What is a Community Food Centre?
A Community Food Centre is a welcoming space in a low-income neighbourhood where people come together to grow, cook, share, and advocate for good food. Community Food Centres provide people with access to high-quality food in a dignified space. People learn cooking and gardening skills there, and kids get their hands dirty in the garden and kitchen in ways that expand their tastebuds and help them make healthier food choices. Community members can take action on the issues that affect them, and people find friends and support.
Community Food Centre Objectives.
- Improve people’s ability to access healthy food in a dignified way;
- Increase healthy food knowledge, skills, and behaviours;
- Decrease social isolation and increase people’s connection to supports;
- Create opportunities for people to take action on the issues that affect their lives,
- Empower people to be volunteers and leaders.
Programs
Our programs strive to alleviate the impacts of poverty and food insecurity by increasing access to healthy food; supporting people to build their skills and knowledge around healthy food; and creating opportunities for low-income families to become leaders and advocates for policies that can reduce poverty and inequality.
Food Skills
Community kitchens, gardens, and after-school programs help people build the skills, knowledge, and confidence to grow and prepare healthy food for themselves and their families.
Drop-In Meals
Serving up healthy and traditional 300community meals Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 pm.
Community Gardens
Helping people build the skills, knowledge, and confidence to grow and prepare healthy food - empowering them to take control of their health and make lasting, sustainable dietary changes.
Good Food Bank
The Good Food Bank meets community needs by making healthy food more accessible for people on low incomes - offering produce and distribution programs in a welcoming space with connections to support and resources.
Healthy Food Access
Affordable produce markets, and healthy food distribution programs increase access to fresh and nutritious food in a welcoming space where people can get connected to other supports and resources.
School Partnerships
Through school partnerships, kids gain skills and try new foods. Programs include daily healthy meals for over 100 students and a fun summer initiative combining gardening, music, and good food - building healthy foundations.
A place where youth have opportunities to lead
When 15-year-old Sage started working at the Natoaganeg Community Food Centre as a summer student helping out in the garden, she didn't realize what a big impact the experience would have on her life. Helping to maintain the garden, she's learned a lot about what it takes to turn tiny seeds into rows upon rows of colourful, nutritious food. Her involvement with the centre began when she started serving as a youth advisor for the project. Since then, she's learned to cook, tried lots of new healthy foods, and felt more connected to the Eel Ground community she grew up in.