Achieving food security is truly a community effort.
Earthwise Society is the lead agency for the Delta Food Coalition (DFC), a network of community groups collaborating to tackle food security through innovative food redistribution programs that are making a real difference to vulnerable Delta residents. During the past two years, Earthwise Society’s Harvest Box Program has established itself as a key Delta food security program that has helped hundreds of families.
Earthwise is getting ready to launch the program again for 2022.
The goal of Harvest Box is to increase food security and reduce food waste by sourcing extra produce from local community members, farms, and grocery stores, and redistributing it to those in need.
Earthwise works in partnership with DFC organizations to provide weekly boxes of fresh, local produce to vulnerable residents. In addition to offering food support, Harvest Box aims to increase food literacy by introducing people to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and providing them with weekly newsletters with tips on preparation and storage, fun recipes, and nutrition highlights.
Last year, Earthwise rescued more than 4, 500 pounds of produce and donated more than 430 harvest boxes to those in need. This year, Earthwise hopes to expand the program and provide assistance to even more individuals. For those who would like to help Earthwise reach their goals, there are a number of ways to get involved.
Through Earthwise, volunteers can sign up to assist with various food security initiatives, all of which help support the Harvest Box program. These include Shared Harvest, which sends volunteers to local homes to pick excess fruit, and FoodMesh, a surplus food rescue program for Save-On Foods in which volunteers help rescue and redirect excess grocery items.
Home gardeners who would like to play an active role in the local food system can join the Don’t Mow, Grow Victory Garden program to receive seeds, ongoing gardening support, and educational opportunities in return for donating some of their crops.
Earthwise Society also offers a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which provides weekly boxes of fresh, organic produce to subscribers and encourages members to donate boxes to needy families through the DFC.
If you would like to make a tangible difference to a local family this season, Earthwise would love to hear from you. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, or to sponsor a Harvest Box, please contact [email protected].
Delta Food Coalition programs are supported by United Way British Columbia.
