Community FEWD (Food Equity With Dignity) won $20,000 for its creative work to repurpose food which would otherwise be sent to the landfill, to instead help people facing food insecurity.
Community FEWD is a program from the Neighbourhood Support Coalition and the money it won will be used to expand its existing take-home dinner program.
The Oak Tree Project hosted the food security competition and the project aims to educate and support Guelph/Wellington charities that help people in the community gain access to food. Since 2014 the project has donated over $350,000 to local charities.
This is the ninth competition it's put on and the finale was Oct. 15 at the Guelph Farmers’ Market. Community FEWD won the competition followed by three finalists, Hope House Food Markets, The SEED, and Keep Kids Fed.
The submissions to the competition were judged by panelists involved with local food security including academic experience, programming and community-based experience. The scores at the competition were determined by people who came to the finale at the Guelph Farmers’ Market after the finalists gave pitch presentations.
An audience member pledged to give $5,000 for the three runner-ups.
“What struck the expert panel the most was the level of collaboration between these organizations,” said Ashlee Cooper, panelist who judged the submissions and final pitches for the competition, in a press release. “They’re not just working in silos, but actively partnering to create a more robust safety net for those in our community facing food insecurity,” continued Cooper.
All the organizations that submitted an application to the competition received a cash gift to recognize the food insecurity work being done in the community.
Here is the work the finalists do in the community:
Hope House Food Markets: Free choice-based pantries for people and families in Guelph who need help and so they can get food, household and hygiene supplies.
The SEED: Is a sliding scale online grocery store that offers free and affordable food to help combat food insecurity. Customers pay up to 33 per cent off the retail price of food and the SEED aims to increase free food availability.
Keep Kids Fed: The project comes from the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington and Food4Kids Guelph. It aims to help child hunger through food security with initiatives like school breakfast, snack, lunch programs and food packages for children to take home on weekends and school holidays.
“Guelph and Wellington County are facing a food insecurity crisis,” said Will Mactaggart, Oak Tree Project lead, in a press release. "One in four children in our community are food insecure meaning their families worry about income and other barriers to sourcing adequate and healthy food. That is why we focused on this critical issue and invited charities to showcase their collaborative approaches to ensure everyone in our community can access nutritious food,” he said.
In celebrating the innovation of these charities and the impacts Mactaggart emphasized the need for systemic change. “We’re proud to support these incredible initiatives,” said Mactaggart. “And we recognize that long-term solutions require addressing the root causes of food insecurity, including income inequality and systemic barriers to access.”
