Hello everyone,
As you may or may not know, Shuswap Food Action Society (SFAS) will be hosting our annual fundraiser The Coldest Night of the Year on Saturday February 22. This is a national event that is hosted in over 190 communities walking in support of non-profits and charities who assist the hungry, hurting and homeless.
SFAS operates in numerous capacities around the community including the downtown Salmon Arm farmers market each Saturday, community garden, teaching garden, youth gardening programs, educational opportunities through Sunday Sessions and the area I am most involved with.... SCHOOL MEALS!
This is an area that is near and dear to my heart as I grew up in a home that was food insecure, never hungry, but also never nourished. Dollars were spend on items that were cheap and filling (plain pasta, instant noodles, rice and popcorn) but meat and a selction of veggies were rare. There were friends who stepped in supporting my mom with veggies from their gardens, neighbours who let us pick fallen apples on their property, and family and friends who on occassion gave us farm raised meat, eggs, wild game and fish. When I started earning my own money at a young age through babysitting, this was often spent on a can of whole tomatos.... that I would excitedly open and eat out of can. I still love tomatoes!
School meal programming did not exist in my community, but I know how much it could have helped my family as well as a multitude ofothers families. This is what inspires and motivates me in the work that I do. I feel community support and involvement is SO crucial in ensuring that no one is left behind!
The school meal program has grown substantially in the past several years. Our Souper Meals program, operating out of Zest Food Hub, serves 27 schools and community groups. We also operate three in school programs at Salmon Arm Middle School, Jackson Highschool and South Canoe Elementary.
Within our Souper Meal program we strive to buy vegetables, meat and fruit directly from local farmers and business to create healthy, made from scratch meals. This is a lot of work, but the reward comes from people enjoying our meals made from food that came straight from our local farmers. These amazing connections are so special to me!
Everyone loves program statistics so here they are:
Between mid Sept and the end of Dec, our Souper Meal program has:
1) served over 30,000 meals using local meat, fruits and vegetables, and; 2) spent over $50,000 with local farms!!
Many of you reading this are co-workers, volunteers, school workers, farmers, community supporters and friends. Please know how much I appreciate all of you. This program would not be possible without the amazing community support we recieve! Farmers working hard and selling us thousands of pounds of vegetables; excess vegetables, bones and soup noodles being donated to our program; wholesale pricing and discounts offered; vegetable drop offs at my house; last minute requests when we need more meat or more veg; volunteer drivers and servers who come into schools and serve to hundreds, or carefully supervise kids during our international cooking classes; hands and hair that continually smell like onions; amazing, dedicated staff and volunteers with huge hearts. I am so lucky to have this job and be surrounded by all of you!
I'll be walking and fundraising to support people and families experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness in my community. I would love it if you joined us in the Coldest Night of the Year!! You can donate (click the "Donate Now" button above), register for our event (bring a spouse or friend) and join our Souper Meals team for the walk on Feb 22.