Click here to vote now!
It’s in your hands now! Conference attendees will soon have the privilege of voting for the organizations they consider most deserving of Epicure Foundation grants.
Here is the list of organizations that made the short list, along with summaries of their missions, a video and links to their websites.
Read over these details so you may make an informed decision when the time comes to vote in Toronto. Each of these dedicated nominees works hard to meet food security needs across Canada.
Abbotsford Community Services, Abbotsford, BC
abbotsfordcommunityservices.com
Video
The Seniors Better Nutrition Better Health program’s mission is to improve the health and nutrition of seniors living below the poverty line. Low-income seniors often cannot afford to eat a balanced diet and, for many, living alone deters them from preparing wholesome meals. This program offers a dignified way to help them improve their diets and, ultimately, their health.
The project goal is to provide an opportunity for low-income seniors to attend a group cooking program that will improve their nutritional knowledge and provide nutritious meals to enhance their diet. The goal is to educate, improve health, combat social isolation, and boost self-esteem by offering a hand up rather than a handout.
Anna’s House, Steinbach, MB
annashouse.ca/
Video
The purpose of the Kids in the Kitchen & Garden project is to give young children and their families (some of whom are newcomers to Canada) an opportunity to learn about healthy eating, how to prepare healthy snacks and foods, and how to prepare nutritious meals, even within a small budget. The program also serves as an introduction to healthy Canadian foods for immigrant families. Organizers show the families how to grow simple vegetables and herbs and incorporate them into cooking.
Atitkokan Youth Initiatives, Atikokan, ON
atikokanyouth.org/home.html
Video
Atikokan Youth Initiatives works to provide a safe and comfortable place for high-risk teens to gather where they have access to positive and encouraging role models, community service referrals (including mental health professionals), and living education. The program provides healthy meals twice a week. Organizers hope to begin providing meals on holidays and add a third weekly dinner to meet the growing demand of youth in the area who demonstrate a need for the services provided.
BC Senior Services and Housing Information Society
seniorsservicessociety.ca/
Video
The Light Meal Sandwich Service for Low Income and Isolated Seniors program delivers freshly prepared sandwiches and fruit or bakery treats to low-income and isolated seniors. These nutritious meals help these seniors live independently for longer in their own home.
Bella Coola Community Support Society, Bella Coola, BC
bccss.net/
Video
The Nutrition Boost Program works to provide a nutritional boost to the food provided by the local food bank, with the addition of fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy products. The food bank serves approximately 500 individuals. Organizers hope to begin providing fresh fruits and vegetables to go along with the canned goods and other food items the food bank serves.
Boys and Girls Club of London, London, ON
bgclondon.ca/
Video
The Rainbow Project encourages children to eat vegetables and fruit as part of their daily diets. The goal of The Rainbow Project is to offer an appealing array of fruit and vegetables that will catch children's attention and encourage them to try something new at each Supper Club meal. The program introduces at least two new local and seasonal fruits and vegetables to the menu each week, over 40 weeks, to encourage children to try something new each meal.
Organizers would like to increase the servings of fruits and vegetables in the Supper Club program to contribute to improved overall nutrition, and create information sheets with easy-to-understand nutritional information about the benefits of the food being offered. Children would also have the opportunity to take part in daily fun quizzes and a draw to win a basket of healthy, non-perishable snacks to take home with them.
Boys and Girls Club of St. John's, St. John's, NL
The Eat Smart & Future Chefs Nutrition Program works to provide nutritional snacks to children and youth from low-income homes who would otherwise not have access to healthy after-school snacks. Children feel, behave, and learn better if they have a wholesome snack between lunch and supper, and an after-school snack is an essential component to any after-school activity. The program also teaches children and their families how to prepare their own healthy, cost-effective snacks and meals.
Calgary Meals on Wheels, Calgary, AB
The Lunch and Supper Program enables clients to continue to live independently in their own homes, enhancing their quality of life and avoiding social isolation. Offered 365 days a year, the Lunch and Supper Program provides both a lunch and a dinner tray. The meals are prepared daily in the Meals On Wheels kitchen and delivered Monday through Friday by dedicated volunteers.
Choices Youth Shelter, Orangeville, ON
Food and You was created to meet the ever-changing and specific needs of the homeless and at-risk youth who solicit support and assistance. The program aims to provide an educational component that touches on nutrition, recipes, cooking on a budget, and shopping effectively, while also providing the necessary support as they prepare for independent living. Homeless and at-risk youth attend weekly classes to learn all the basics of healthy eating, budgeting, and safe food handling.
East Toronto Family Community Centre, Toronto, ON
The Eastview Healthy Food Access and Education Project aims to increase access to healthy and nutritious food for community members who are most at-risk for being food insecure. The goals of the program include purchasing healthy food for the local food bank and drop-in meal programs, developing the capacity of the program's drop-in meal program to cook from scratch, providing education workshops, and developing the Grow for Eastview campaign, which connects local community gardens and farmers with food banks so they can receive fresh and local produce donations.
Edmonton’s Food Bank, Edmonton, AB
Edmonton’s Food Bank provides emergency food assistance and school lunch and snack items to clients, in addition to providing food to other groups to support youth and families. The food bank holds frequent food drives and ongoing food gleaning; however, food purchases are required for specific items such as fresh eggs and snack items for children (including granola bars, fruit cups, and juice boxes).
Juniper House – South West Nova Transition House Association, Yarmouth, NS
Crock Pot Cooking provides nutrition and food education to residents and former residents, allowing them to prepare economical meals. Participants will work together to make simple meals in a crock pot that follow Canada’s food guide recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. Women will learn how to work with others, eat healthy on a budget, and gain valuable knowledge about food safety. A further goal would be to increase self-esteem, knowledge of healthy relationships, and parenting skills, all in Juniper House's safe environment.
Ladysmith Family and Friends Society, Ladysmith, BC
Laffing With Healthy Children works toward empowering families with children ages 0-6 with nutrition education and hands-on learning opportunities in such topics as food preparation, gardening, access to food, and healthy eating.
Lakeside Hope House, Guelph, ON
The Hope House Edu-Kitchen Program provides physical resources and tangible skills to those living in poverty, giving them the ability to prepare food and eat nutritiously. The program takes place in a community environment to encourage interactive and collective learning and to battle the social isolation that results from living in poverty. Participants will leave with the necessary tools to replicate each meal at home.
Martha’s Table Community Program, Kingston, ON
Martha’s Table Protein Purchase Program will allow Martha’s Table to purchase economically-priced, quality, and locally-produced proteins to incorporate into its meal service program. Meals are served Monday to Friday year round for the nominal cost of $1 to the marginalized population of Kingston, ON. Many of the recipients are disadvantaged by a physical or mental handicap, homelessness, social deprivation, incarceration, or addiction. Organizers hope to provide healthier meals that are not processed and are purchased locally whenever possible.
Mary Duncan Alternative School, The Pas, MB
Mary Duncan Adventures in Cooking (on a budget) is a program for low-income families to help them make healthier food choices, yet still remain within a reasonable budget. The menu will contain recipes that are easy to cook and prepare with minimal ingredients. Each session will focus on a different learning component and hands-on cooking experience. When the program is complete, participants will walk away with valuable nutrition education and cooking skills.
Meal Exchange, Toronto, ON
Meal Exchange’s Chapter Network creates opportunities for post-secondary youth across Canada to work with their communities to increase food security. These networks run campus programs that provide community benefits such as immediate hunger relief, community engagement, food security education, and youth leadership development. The chapters operate independently and decide on programs based on community needs. Programs include food drives, workshops, and tabling at events, community kitchens, and gardens.
Moisson Rive Sud, Boucherville, QC
The LOVE program of Moisson Rive-Sud was created to gather funds that would be used to purchase goods such as milk, eggs, meat, etc. (Lait, Oeufs, Viande, Etc.) in order to add to the donations received by the main food bank in Montégérie. These goods are essentials to a healthy diet.
Moncton Headstart Inc. (Mapleton Teaching Kitchen), Moncton, NB
The One Pot Meal Program, developed in co-operation with two local food banks, teaches low-income individuals and families how to prepare a complete meal in one pot, on one burner. The recipes are easy to prepare, low budget, and nutritional, with a variety of possibilities that include meat, beans, lentils, and other vegetarian options. The program aims to education these low-income families about how they can cook a hot, nutritional meal at a low cost.
Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre, Oakville, ON
opnc.ca/wp/
The Oak Park Food Bank provides healthy, fresh food options for local low-income families who cannot access the large food banks. People who visit the facility are also provided with additional family support services, including community integration, parenting support, and financial support.
Project SHARE of Niagara Falls Inc., Niagara Falls, ON
The Emergency Food Program provides families who are living below the poverty line with non-perishable groceries once a month and perishable food items once a week, as well as nutritious recipes. Cooking classes, gardening programs, and preserving workshops are also offered through the program.
Sardis Doorway for Mothers and Children Society, Chilliwack, BC
sardisdoorway.com/Home.html
Video
The Food Support Project aims to provide healthy breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to participants while they are at Sardis Doorway. The program also works to educate families on meal planning and encourage them to try healthy meals, as well as provide them with quality protein in the food hampers they receive each month. The families served at Sardis Doorway are on income assistance or disability, are living at or below the poverty line, and have difficulty providing quality meals for their families.
Organizers hope to add quality protein to the food hampers, enabling families to eat better and helping children to thrive. These food hampers will also help to decrease the parents stress levels and give them a sense that they are helping their children stay healthy.
Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers Society, Calgary, AB
Keep the Soup Flowing provides a sense of comfort to what are often defined as Canada’s most vulnerable populations: women, children, and/or youth in crisis. The program prepares and donates a nourishing homemade soup to shelters serving these groups across Canada and helps to educate the public about their plight. Through the experience of making soup recipes together, participants in Soup Sisters' monthly events gain a sense of communal gratification. Event educators from various benefiting emergency shelters often attend and enlighten community members on the efforts of various shelters and the needs of those groups on the receiving end of these nurturing and nourishing soups.
The Community Food Bank provides food and meal options to those less fortunate in the areas of Chetwynd, BC, and surrounding areas such as Moberly Lake, Lone Prairie, and Jackfish Lake.
Video
The Community Association for Lasting Success, Vegreville, AB
The Breakfast Club Elementary School Snack Program provides a nutritious mid-morning snack, three times per week, to 600 children attending four schools or programs in Vegreville, AB. The breakfast club aims to address hunger as a barrier to learning. By providing a nutritious mid-morning snack, this program helps the students to continue to work at school until their lunch break. For many children, this is the first meal of the day.
The Good Shepherd, Hamilton, ON
goodshepherdcentres.ca/contact.htm
Video
The Good Shepherd Family Centre Breakfast & Nutritional Program provides breakfast for 50 children who come from many different parts of the Hamilton community. The program also provides cooking classes to help parents better understand how to make the best use of their food purchases when it comes to preparation and cooking. The Good Shepherd Hamilton provides a friendly, relaxed central kitchen environment to teach proper health and safety regulations, and enhance relationship and language development when English is a second language or a more distant language.
