AMHERST – A local food luncheon will be held Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Cumberland YMCA to help support the Cumberland County Cost Share CSA Food Box Program.
The luncheon goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and supports a pilot project that aims to connect low income families with affordable locally-produced food.
The event, which is part of the Fibre Arts Festival, will feature an all-local food menu, a local quilt display and a quilter's raffle. Tickets are $10 each and are available at the YMCA, or by contacting Su Morin, the Ecology Action Centre’s community food co-ordinator for Cumberland.
In partnership with the Ecology Action Centre, the YMCA of Cumberland, and several local farms, the cost share CSA food box program is the first of its kind in the area. The model makes food boxes available at half the cost (only $10 per week) to individuals and families facing financial barriers.
The food boxrepresents an innovative and dignified way of getting healthy, nutrient-dense food to our most vulnerable communities. Food boxes are augmented with seasonal recipes and free food skills training opportunities, such as cooking and food preservation workshops.
According to Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture statistics, the number of active farms in Cumberland County has been on a steady decline over the past 30 years or so.
Supporting local food suppliers will help ensure that these growers will remain in business. As well, local food projects help to make us less dependent on food that must travel long distances to reach us, thus helping to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which is healthier for humans and for our overall environment.
For more information or for tickets, contact Morin at [email protected], or by phone at 902-251-2959.
