AMHERST - There has never been a better time to eat local and eat healthy, if a recent funding announcement to Maggie's Place from the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia is any indication.
Cumberland County's family resource centre was one of four recipients of funding from the foundation, and with that will put on a four-day "train the trainer" series of workshops in the spring aimed at building a stronger interconnected local food movement.
"Food has always been something we've been involved with, whether it's our Maggie's Magic Cupboard cooking program, or the provincial food security project we've been working with for a number of years," said Carolyn d'Entremont, executive director at Maggie's Place. "We've always been working on food security issues, and this is just another way to expand out from that, do more in the communities and get more community involvement."
A total of $15,000 was awarded to community initiatives in Cumberland, Colchester, Annapolis and Victoria Counties under the foundation's Rural Leadership Initiative, with the aim of enhancing leadership in rural communities.
"These projects included both leadership development and the application of their leadership skills", said Pam Harrison, chair of the foundation. "We remain committed to the long term sustainability of rural and coastal communities and are encouraged by the dedication of Nova Scotians to this effort."
Following the "train the trainer" sessions in the spring, trained food leaders and partners will host community discussions called "Kitchen Table Talks" in four Cumberland County communities over the next year. No dates have been scheduled yet.
(For more, see the Jan. 7 issue of The Citizen-Record)
