March 27 - Free Workshop: Soup, Frittata, Salad & Muffins

Come join Red Seal Chef Ilan Wright to learn, cook & eat a healthy meal. 

Location: Gilmore Community School, Burnaby. 

Registration required: information below.

March 15 - Explore the Income-Food Connection

Join us March 15 @ Burnaby Neighbourhood House (Metrotown) (6:30 - 8:30pm)

Speakers, Q&A and Discussion

According to the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition a leading cause of health problems is lack of food. "B.C. is facing a chronic hunger problem and significant food insecurity. After paying for rent, heat and electricity, people with low income have little money left over for food so they are less likely to eat fruit, vegetables, milk products, and other food that provide the nutrients they need for good health."

SPEAKERS: 

Trish Garner, Community Organizer of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, will provide inspiration and practical tools to support you in becoming a champion for change in tackling the root causes of poverty. The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition is a broad-based network of over 400 organizations throughout BC. Trish will talk about a variety of ways to support the provincial call for a poverty reduction plan for BC through community engagement, public education and effective advocacy. Trish provides a space for everyone to get involved. Trish is the co-author of A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC and a regular media contributor and commentator.

Amy Weeks is the Food and Education Coordinator for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB). Amy has been working with and supporting community organizations and their food programs for over 10 years. Amy will talk about The Role of Food Programming and how it contributes to community connection and resilience.

Come and join a community conversation on how we can all advocate for greater equality and a more food secure future.

Register at Eventbrite: https://incomefoodconnection.eventbrite.com

March 15 Discussion - Income & Food Connection

Join Burnaby Food First to discuss the links between income & food, find out what exists in our community to decrease food insecurity, and explore solutions to hunger in Burnaby.

To participate, please register on Eventbrite (information below):

Be a Food Hero: Come Learn How to Stop Food Waste (March 7)

March 4: Rally Against Poverty / March 15: Discussion - Income & Food

March 4 - Join Burnaby Food First at the Rally to Reduce Poverty in BC

This Saturday, come meet us @ noon at Library Square (350 W. Georgia) and raise your voice: call out for a strategy to end poverty in the province.

What does poverty mean to Burnaby Food First?

• Students and employees cannot afford to eat 3 times a day
• Invisible hunger: malnutrition results from a lack of affordable nutritious food
• Families cannot afford to eat a variety of foods
• People on fixed incomes may not be able to fit nutritious meals into their budget
• More and more people do not have access to land, & cannot grow food to supplement their diet
• Local farmers struggle to put food on our table

 

Raise your voice for empty stomachs! Come find Burnaby Food First at the rally:

Feb 25 - Come Imagine Community Gardens in Burnaby

It might be difficult to imagine spring gardens with all the snow we've had. But beneath the snow, is there land that could be used for community gardening?

On February 25, join us for an afternoon at Burnaby Village Museum to find spaces in Burnaby that might be used to plan community gardens. Local experts from "Can You Dig It" and Vancouver community gardens will lead this conversation on planning spaces where community members can come together to cultivate food and flowers.

This is a free event, open to all. Register here.

Put Food First in 2017: Come to a Food Workshop

Burnaby Food First Invites you...

January 19th & 25th to

Join us & learn about Canning & Fermenting

Best Wishes for Healthy Holidays!

Come Cook with Us! - Dec 7

Come cook with us one last time in 2016

Join Chef Sherry Strong & learn to make festive vegetarian leftovers this month. 

Workshop is FREE, but registration is required. Children are welcome!

Delicious, Nutritious Holiday Giving

Join Burnaby Food First Tomorrow, Sun. Dec. 4

Free Workshop, Children Welcome

Upcoming December Workshops from Burnaby Food First

FREE Event for Hungry Minds: Just Eat It!

Want to tickle your taste buds & chat with a film star?

Save the date: Tuesday, November 29, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Join us at: Burnaby Central Secondary (Map)
Space is limited: REGISTER HERE

 
Join Burnaby Food First & ACE-IT Culinary Arts Program at Burnaby Central on November 29th. Meet fellow food enthusiasts, learn about food waste and how to reduce it.
Schedule: 
6:00pm - Enjoy delicious appetizers prepared by
                ACE-IT Culinary Arts students
6:30pm - Watch award-winning documentary
                "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story"
7:45pm - Discussion with producer & co-star
               Jen Rustemeyer

Teachers & Student Mentors:
Want to have a food waste discussion in the classroom, but don't know where to start? Click here for some Just Eat It resources, including books, articles, blogs & policy documents from Canada and the United States.

Can't Wait for November 29th?
Check out Jen's presentation at Burnaby Food First's Food Matters Forum last June:

             This event is made possible thanks to 
               the generous support of our donors

Four New Burnaby Food First Workshops in November

These workshops are FREE and child-friendly, but registration is required. See the poster below for e-mail & telephone contact information.

 

Save the following dates: 

 

November 2nd: Healthy After-School Snacks for Kids
November 16th: Soups On! Healthy, Low Cost, Great Tasting
November 23rd: How to Use Leftover Bread in Tasty Meals
November 30th: Healthy Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen

Things to do in October...

Welcome to Autumn, Food First-ers!

Here are a few events to add to your calendar for October.

Courtesy of: https://gwfoodconnection.wordpress.com/events/

What: Sally Ann's Healthy Eating Kitchen

When: Monday, October 3, 11:30am - 2:00pm
Where: 3213 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Why: To learn cooking skills, nutritional and food safety information, & budgeting tips
Registration Required: Call Chelsea Marsh (604-872-7676)
Cost: FREE

Courtesy of: http://ca-en.naturespath.com/about/movements/eat-well-do-good

What: 8th Annual Eat Well Do Good Foodraiser
When: Tuesday, October 4th, 7:00am - 3:00pm
Where: Robson Square & London Drugs (Granville & W. Georgia)
Why: To combat hunger by raising money for Food Banks in BC & enjoying delicious food together
Cost: Purchase by-donation grab 'n go breakfast & lunch bags

What: Harvest Fest 2016: Tastes of South Vancouver
When: Thursday, October 6, 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Where: Fresh Roots Farm, SW corner of David Thompson Secondary
Why: To enjoy stone soup & veggie skewers, participate in 3-legged races, carve pumpkins, compete in the community dessert contest, take home freshly-pressed apple cider

What: KPU Commercial Beekeeping Info Session
When: Saturday, October 15th, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: The Honeybee Centre, Surrey BC
Why: To find out about BC's first certificate program in Commercial Beekeeping
Registration Required: Click here to sign up on the electronic form
Cost: FREE

What: Restaurants for Change
When: Wednesday, October 19
Where: Burdock & Co, Cabrito, Farmer's Apprentice, Jamjar
Why: To support Community Food Centres Canada
Cost: Make a reservation to enjoy a meal at a participating restaurant (above)

Burnaby Food First wishes you a merry Christmas

We wish all our readers a very happy and healthy Christmas. Here's wishing everyone also a lovely festival season and wonderful times with family and friends.

The festivities are all around us this month and foodies are probably already beginning to plan their Christmas dinner menus. So in this post we will try and visit some of the diverse food traditions celebrated in Canada during Christmas time brought over by the potpourri of immigrant cultures taking root here over the centuries. 

The main dish of the holiday dinner is usually roast turkey with stuffed dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy and this is part of the European traditions that early settlers have adapted and followed here for generations. Some families with ties to our neighbours south of the border may choose roast beef or ham or other poultry instead of turkey. More recent immigrants introduced the use of Asian recipes to cook the winter vegetables instead of the usual mashed potatoes, boiled carrots, green beans, squash or turnips for the sides. Also the protein could include a vegetarian option such as tofu or salmon for a lighter Christmas meal. Some families with middle eastern roots end up cooking a peasant meal or a lamb stew. 

Customary desserts include rich, heavy puddings filled with dried fruits or plums or carrot puddings or a sherry trifle. There are sometimes replaced here by fruity or creamy treats at the end of a hearty wintry meal. Perhaps you have had a chance to attend Burnaby Food First's free workshop earlier this month and plan a 'homemade apple dessert' this year for a change!

Source: CBC

In parts like Quebec there is also a tradition to celebrate 'réveillon' on Christmas Eve with a sumptuous dinner consisting of lobster, oysters or foie gras and a meat pie called 'toutierre'. Dessert is 'Buche de Noel', a special thinly rolled sponge cake baked and designed to resemble the traditional 'Yule log' burned as part of a historic bonfire ritual. These are influences of historic French/European celebrations. In some parts of Nova Scotia, lobster is cooked on Christmas Eve. 

Other Christmas traditions here include cookie baking parties. Flavours from all over have made their way into the typical Canadian palette be it spice ginger cookies like the German 'lebkuchen' or Scottish shortbreads or Italian florentines or French meringues. BC's very own 'Nanaimo bars' are also a favourite for many. Mince pies are little pies filled with dried fruit mince and covered with a crumbly pastry. These are a must have for Christmas. Butter tarts topped with raisins, walnuts or pecans are popular in Eastern Canada. Children love the candy canes in red and white. 

Has reading about all this delicious mouth watering food inspired you to also cook something special or treat yourself to a special drink? Why not try your hand at baking some mince pies or pumpkin pies accompanied maybe with some fresh apple cider or eggnog? Here's wishing you once again a delicious and healthy Christmas!

Some links for further reading:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/is-turkey-still-king-how-canadian-holiday-food-traditions-are-changing-1.2466006

http://www.foodtimeline.org/christmasfood.html

http://cnmag.ca/food/1503-christmas-foods-a-canadian-tradition

http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/canada.shtml

Feature: The Future of Food and Farming

The Langley Sustainable Agriculture Foundation is hosting a workshop featuring renowned farmer and author Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), as well as Julia Smith (Urban Digs) and Chris Bodnar (Close to Home Organics).

The Future of Food and Farming

Date: November 8, 2014 from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Langley Events Centre (7888 200 Street / Langley - map)
Cost: $25 (plus GST)

Join Joel, Julia, and Chris for information on sustainable methods for managing land and ways to make a viable living as a farmer.

This workshop is sponsored by the Township of Langley and VanCity.

Registration is mandatory. For details on how to register, visit http://youngagrarians.org/nov-8-joel-salatin-on-the-future-of-food-farming-in-langley-bc/.

What's Happening in February

Curious about what's going on this month? Look no further -- there's a host of things to do, from workshops and public discussions to food and film events!

Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market

Location: Nat Bailey Stadium, East Parking Lot (4601 Ontario Street / Vancouver - map)
Dates: November 3, 2012 to April 27, 2013 (Closed December 29)
Hours: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm each Saturday

Thought the start of winter meant the end of locally grown and made goodies?

Continuing from last month, the winter market hosts over 60 vendors -- nearly as many as the three main Vancouver summer markets combined! -- offers a range of foods, from local produce to homemade chocolate and maple treats.

All February, there will also be a Food Truck Festival at the farmers' market.

In an effort to reduce plastic use at the market, please bring your own shopping bags.

For more information on the market, including transportation and parking at the site, please visit their website: http://www.eatlocal.org/

Philosophers' Café: Governing Food Portions

Location: Surrey Public Library (10350 University Drive / Surrey - map)
Date: February 5, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE -- Note that this café is for teens only

New York City recently banned the sale of oversized soda drinks -- do you agree or disagree with the ban? Do you think the government should have control over food portions? What about in a school environment?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Café here.

Philosophers' Café: Climate Change

Location: Nature's Garden Organic Deli (8968 University High Street / Burnaby - map)
Date: February 6, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE

What are the solutions for our environmental crises? With the increased visibility of climate change, we know that something is wrong with the planet -- but what are we doing to remedy it?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Cafe here.

Sprouting

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 12, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Jill Whitelaw will demonstrate how to sprout mung beans, alfalfa, sunflower seeds, and lentils for optimal nutrition and freshness.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Baking Bread From Around the World

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce Street / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 13, 2013, from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: Call to inquire

Join other foodies for an evening of bread making!

The Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute has a new line-up of workshops for winter and spring. For more information, visit their website: http://rcfsi.blogspot.ca/2013/01/new-schedule.html

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, send an email or call (604) 435-0323, or visit their website for more information.

One week's notice is required for child-minding and translation services.

12th Annual World Community Film Festival

Location: Langara College (100 West 49th Avenue / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 15 to 17, 2013
Cost: From $15 to $30 (Discounts available for CoDev members, students, seniors, and low-income individuals)

The World Community Film Festival, hosted by CoDevelopment Canada, returns for another year with a collection of over 40 social justice and environmental documentaries -- covering issues from food and farming to sustainability and labour issues.

For more information about the festival and this year's films or to buy advance tickets, visit their website.

Canning Rhubarb Jam

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Melody Kurt will lead participants through the process of making jam. Each person will also take home a jar or two of delicious rhubarb jam!

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Seed Saving and Basic Plant Breeding

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $35

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Grant Watson will cover different strategies that plants use to reproduce, as well as how to use this information to effectively select, harvest, and store your own seeds, with an emphasis on annual food crops.

It is strongly suggested that participants take "Botany for Gardeners" prior to this workshop.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Native Edibles (Gardening)

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 26, 2013, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Cost: $8

Join Grant Watson to learn which greens can be started early indoors. After, take a walk through the teaching garden and beyond to find some native edible plants and then sit down together for a mid-winter salad lunch.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Feature: Welfare Food Challenge

Food plays a crucial role in people's lives -- it does more than simply sustain health and life -- but, as many of us gather together with family and friends over the holidays to eat and celebrate, for others, the ability to simply secure enough food is not certain.

Low-income Canadians are less likely to get the proper nutrition required for good health. For people receiving welfare, getting enough food week by week is a regular challenge they face.

An able-bodied single person in B.C. receives $610 per month in income assistance. After rent, transportation, and other monthly expenditures, that leaves $109 for food. That's about $26 left for food per week!

Total welfare	$610
Rent (realistic cost of an SRO)	$425
Damage deposit	$20
Book of 10 bus tickets (to look for work)	$21
Cell phone (to look for work)	$25
Personal hygiene/laundry	$10
Food	$109
Source: Welfare Food Challenge

Last month, from October 16 to October 22, over 100 people participated in the Welfare Food Challenge, organized by anti-poverty group Raise the Rates. During this week, participants ate only the food they could buy with the $26 food stipend. No accessing food banks or free meals through charities or friends, eating food they already had, or eating food they had grown.

The goal of the Challenge was to highlight the low welfare rates people on income assistance must live on.

What can you get for $26?

Raise the Rates spokesperson Bill Hopwood noted that the $26 did not go very far, nor did it provide money for things like spices to lend the food some flavour.

Gerry Kasten, a registered dietician and former cook, reported that his diet over the week fell short of Canada Food Guide recommendations -- by 17 servings of vegetables and fruits, 17 servings of dairy, and one serving of meat and/or meat alternatives. It was also short on micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, B vitamins, and vitamin C.

Celebrity chef Karen Barnaby, in support of the Challenge, presented a sampling of low-cost meals in the Downtown Eastside during the week. Barnaby bought what she believe to be a week's worth of ingredients, barely breaching the $26; however, she soon realized that the ground rice-based meal plan she constructed would only provide enough food for five days.

Other participants recounted the feelings of stress that began to set in as the week went on, spurred by concerns that food would run out before the Challenge ended. Halfway through, some participants were already running out of money.

While the stress that participants encountered was temporary, the chronic stress that low-income people can experience given stretched food budgets and poor nutrition has short- and long-term physiological and psychological effects, such as weight loss, difficulty maintaining weight, and feelings of anxiety due to lack of control over their access to food.

So, how does the stipend of $109 fare? Not very well, it turns out. The Dietitians of Canada 2011 "The Cost of Eating in British Columbia" report put the monthly cost of a healthy diet for a single man on disability assistance at a starting cost of $322.

What is food poverty?

Low-income Canadians are much more likely to report poor health than people with higher incomes and further experience higher rates of chronic disease and a greater risk of premature death.

Food poverty refers to the inability to access sufficient amounts of health food needed for survival. While food banks and meal kitchens can help offset a lack of food, these social supports remain inadequate and were never intended to be long-term solutions to hunger.

In more remote parts of the province, food and nutritional assistance is often less reaer dily available.

The impact of not getting enough food transcends nutrition. Stress about running out of food and the lack of control over access to food also have a toll.

The problem with current welfare rates is that they have not kept pace with inflation and the rising costs of living. The last increase to provincial income assistance amounts was back in 2007.

Raise the Rates is hoping that the recent Welfare Food Challenge will spotlight the issues of food poverty and insecurity faced by low-income Canadians and specifically by welfare recipients. It wants the provincial government to increase welfare rates immediately, end the five-week wait for welfare, end the 100% clawbacks of earnings and child support from welfare recipients, and increase the minimum wage to $12 per hour.

Want to know more about the Welfare Food Challenge? Visit their website: http://welfarefoodchallenge.org/

For more information, visit the below websites and related articles:

Raise the Rates
MLA Welfare Challenge
Dietitians of Canada, "The Cost of Eating in British Columbia"

The Province, "Welfare food challenge"
Metro, "Welfare Food Challenge ends - for some"
The Vancouver Courier, "Welfare Food Challenge participants hungry and stressed"
The Vancouver Sun, "Vancouver Sun food columnist gets creative with low-cost cuisine"
Georgia Straight, "Impacts of food poverty highlighted by B.C. welfare challenge participants"
The Vancouver Sun, "Dozens step up for Welfare Food Challenge"
The Province, "Eating on just $26 a week proves challenging"

Feature: NOWBC Co-op

If you're looking for a way to get your hands on affordable groceries, look no further. Buying clubs are groups of individuals who combine their buying power in order to benefit from wholesale prices and provide members with fresh, affordable food. By purchasing goods as a collective, customers are able to access lots of organic foods that would be less readily available otherwise.

Source: NOWBC Co-op

Neighbours Organic Weekly Buying Clubs (NOWBC) is a co-operative that strives to build a sustainable local food system by connecting local farms and processors with consumers and by building community around sustainable food choices. Originally formed in 2008 as a buying club, NOWBC Co-op has since blossomed into an online farmers' market that provides seasonal, local, organic foods sourced directly from small farms and processors, as well as fairly-traded goods not available locally and eco-friendly household items.

The emphasis of the co-op is on providing sustainable and ethically-traded groceries, supporting local producers in order to help strengthen the food system, and building community around sustainable local food and the sharing of knowledge.

NOWBC is open to members and non-members. There is usually a one-time $20 registration fee charged to new non-member customers, but this fee is currently being waived. Becoming a member requires a $90 investment ($10 per share, to a total of 9 shares), which is put towards expanding the selection offered by the co-op and covering costs associated with the delivery of groceries to customers. Orders are made online each week before the deadline and then shipped to depots in Vancouver, Burnaby, and North Vancouver.

For more information, to register with the co-op, or to become a member, please visit the NOWBC Co-op website: http://www.nowbc.ca/.