Food for All
Food for All Project will be a program operated by Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre, that will transform (soon to perish) produce and cultivate new life by transforming this produce into enhanced Good Food Boxes and upcycled food products such as prepared meals, soups, smoothies, and juices, which will be shared with the community.
GCCRC Executive Director, Stanislav Rajic, and Program Team Lead, Jazz Walmsley show off fresh produce in the newly renovated kitchen at Glen Cairn, which will serve as the backbone infrastructure for the Food for All Project.
How it works
Step One: Food Rescue
The Project will receive produce from an array of community partners, including the London Food Bank, the London Food Coalition, other non-profits such as Urban Roots London, and a variety of other local food distributors and London restaurants.
Impact: Food Waste Diversion, Green Economy
Step Two: Food Transformation
Our 1,000 sq.ft. facility is equipped with commercial and teaching kitchens, multi-purpose and programming spaces, training areas, and dry, cool, and freezer storage that allow us to effectively process the produce and store the resulting upcycled food products.
Impact: Job Skills Training, Job Creation, Sustainability, Poverty Reduction, Dignity
Step Three: Food Distribution
At the end of the production cycle our intention is three-fold: 1) to share our upcycled food products with other Neighbourhood Resource Centres, 2) to increase access to food via emergency food cupboard, our Good Food Box program, and 3) gear towards financial sustainability by commercializing our upcycled food products and providing value to retail customers
Impact: Food Security, Job Creation, Sustainability
Core Funders
This program would not be made possible without the generous support from the London Community Foundation.
Project Goals and Objectives
Our objective is simple: to increase access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food in London & Middlesex County.
Neighbourhood resource centres, non-profits, other social service organizations, and for-profit entities collaborate to increase and expand access to food in the London and Middlesex community.
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Improve the quality and nutritional value of food distributed to communities through emergency food cupboards and basic needs programs in general
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Provide additional opportunities for volunteer and community involvement
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Provide additional opportunities for skill and capacity building for adults and youth in the community.
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Provide Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre, and other resource centres, agencies, and groups with additional food items for their food cupboards and Good Food Boxes, effectively reducing the food programming cost
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Enrich the nutritional value and cultural appropriateness of food we provide through our Basic Needs programs
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Enhance the educational component of Basic Needs programs
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Offer opportunities for greater volunteer involvement
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Offer opportunities for greater training and employability of community members
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Reduce the amount of organic waste in our city’s landfill
Global Impact - UN Sustainable Development Goals
The goals of this project align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
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Goal 2: Zero Hunger – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
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Goal 13: Climate Action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Regional Impact - Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategy Goals
The goals of this project align with the following Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategies:
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1. Healthy Food Access – access to and the means to choose and obtain safe, healthy, local, and culturally acceptable food
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2. Food Literacy and Skills – information, knowledge, skills, relationships, capacity, and environments to support healthy eating and make healthy choices where [Ontarians] live, gather, work, learn and play
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3. Healthy Food Systems – diverse, healthy, and resilient food systems that promote health and contribute to an equitable and prosperous economy
What we stand for
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Collective Impact – recognizing that together we have an ability to drive higher impact for the communities we love
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Common Agenda – all of our partners share a vision for hope and change and include a common understanding of the food insecurity problem
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Shared expectation of impact – we are agreed on the avenues through which we will achieve success and desired impact
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Alignment in efforts – we are in alignment with a plan of action
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Continuous communication – all players engage in open, structured communication
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Backbone infrastructure – GCCRC is the backbone to serving the entire initiative by coordinating and collaborating with all organizations and agencies
How you can help
DONATE TODAY
We graciously accept cash donations through Canada Helps of any size - thank you in advance!
For in-kind donations, contact us.
SPREAD THE WORD
Post, Reel, and Tweet! Spread awareness through word of mouth and your social media! Be loud and proud of the great work happening right in your community.