Thank You!

Burnaby Food First would like to extend a very big thank you to everyone who attend our 'Food Matters: Food for Today & Food for the Future' Forum last week! Attendance was great and we had a lot of fun. Stay tuned for our outcomes report, and follow-up workshops. 

Thank you again as well to our sponsors:

• United Way of the Lower Mainland

• Vancity

• Fraser Health

And thank you to the Burnaby South ACE-IT culinary training program for preparing such amazing food!

Photo Sourced from: http://foodshare.org.au/

Vancity Grant for Burnaby Food First

Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union, has contributed funds that will help support some exciting upcoming gardening projects in Burnaby!

Cheque presentation ceremony at Vancity North Burnaby Branch
Pictured (from left to right): Maria Michayluk (Vancity), Stephen D'Souza (Meals on Wheels),
Joyce Cameron (Burnaby Food First), and Carmela Busto (Vancity)
Credit: Jennifer Lee

They have donated a grant that will help Meals on Wheels, partnering with Burnaby Food First, to deliver free gardening workshops to the local community. Part of the funds will also go towards supporting the Sharing Backyards project, an initiative that helps increase the availability of local gardening space.

Burnaby Food First is grateful to Vancity for their generous funding of our programs.

Leona Skovgaard, chair of the Burnaby Food First Steering Committee, gives thanks for this on-going support:

“Thank you to Vancity for the grant and to Meals on Wheels for partnering with us to provide gardening workshops to the community. These workshops will help residents of Burnaby grow their own fruits and vegetables, as well as create a more engaged community through sharing backyards, community gardens, and participation in workshops.”

The first gardening workshop, to be held on April 18, will help participants plan their garden; registration has already been filled. Leanne Zmud, program coordinator, is very pleased with the overwhelming response.

She encourages anyone interested to get involved. “We will be scheduling more free workshops soon, so please keep checking our website for upcoming events.”

You can find details about all of Burnaby Food First's workshops and projects on the Burnaby Food First website. Check back for information on future workshops.

Volunteer Appreciation Party

Thank you to all the volunteers and organizational representatives who came out at the end of last month! We couldn't manage what we do as Food First without you.

Thanks also go out to VanCity for sponsoring us and to Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition for coming over to do a hands-on demonstration of her ever-popular dehydrating workshop!

Kale chips, anyone?

Thank you, Vancity!

Burnaby Food First is incredibly lucky to have a great, supportive working relationship with VanCity. The latest example of their generosity is a grant to help fund our upcoming Volunteer Appreciation event.

Thank you, Vancity South Burnaby Neighbourhood Branch!

More Sewing Volunteers Needed for our Apron Project!

Want to help Sew for Food Security?

The next meeting of The Apron Project Sewing Circle is Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 pm at the Tommy Douglas Library. Bring your ideas and any fabric you may have that is suitable for sewing aprons.

Don't have fabric? Come anyway, and we will provide the fabric and thread!

People of all ages, including Antonietta Gabriele, aged 82 (see photo below!), are sewing aprons to raise funds for Burnaby Food First to do our work in food security. All funds earned will be used to provide free education workshops and fund other Burnaby Food First projects.

Antonietta Gabriele, one of our volunteers!
Credit: Maria Finamore

Can't sew or don't have time, but have used or new fabric? Fabric may be dropped off at the South Burnaby or Brentwood Branches of VanCity or at the Tommy Douglas Library.

Review: Food Gardening Fair

Thank you for coming out to the Food Gardening Fair earlier this month!

We also want to thank VanCity, Silver Hills Bakery, West Coast Seeds, and Yard Works for donating the supplies necessary to make the Fair a success -- we couldn't have done this without you!



Couldn't make it out? Check out our Upcoming Workshops schedule for May and June, and as usual, stay tuned for announcements on workshops through the summer and early fall!

Upcoming Food First Workshops: Bee-Keeping and Pickling

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present two more FREE community workshops!

Introduction to Bee-Keeping

Tuesday, May 28
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Source: Josh Gitalis

Under certain conditions, the City of Burnaby allows residents to keep bees. Come and learn how to start your own hive and how to plant your garden for pollinators. The workshop is led by Janice Bobic, a Burnaby community member and bee-keeping expert -- and also includes a honey tasting!

This workshop will be demonstration-style and is offered in partnership with the Burnaby Public Library.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Janice Bobic is a Burnaby bee expert who also owns and operates My Father's Garden, a Burnaby-based small business focusing on local artisan food production.

Secrets of Pickling

Wednesday, May 29
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Newcomers Centre (7009 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Source: Serious Eats

Join master chef Andrea Potter and learn how to make your own pickled foods using fermentation. Take home samples! We will be fermenting fresh local radishes from Urban Digs Farm in Burnaby.

This workshop will be hands-on and is funded by VanCity. 

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

Thank you to VanCity!

Thank you to VanCity for their on-going support of Burnaby Food First -- particularly to all community branches in Burnaby for their recent donation of $2,500!

VanCity, Brentwood Community Branch