Grow. Forage. Build. Share. Eat. Connect.
We’re a registered Canadian Charity on the Sunshine Coast of BC, building a strong, resilient, sustainable food system that feeds us today and 7 generations from today.
Our mission
Through education, resources and collaboration, we’re building a food system where all people can produce, share, and thrive.
To us, this means we are working to:
Support people to grow and produce food locally
Protect and regenerate our soils & our planet
Make healthy local food accessible to everyone
Help build a robust local food economy
Why does it matter?
Our food system is in a precarious state – degraded soil quality, disrupted supply chains, impacts of industrial agriculture on the earth and human welfare, unprecedented food waste, skyrocketing food costs, and our overall disconnection from each other and where our food really comes from.
A holistic food system seeks to balance the needs of people, the planet, and future generations. There’s power and unity that blooms through:
- fresh, nourishing harvests from healthy soil
- skill-sharing and resourcefulness among neighbours, generations, and cultures
- reconnecting to ancestral wisdom from our elders
- preserving the bounty as a village
Systems change is playing the long game.
Policy change, ecological healing, addressing the root causes of food insecurity, and creating inclusive and impactful resources that truly build change… takes time.
What we're doing
We’re starting with making a difference in our own back yards. When we share and collaborate with eachother and other communities and organizations across BC and Canada that are also doing this good work, we can make lasting change here and beyond. Baby steps leading to big impacts.
Community gardens
Our public farms and gardens connect community to food-growing green spaces for learning, growing, eating, events, daycamps, and more.
Education
Year-round learning: hands-on workshops, online zoom talks, farm tours, show & tell, retreats, lectures, volunteer/mentor opportunities, and more.
Sunshine Coast Tool Library
Community-owned, shared equipment and tools for farming, gardening, food preservation, building, and creating.
Local Foodbox (CSA)
A multi-farm cooperative weekly CSA produce box that supports you, local farms, our earth, and our community’s food resiliency.
Farm-to-table dinners
7 chefs, 7 courses. Long table fine dining in the heart of the gardens, showcasing local farms & creators. A fundraiser for this passionate work in our communities.
Sunshine Coast Farm & Local Food Map
A handy digital map of farmer’s markets, farm stands, garden centres, community kitchens, and other food resources.
Food equity (Support)
We build equal access into all our programs – dignified, inclusive access to subsidized or free learning opportunities & food programs. Contact us for more details about programs of interest.
Research & policy
The basis of food systems work comes from understanding where we’re at, why, and the impact of policy, land use bylaws, and impact projects.
The Salmon Project
Indigenous and elder-led salmon canning project: pressure canning, skill-building, story-telling, connection and reconciliation in the kitchen.
Soup Stories
Winter event series connecting generations in the kitchen, providing stigma-free food, and connecting people to solve the world’s problems
Seedy Saturday
The Seeds of March is a whole month of Seedy Saturdays: seed exchanges, markets, plants, workshops, gathering, food, & sustainability
Project Waterbox
Drought Crisis: A partnership of land owners with wells and water, trucks to transport it, and the gardens & crops that need it.
Kids programs
Kids are our future food producers. With our partners, Roberts Creek Childcare Society, we built and host a children’s garden for preschool, after-school, and daycamp programs. A “Seed to Jam Sandwiches” garden.
Regional Food Systems Think Tank
Peer network and collaboration with 30+ local organizations and experts to maximize reach, capacity & impact of food systems work
Mountain Cleanup Project
We’re tackling illegal dumping in our beloved forests by mapping and cleaning up dump sites.
The Kitchen
This garden-side mini-commissary is a VCH-licensed facility, with unique equipment for food preservation. Rentable.
Volunteer
What we're building right now: The Kitchen!
We’re building a “Creation Station” space where we – and you – can get creative in the Kitchen. More than just a community kitchen, this opens up to the gardens, creating an indoor-outdoor flow for learning, groups, events, and projects.
With unique equipment like a stone grain mill, commercial freeze dryer, pressure canners, vacuum sealer and tin canning machine, not only can we preserve food when it’s bountiful, but we can preserve it creatively, learn in the process, empower new food projects and small business startups, and share this food with people in our communities who need it.
Get involved
Anyone can become a member. You get perks such as local discounts and resources, and you get to be a part of building a resilient Sunshine Coast.
