English language, both written and oral are required. This is a full time permanent position, but job-sharing proposals may be entertained. Proposals by those interested in being mentored into the position are also welcome.

How to Find Out More

If this sounds like the position for you, please send an introductory letter in confidence to EDSelection [at] cnh.bc.ca on or before Monday, June 14, 2010.
All those who express an interest will receive further information about Collingwood Neighbourhood House, the Executive Director’s job description, and further information about applying.