Meeting Minutes- January 19, 2012
Richmond Food Security Society – Action Team minutes
January 19, 2012
In Attendance: Arzeena Hamir, Erika Simms, Gretchen Frazer, Minoo Javadi, Debbie Brow, Anne Swann, Rani Wangsawidjaya, Karin Whittaker, Sue Burford, De Whalen, Alex Nixon, Deneanne Quamme,
- Additions to agenda: CFUW report, Grow project, Sustainable contest, Report from De- San Francisco, Conference March 9/10
Update from Cherry Lane Farm from previous minutes- Arzeena contacted Vera and they were not concerned enough with the new development in the area to fight it.
- Stir it up Youth Group Update: The program is run through Steveston Community centre to help at risk youth who have been identified in the school systems. They learn how to cook meals as well as get to take home left over food. The Community Centre will also be building a community garden to provide growing experience for the youth. Linda Robertson who runs the program has been unwell recently and is training Coleen Klassen help if she is ill or on vacation. Grants and funding have been provided through Steveston Rotary and Gilmour United Dream Auction.
- Earth Day Celebrations: Amnesty would like to partner with the RFSS for this event. Amnesty is holding a National AGM in Vancouver. Donations could be taken to help a student come to the AGM.
- Partner with Library – use lecture hall, library foyer, window box
- · A smaller scale event than WFD- around 6 tables
- · Preferable date would be April 21st
- · Promote good food box program
- · Farm to School
Action: De to contact Leanne Smith at Richmond Public Library
- Seedy Saturday: March 3, 2012
- Event at Terra Nova Barn with seed trading, seed bomb workshop for kids (taught by Arzeena), tables for vendors to sell seeds, fruit trees and other garden needs
- Vendors to pay $10 per table with donations given to Shenanigans youth project at Garrett Wellness Centre
Action: Gretchen to produce posters for event, Erika to contact vendors and general organization.
- Good Food Box program: update
- Meeting with local organizations to get the program up and running
- Brighouse United will be the pick up depot
- Need 50 orders to start the program- Family services, healthiest babies. Aids society, and VCH programs.
- First order will be last Thursday in March
- Minoo may have volunteers to help with distribution but the plan for the first few months would be for all agencies to pick up grocery bags to take to their organizations.
- Produce is locally sourced when available. The basic bag is $8 per month and organic is available for $15 per month.
Action: Arzeena to check if there can be a mix of organic and regular within the 50 orders.
Arzeena to send poster and other information to Erika for general email list.
To contact Florence at Caring Place for more orders or another possible depot
Erika to email out poster and information sheet to general email list
- New Website: smallfarmer.ca – started by Arzeena and Chris Thoureau and organized by Gretchen. Has 320 resources on website for urban farming and gardening around the lower mainland. It is set up so that anyone can post new information to the website.
Foodsecurity.org is not owned by the society and we are running out of space for posting more events and information. Capacity at 98%. We need more space and it would be cheaper to buy the domain than to buy more space. Gretchen also bought rfss.ca for publications as the Richmond Food Security Society name is too long.
The event calendar is on our website, please email Gretchen any events that need to be placed on the calendar.
Farm/local food guide to be updated this year. Contract for someone to revamp and update the listings on the brochure. Send out press release to City Farmer.
Action: Erika to send out Gretchen’s email information to Action Group
Community Gardens: We have taken over the Richmond High Seniors plot and will also be taking on some plots at Brighouse School when contract between City and School District is complete.
- CFUW- University Women’s club has been working on tackling food security issues. These resolutions are on a National Food Policy- proper school food program, protecting agricultural land and protecting farmers. The policies are being distributed to all CFUW clubs across Canada for amendments by May 1, 2012.
The resolutions will be taken to the national AGM in Victoria on June 22, 2012.
- Grow Project is a program located at low income housing at General Currie and Alderwood. The program uses gardens for growing the food as well as cooking the food that is available in the gardens. The program provides tools and teaching. The funding comes through Metro Vancouver Housing.
There are many Challenges facing this program and Minoo would like some feedback to work through some of these challenges. Many people in the low income housing are not interested in starting the program and they would like to bring more people into the program.
Suggestions
- Contact Metro Vancouver Housing to get more people involved in program.
- Contact Blair House – Seniors Housing.
- Possibly run program on weekend days.
- Child minding needed – possible volunteer opportunity for high school students needing volunteer hours
- Publish stories about program either online or in the newspaper- Minoo has many pictures of gardens
- Great learning lessons for children, get more children involved.
Action: Arzeena and Minoo to meet to discuss further plans for program
- Sustainability Contest: Karin Whittaker is asking for feedback on her sustainability contest that will be run in Richmond.
Suggestions:
- To add N/A on some of the questions.
- Add eating out- bring your own containers for leftovers
- Literacy may be a problem/suggest possible translation
- Get Chinese speaking volunteers- contact Table 38
Once questions have been edited- possibility to send in a mail out or use an online forum. Karin would like to put together an event at the cultural centre in the spring. It has been suggested to join the Earth Day Celebration to help get the contest higher profile the event is planned on April 21st, 2012 at the Richmond Cultural Centre.
Karin has also been in contact with Roselyn Poon at Richmond School District for feedback.
- Report on San Francisco from De- De recently went to San Francisco on a choir tour but had time to take a food tour of Little Italy. The tour was a walking tour and visited 8 different food venues from coffee to bakeries. Each place offered up samples and historical stories about the area. De is suggesting that we connect with Tourism Richmond (Ed and Tracy) to look at the possibility of food tours in Richmond.
- Farm to Cafeteria Conference taking place in Richmond on March 9/10. This conference will connect local food to cafeteria with speakers from across Canada. The Keynote speaker’s subject is Pharm to Farm: Food as medicine.
Action: Arzeena to send link to Erika. Erika to send to email contact list as well as sending out an information notice to Mayor, Councillors, School Trustees and RDPA.
- Arzeena’s job posting: meeting with board on January 20th, 2012. Job will be posted around February 1, 2012. The Real Estate Foundation has taken the grant application for $35,000 to the next level but is requesting a connection of funds from the City of Richmond and how much they can provide. The City will be able to provide $12,000 towards the salary of the new Coordinator. If the funding is provided from the Real Estate Foundation, it will be with a proviso that all food lands in Richmond are mapped.
Meeting adjourned 5pm- Next meeting February 16, 2012
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