MBiz

Issue 1

Manitoba Chamber of Commerce

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BACK TO THE GARDEN Kreesta Doucette wants to change the way you think about food. The executive director of Food Matters Manitoba, Doucette says it would make a world of difference if more families simply ate healthy, home-cooked meals together. "We tend to see food as nothing more than gasoline in North America — fuel for busy people on the go," she says. "As a society, we have a lot of diet-related health issues, and that's partly due to the decrease in family meals and the loss of food skills. We're so busy that we don't have time to find out where our food comes from." A registered charity, Food Matters wants Manitobans to adopt the goal of providing healthy, fair, sustainable food for all. "Many people are interested but they don't know where to start," Doucette says. "We take some of the issues surrounding food, make them simple and break them down. These are big issues, and people want to know what they can actually do to help." To that end, Food Matters created the Dig In Challenge, which runs from May to September each year. Participants pledge to eat close to home — share family meals and buy local products — learn new food skills and support fair food organizations. They're also encouraged to pursue a variety of pledge activities, such as shopping at farmers markets or donating food to Winnipeg Harvest. Anyone can try the pledge activities posted on the challenge website. "We want to connect people to food in a different way. It can be as simple as spending $10 of your weekly grocery budget on locally grown food or learning to cook something you haven't tried before," Doucette says. "Many people don't even look at where their food came from when they're in the grocery store." Although one of every seven jobs in Manitoba is agriculture-related, most 26 MBiz June 2012 DIG IN URGES MANITOBANS TO CREATE FAMILY PLOTS by Holli Moncrieff farmers still export the majority of their produce, she adds. "The price a farmer receives for food is very important, as some farms are making a net loss. When you buy direct or from a store, that supports local farmers," Doucette says. "And on the other hand, we have so much poverty and hunger. Over 60,000 people receive food from a food bank each month in Manitoba, and half of those are children." The Dig In Challenge offers workshops on everything from gardening and urban fruit harvesting to menu planning. Those who want to learn more can join Dig Deeper, an advanced program that can accommodate 100 families at a time and is well-suited to low-income families. Participants may receive a grow kit — a garden starter kit that includes seeds — and must attend a seed saving workshop, along with at least five additional workshops. As well, they must complete at least three pledge activities each month and share their journey on social media. Dig Deeper families can attend a winter seed swap to get more seeds for the following year. And all Dig In Challenge participants are eligible for prizes. "The grand prize is a catered dinner featuring local food at The Current, a night at Inn at The Forks and a shopping spree at The Forks," Doucette says. "We're also giving away a nutritional kitchen makeover." www.diginmanitoba.ca CAPITAL

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