June 10, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Today the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food participated in a video call with representatives from Moisson Haut-Saint-François, Cuisines Collectives du Haut-Saint-François and Maison des jeunes de Coaticook, where she highlighted an investment of up to $62,500 to the three organizations under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund’s first application period.
The Local Food Infrastructure Fund, a five-year, $50-million program under the Food Policy for Canada, is aimed at community-based, not-for-profit organizations. The mission of the program is to reduce food insecurity by establishing and/or strengthening local food systems in the medium to longer term. The first phase of the program was launched mid-summer of 2019 and closed in November 2019, with 362 projects being funded for up to $25,000 for a total of $6.6 million.
COVID-19 has intensified the food needs of the most vulnerable people but, above all, it is having a major impact on the operation of organizations working to improve food security. In April, the Government also launched a separate $100 million emergency fund under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to support national, regional, and local organizations across Canada that are able to reach people and communities experiencing food insecurity and who have been impacted by COVID-19. This fund supports the purchase and distribution of food on an emergency basis across the country.
Of the funding announced today, Moisson Haut-Saint-François is receiving $25,000 towards the purchase of a new refrigeration truck and installation of new shelving units. The refrigeration truck will extend the shelf-life of food and allow the organization to collect food from grocery stores. The shelving units will be used to store preserved goods such as jams and sauces prepared during workshops run by the food bank. This project will result in reduced waste and provide food to approximately 100 to 150 more people per month, while providing service to up to three additional municipalities.
Cuisines Collectives du Haut-Saint-François offers cooking workshops to at-risk populations across seven points of service. The organization is receiving funding of up to $23,000 to establish new service locations, improve existing locations and develop a new community kitchen in the area. The organization will purchase appliances, storage cabinets and kitchen equipment, which is expected to increase participation among the community by 25% while increasing the area they support by 40%.
Maison des jeunes de Coaticook offers services to youth from 12 to 17. Thanks to funding of up to $14,500, the organization will be able to renovate their kitchen facilities. The renovation is expected to increase the organization’s supply of fruit and vegetables and nutritious meals and increase the number of youth they serve by between 50 to 100%.
The Minister also highlighted that applications for the next phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund are currently being accepted. Projects valued at up to $250,000 will be accepted under this next phase of the program.
Quotes
“COVID-19 has put greater pressure on organizations helping improve access to nutritious food for those who need it most. The projects announced today will have a meaningful impact on the food security of the residents of the Eastern Townships, and help get these important organizations access to the tools they need to continue their excellent work. The Government is working hard to ensure Canadians have access to nutritious food and to improve our food system all across the country.”
“With this grant, we will develop a solid food collection network in the region while avoiding breaking the cold chain. This important funding will also allow us to considerably reduce food waste and put several beneficiaries of the food bank into motion.”
“This grant will allow us to develop new service points and thus recruit more participants for our community kitchen workshops. It is a greatly appreciated contribution to help break social isolation and foster the development of food self-sufficiency and cooking skills for the entire population of our region.”
“The financial support will allow us to develop an attractive and, above all, functional kitchen in order to give young people a taste for cooking and thus instill in them better eating habits. The need for this becomes obvious when you learn that the majority of young people in our region do not eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and that many eat in fast food restaurants. Our goal is to get them to love eating well.”
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