Perth food bank hopes to reap what it sows this season

Posted Oct 13, 2011 By EMC News

EMC News - Many of us living in the Valley know the pleasure of growing fresh fruit and vegetables in gardens we tend just outside our back doors. We then get to prepare simple, healthy meals for our family and friends from food we understand is "local" in the truest sense of the word. We know how good it makes us feel to spend warm, sunny days outside in our gardens, and that the physical effort we invest in the tasks of planting, weeding and watering during the summer is amply repaid with an abundant harvest of quality, pesticide-free produce just before Thanksgiving. Some of us even put food by for the long winter months and stretch our grocery dollars that much further by freezing, canning, drying and storing the surplus.

But perhaps, most of all, we know the pride we can take in having these skills, which equip us to be more self-sufficient and secure in an increasingly uncertain world.

Some of us were lucky and learned these skillsgardening, cooking, preservingfrom our parents and grandparents. Others may have asked the neighbours, read books or taken a workshop, trying to figure it all out.

But many of those in our community who would benefit most from these skills haven't had the same opportunities. And that's what we're hoping to change as the Perth and District Food Bank becomes a community food centre over the next few months.

One woman who comes to the Food Bank on rare occasions struggles to buy food for a family of four on just $400 a month. That's about $1.11 per person per meal and nowhere near enough to put ample, healthy food on the table for two growing children and a husband who goes out to work each day. The thrifty gardeners among us know that, with a little help, a bit of outdoor space and two or three packets of seeds costing less than $2 each, this family could grow a year's supply of beans.

For some time, the Perth and District Food Bank has wanted to do more to improve access to healthy food for those in our community living on low incomes. We want to introduce people to the joys and economies of gardening. We want to help them get the skills they need to budget, shop and eat wisely. We want to give them a chance to gather around a table to share a healthy meal that includes local foods, and talk to their neighbours. And we want to give people a voice on issues that are important to them.

So, starting in January, we will be offering classes on gardening, cooking, shopping and budgeting as well as free, healthy community meals, all while continuing to provide emergency food hampers to families in need.

That's why "The Power of Food" is our theme for this year's Harvest Campaign. If we stop to think about it, the quality of the food we eat is critical to the health and well-being of ourselves, our families and our community. High quality food is a basic human right, and an investment in good food is an investment in good health.

Food is also an opportunity: it has the power to create positive and long-lasting change. Together, we can empower ourselves and our neighbours by sharing and building our knowledge and skills to grow, prepare and advocate for good food.

But we can't run a good food revolution on a shoestring: quality programs require sustained, quality investments in people, equipment and resources. And that is why, at this time of Thanksgiving, the Perth and District Food Bank welcomes your donations. Imagine how pleased we are, for example, that Home Hardware is donating staff time and materials on Oct. 16 to help us build the garden in our back yard.

To make a donation, call 613-267-6428 or visit our website at www.perthfoodbank.com. Help us to reap what we sow and realize the power of food.

Submitted by the Perth and District Food Bank.