Food For Thought - REAL STORIES

Where can a person slug 4,500 pounds of potatoes down a human assembly line, feel like their opinion and commitment makes a difference and "rub shoulders" with others from across the community to help break down the stigma associated with living in the north end of town? Don't think all this is possible in one place? Well, read the fascinating tale of a group of very determined women in Kingston, Ontario.

In the fall of 1995, Better Beginnings for Kingston Children established the Nutrition Working Group to provide a forum for North Kingston residents to identify their own food and nutrition issues. Today, ten out of the twelve women volunteers who formed the Committee for the development of the Good Food Box program, remain actively involved. These women come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a wide array of skills. Some would tell you that they really have no particular skills to offer but got involved because the idea was great and it was a way to provide their own families with nutritious affordable food. Eventually personal reasons for involvement evolved into a desire to serve the whole community. This group of women consistently rise to the occasion of a challenge and creatively overcome it. To accomplish what they have in two years requires not only skill and organization, but sincere commitment, something each and everyone of them possesses.

The Committee has had support from staff from North Kingston Community Health Centre and Better Beginnings for Kingston Children, who have taken a "back seat" as members of this Committee. When speaking with the staff about their involvement no words are needed to communicate their pride in the group,s accomplishments. The tone of their voices and the glee in their eyes tell the story. Both will tell you that they have been fortunate that their respective organizations "supported them to encourage independence in the GFB Committee" and that they have personally grown as a direct result of involvement with this group.

The Committee meets twice a month to discuss the functioning of the project. Working collectively they coordinate volunteers, host sites, food orders, delivery of boxes and manage finances. Meetings also incorporate time to discuss future goals with personal "check-ins". All meetings end with a social pot luck. Not only have these women accomplished a great deal with the program in their 3000 hours of volunteer time, each has personally grown and some confess that their meeting time is "sacred time" which has helped them deal with some personal issues.

The GFB program is the "brainchild" of Toronto's Field to Table Program and exists all over Ontario. Each program is slightly different and is as unique as its community. In Kingston, people pay for their food box at the beginning of the month (when money is a little more plentiful) and pick it up in the middle of the month (when groceries and money are dwindling). Although the need for affordable, fresh and nutritious food was identified as a north Kingston issue, the Committee decided that there would be no entrance restrictions or requirements, all would be welcome. From the beginning the focus was to remove the stigma of being poor and needy by empowering individuals to bring change in their own environment, starting with their own kitchen table.

In a period of 19 months, the GFB has grown from an initial 24 food boxes to an average of 600 food boxes a month, from zero host sites to 32 residential and agency host sites, evolved from being north Kingston based to serving all of Kingston and its immediate area. Kingston,s GFB offers $15.00, $10.00 and $5.00 boxes. More than 95% of the money from the sold food boxes goes directly to purchasing the fresh produce. The Committee continues to be sensitive to community needs which has encouraged them to offer different size food boxes. The $10.00 box evolved from the Committee recognizing the needs of seniors, small families and individuals who wanted the food box but could not use all the produce of a $15.00 box. In June of this year, the Committee introduced the $5.00 fruit box and initial orders totaled 127 boxes. Pamela Dunstan, a committee member told me that she had to count the orders for the fruit box twice, "that's a lot of baskets for the first month, it shows how popular and needed the GFB is."

Produce is purchased from a local wholesaler, Tony Deodato & Sons Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Distributors, and packed each month by an average of 35 volunteers. The best word (besides dedicated) to describe the packing day volunteers is diverse. Jackie Callow, a committee member explained to me that seeing the diversity of volunteers on packing day is the most vivid and memorable image she has whenever she thinks of GFB. "It is great seeing all ages, people of all abilities, people doing community service time, guys from Frontenac Institution coming together to pack, laugh, and do a good thing for the community and themselves". Another committee member Sharleen Hurst, was explaining that other food box programs offer a commission for each box sold while others provide volunteers with a free food box, "our volunteers come to get a good feeling and have sweaty hair".

Packing day is a sight to behold. It is the closest thing to what Santa's workshop might be like; a clatter of noise consisting of laughter, busy hands and feet, and the hustle of work being done. Volunteers appear on packing day to be assigned tasks that give them an intriguing name for the day like "broccoli" or "green pepper". And these volunteers never handle other produce, they only pack what their name tag says. Thirty-five people are all working in harmony and at a very quick pace. Work starts at 8:00 am and by 11:00 am about 600 food boxes are packed and ready for distribution. Food boxes not picked up by the end of the day get donated to Shelters or to the Food Bank.

When asked why they stay involved, these women offer answers like: "its fulfilling"; "integration of all"; "ongoing need and challenges that allow you to be creative"; "because my decisions make a difference and help change things"; "because I have more self-respect now and value myself and my abilities more"; "my kids are proud of me and I am setting a good example for them, they are getting involved with volunteering at school now".

Amazingly, not only do these remarkable women have tremendous energy, but they all think long term. Their dreams are big; When asked about what they would like to change about the GFB, almost all said without hesitating, "our own permanent warehouse space". Says Wendy, a committee member "now that our community is comfortable trying and using fresh produce, they're open to new ideas, they want to learn how to prepare and cook healthy food but not in classes. A permanent space, with our own huge kitchen, we could bring people together, make food and try new recipes. When people come together, especially women, in a comfortable, non threatening place, quality stuff starts to happen".