A local non-profit organization is challenging residents to eat local for seven days.
Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children's Urban Agriculture, a Vancouver-based non-profit society, is encouraging eating local for seven days with the Going Local! challenge, starting Aug.18, as a fundraiser for their Classroom Garden and Cooking Program. The program, which runs in 34 participating schools, including Queen Mary Elementary at Cloverley Site in North Vancouver, connects volunteer chefs with children to give hands-on experience with healthy food. The society also had chefs from S'wich Café in North Vancouver participate in the program this past spring.
"Eating locally is important in two ways," says executive director of Growing Chefs! Helen Stortini. "It raises awareness of the bounty we have around us in the Lower Mainland, and for environmental and health reasons it's good to reduce our carbon footprint and support our local economy."
Participants are asked to set a fundraising goal and prizes are available for those that raise the highest amount of money, including two tickets to the From Farms to Forks Gala, a kitchen party at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.
There are some items that are difficult to find within the local range, says Stortini, including coffee, salt, oil and vinegar, but participants are given two to three daily wildcards for those types of items. Many items can be found at local farmers markets, including the Lonsdale Quay and Ambleside Farmers' Markets, Harvest Community Foods and Edible Canada.
"People have to be thoughtful and vigilant when doing this challenge," says Stortini. "We have some amazing farmers and producers. We want people to meet them and ask questions about the food and what they do."
Growing Chefs! is hoping to raise $8,000 for the program. It is not mandatory for participants to fundraise but the society is encouraging those that want to take part to support the classroom program. The classroom gardening project costs approximately $1,000 for supplies, training, transportation and labour, and the society is hoping to gain more local recognition and support to keep it going. The challenge ends on Sunday, Aug. 25 at the Trout Lake Farmers' Market in Vancouver.
Growing Chefs! supports the development of urban agriculture and provides a means for chefs and growers to engage in the community and support local food sustainability.
