about us

CCFN is an active collaboration of community members, agencies, service providers and organizations working together to enhance the health and well-being in our neighborhoods by supporting and coordinating local food security initiatives and improving access to community health, social services and community-based programs. Join us. It's free, fun and makes a difference! Email the coordinator and receive our monthly e-newsletter.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Trout Lake Cedar Cottage Food Security Network Newsletter for January 2011

Hi, I hope that 2011 got off to a good start for you.

If you have a hankering for food security at its best, I suggest registering for Will Allen's free presentation at the Croatian Cultural Centre on January 27th. This man has been very successful in teaching people with his special brand of enthusiasm how to grow food in the urban core. Registration details below. It's bound to fill up fast as the date approaches.

Of course there is also tomorrow's Pocket Market where you can buy fresh quality produce at VERY reasonable prices. The market has moved to Saturdays:

TLCC Pocket Market
Day: Saturday January 15th
Time: 10am to 1pm
Place: 2290 E 25th Ave, just west of the Nanaimo SkyTrain Station

Just follow the directional signs. Here is the array produce you'll see tomorrow:

LOCAL (BC)
Ambrosia Apples
Cabbage
White Mushrooms
Yukon Gold Potatoes

ORGANIC
Bananas, South America
Carrots, California

NOT LOCAL or ORGANIC
Avocados, Mexico
Oranges, California
Broccoli, California

Will Allen, Growing Out of Hunger
Day: Thursday, January 27, 2011,
Time: 7-9pm
Place: Croatian Cultural Centre 3250 Commercial Drive (and 14th)

This lecture is free, however pre-registration is required.

There is still time to register for the second annual Bruce and Lis Welch Community Dialogue featuring Will Allen, CEO, Growing Power Community Food Centre, Milwaukee & Chicago: Join us and 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. Winner of the $500,000 MacArthur Genius Fellowship in 2008, Will Allen is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to under-served urban populations.

Visit Will Allen's blog.

Tree Pruning Service by Vancouver Fruit Tree
The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project wishes you a happy, fruitful new year! We are excited to announce that we will be offering small scale pruning services! Martin Anevich, a senior undergraduate student in Human Geography at UBC, has been trained pruning fruit trees in the Okanagan, and his university specialization is urban food systems. While not a professional, Martin is still able to give your fruit tree some tender lovin’ care, to help it develop more healthfully, beautiful, manageable and fruitful for the coming years. The service will be offered by donation, and proceeds will support the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project and offset the pruning program's transportation and equipment costs. As the cost of professional pruning can often be quite substantial, this is a great opportunity to care for your trees while supporting the Project’s community work. Unfortunately, because a service is given in return for the donation, we cannot issue tax receipts for pruning.

This service will begin in a couple weeks! If interested, you can email Martin at: manevich@interchange.ubc.ca or call him at 604-700-4460.

Workshops: Winter Cultivating Food, Cultivating Community Series
Over a dozen workshops, presentations, and gatherings focusing on growing food and cultivating community from January 9-March 27th. Organized by Ross Moster, Village Vancouver and Strathcona Community Centre.

Location: Strathcona Community Centre (601 Keefer St)
Workshops and dates:
Jan. 23 Garden Planning & Preparation workshop with Grant Watson
Jan. 25 Backyard Chickens 101 workshop with Duncan Martin
Feb. 6 Food Crops: Selection and Care workshop w/Grant Watson
Feb. 8 How to Create a Village in a City dialogue w/Ross Moster
Feb. 20 Food Crops: Selection and Care workshop w/Grant Watson
Feb. 27 Seed Saving in the City workshops with Robin Wheeler and other BC Seedswomen
Mar. 6 Soil Fertility and Plant Health Management w/Grant Watson
Mar. 19 Gardening for the Faint of Heart w/Robin Wheeler
Mar. 19 Intensive Urban Microfarming workshop w/Robin Wheeler
Mar. 27 Soil Fertility and Plant Health Management w/Grant Watson
Mar. 29 Backyard Chickens 101 workshop w/Duncan Martin

Community Kitchen Leadership Workshop
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.

Date: Thurs, Feb 10, 2011
Time: 9:00 am - 2:30 pm
Location: Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave.
Cost: $45.00 (lunch provided).
To register: Contact Darlene Tanaka, at 604-216-2325 or darlenet@foodbank.bc.ca or complete and send in the Community Kitchen Leadership Workshop Registration Form.

Please note: Payment required upon registration. Cancellations must be done at the latest, 72 hours before. No refunds for no-shows. The workshop may be rescheduled if registration numbers are not met.

Subsidies:  Due to a grant from Campbell Company of Canada,  travel and accommodation subsidies are available to those traveling in BC for more than 100 km to get to the workshop. You must apply by Thurs, Jan 21 for this February workshop. For more information, see our application form

Workshop: Foodsafe Level 1
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.

Date/Time:  Sat, Feb 5, 2011 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave.
Cost: $50.00 - $95.00 (sliding scale)

To register: Contact Darlene Tanaka, at 604-216-2325 or darlenet@foodbank.bc.ca or complete and send in the FoodSafe Registration Form.

For more information:  Visit our FAQs on the FoodSafe course. Please note: Lunch is not provided, so please bring a lunch. Registration is limited to 20 per class. Payment required upon registration. Cancellations must be done at the latest, 72 hours before. No refunds for no-shows. The workshop may be rescheduled if registration numbers are not met.

Grant: The Rebuilding Nature Grant Program
Application deadline:  Feb 11, 2011.For community groups to cover the costs of tools and building projects, native plants and trees, and other expenses in support of environmental stewardship projects.
Amount: $1,000, $3,000 or $12,000 plus $2,000 in The Home Depot gift cards. For more information: Visit Evergreen. Supported by The Home Depot Canada Foundation and led by Evergreen.

Grant: TOYOTA EVERGREEN Learning Grounds School Ground Greening Grants
For schools wishing to create outdoor classrooms and food gardens to provide students with a healthy place to play, learn and develop a genuine respect for nature. Amount: $500 to $3,500 for publicly funded Canadian schools (JK-Grade 12); $500 to $2,000 for not-for-profit daycares. Now accepting applications. Deadlines: March 4, 2011 (spring planting), June 3, 2011 (late spring/early summer or early fall planting). For more information go to Evergreen's website

Contest: Good Food Hero Comic Contest
Students from across Canada are invited to create their own comic and enter it in the Canada's Good Food Hero Comic Contest. There are 3 age categories for the contest:  1) Kindergarten - Grade 4   2)   Grade 5 - 8  and 3)  Grade 9 - 12. Application deadline: March 1, 2011. This is your chance to get creative and create awareness about food in Canada. Winners will receive awesome prizes, and the top 10 entries from each age group will be featured in the Good Food Hero Comic. Book, to be printed and distributed across the country in a 32-page colour booklet! Review the criteria and contest guidelines and complete the application form. For more information: Visit the Food Secure Canada website
--
Trout Lake Cedar Cottage Food Security Network
email: tlccfoodsecurity@gmail.com

No comments: