Month: February 2016

The Disability Alliance of BC has received funding from Vancouver Coastal Health’s Community Investments Funding.The goal of Let’s Talk Food Access: Enhancing Community Food Programs for People with Disabilities Experiencing Food Insecurity is to improve access to safe, affordable food resources in two Vancouver neighbourhoods for people with disabilities through education, mentorship and partnerships and to build the capacity of individuals and community food programs to address barriers for people with disabilities and increase their health and well-being.

What the project will accomplish:

• Mentor and support people with disabilities living in the West End and the Grandview Woodlands communities of Vancouver to actively participate in food security programs and committees or networks in their neighbourhoods
• Provide skill building for people with disabilities on how to advocate for, and engage their community in, access and inclusion of food programs
• Educate organizers and participants of community food programs in the two communities on access and inclusion best practices
• Provide tools to community food programs to enable them to include access and inclusion in their planning and practices around food security

DABC will be working with the Grandview Woodland Food Connection  in hosting two upcoming public workshops. All are welcome.

Moore information: http://blog.disabilityalliancebc.org/?p=2695

Did you know that in Metro Vancouver we generate about 190,000 tonnes of food waste every year! And over 100,000 tonnes of that could have been eaten. For more information visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.ca

Our new community kitchen, called Warm Plates, is an innovative and fun collaboration between the Grandview Woodland Food Connection and the Britannia Seniors Healthy Choices Program and focuses on preparing healthy meals made from “rescued” or reclaimed cosmetically damaged food collected from our grocer partners Choices on the Drive and Eternal Abundance.

Cosmetically damaged food may have a few bruises or otherwise not look so pretty and therefore passed over by shoppers accustomed to only purchasing perfect looking produce. Though this food is still quite good (and organic) it would normally be composted if not for programs like Warm Plates. Food is picked up on the day of the kitchen so not knowing what we are getting challenges us to be creative, planning a meal on the fly with whatever ingredients we have on hand. It forces us to learn how to make the most of our food without waste. In our first session, we collected apples, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, and assortment of odd veggies and cooked up lentil tacos with salsa and guacamole, and apple crisp.

Warm Plates Community Kitchen is drop in and open to all. Contact Ian for info – 604-718-5895