Georgian Good Food Box, sharing healthy habits for 20 years
On Wednesday morning, Georgian Good Food Box volunteers gathered at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall in Stayner, where they finished packing 170 bags of produce before 10 a.m. It is apparent that the team is a well coordinated and efficient crew, many of whom have been working together for two decades.
At least nine of the 20 regular volunteers have been involved since early days. When asked what has kept them engaged for 20 years, a founding members Laurie vandenHurk says, “It’s fun and we like to come together as a group and share a treat and coffee after the pack.”
The Good Food Box is a non-profit buying club that purchases fresh fruits and vegetables for monthly distribution in the Southern Georgian Bay area. Participants get about $35 worth of produce for $22. The order always includes potatoes, carrots, onions and apples. This month’s bag also contains a cantaloupe, corn on the cob, oranges, head lettuce, red peppers, grape tomatoes and a newsletter with a recipe submitted by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
VandenHurk said she and Mark Redmond started the program back in 2004 through their participation in the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC). VandenHurk, who facilitated local forums, said she and Redmond learned that low-income families were basically living on a pasta- based diet. As a result, they set out to create a food delivery system that would help get affordable fruits and vegetables to those who needed it most.
Twenty years later the program has evolved into a buying collective that benefits all and is open to everyone.
VandenHurk’s husband Ted points out that when you buy produce through the Georgian Good Food Box it encourages healthy eating habits and cooking practices because you have to find ways to use what you’ve received.
When the program started, government funds were available to get it up and running. It tied in with a number of other initiatives of the day promoting healthy living and school nutrition programs, such as Healthy Living Schools. That’s how Lynn Black got involved. As a parent of students at New Lowell Central Public School, she promoted the program in the community. At one point there were 60 bags of food being delivered to the school monthly.
The depot eventually moved to the library, which is still the pick-up location in New Lowell, as is the case with library branches in Creemore and Stayner.
The Georgian Good Food Box now supports the Eat Well to Excel program, a nutrition program for school age children in Simcoe County, including local elementary and high schools, by sourcing fruit. It is also an avenue for food donations and a way for food banks to extend their buying power.
“The more people buy the more we can give,” said vandenHurk.
Volunteers recognize the role of community partners that contribute to the longevity of the program including Clearview Township, McNulty Printing, and Sanfilippo’s Wholesale Fruits and Vegetables, which not only picks up the food from the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto, but also sources the most local options at the best prices to stretch buyers’ dollars.
For more information and to sign up, visit ggfb.ca. People can also purchase orders to be donated to those in need.
