Local food hot topic

The Northwestern Health Unit is actively trying to improve health and food security by raising the nutrition level of the food we eat through a wide range of programs.
These include “Plant a row, Grow a row,” food box programs, community gardens in Emo and Fort Frances, a “Buy Local” display unit for trade shows and fairs, a “Buy Local” brochure, and an update of the “Buy Local, Buy Fresh” guide to local food.
4-H and the Ag in the Classroom programs also are doing their part in promoting local food production.
All of these programs—and more—were discussed when health educators from the Fort Frances, Emo, and Rainy River offices of the Northwestern Health Unit met with a small group of agricultural producers in Stratton last Wednesday (April 30).
The “Plant a row, Grow a row” program is a co-operative effort between the Northwestern Ontario “Healthy Living” partnership, the health unit, and the local Salvation Army.
Gardeners are invited to grow extra produce and donate it to the Salvation Army’s food bank “to get nutritious vegetables into the hands of people who need them.”
Free seeds are available from the health unit.
Once the crop is in, gardeners can bring their produce to the Salvation Army’s food bank in Fort Frances on Mondays from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.
Meanwhile, the growing success of the “Healthy Living” food box program in Fort Frances has prompted the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market to embark on a district-wide program, with the ultimate goal of increasing production and consumption of local produce.
In co-operation with the Healthy Community Coalition in Rainy River, the Emo/La Vallee/Chapple Healthy Community Coalition, and the Next Generation Coalition in Atikokan, the CVFM food box will be delivered to those communities on the third Thursday of every month.
The program is being launched this month. Orders for the $25 food box must be placed by Thursday, May 8, with pick-up on Thursday, May 22.
Information on ordering and distribution may be obtained by contacting your local health unit office or CVFM manager Carley McCormick.
As noted, the “Guide to Local Food” brochure also is being updated. It contains a list of producers and a seasonal availability guide, along with a map locating producers in Rainy River District.
New producers wishing to be included in the brochure should contact Megan Bale at the health unit’s office in Emo (482-2211 ext. 222).
The brochure originally was produced by the Rainy River Valley Food Council and Bale is hoping there is interest in reviving that group.
Another agri-food and food security meeting is planned for early August and anyone interested is welcome.