Food Matters event in Sydenham Oct. 22

Food Policy Council | Oct 19, 2016

More than 8% of households in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area live with food insecurity. That's one in 12 households who do not know if there will be enough food next week or next month (from the 2016 Vital Signs report of the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area).

To address this issue, a “Food matters” event will be held at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham, from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 22. People are invited to arrive between 12:30 and 1 pm, to meet and network with others. There is no charge and light refreshments will be served.

"Statistics about personal or family food insecurity in our region show the urgency for us to improve the food security situation here," says Dianne Dowling, a member of the Food Policy Council (FPC) for KFL&A. "That's why the FPC is holding Food Matters -- Connecting the Roots of Food Security in KFL&A, to bring people together to develop ideas for programs and policies to increase food security. Food security includes personal or family food security, as well as community food security -- the ability of the region to grow, process, store and distribute its own food. We want to help create networks of people involved in activities that relate to food and farming in KFL&A. Everyone is welcome to attend -- including community members, staff and volunteers in community organizations, elected officials, municipal staff members."

There will be panel presentations by Ayla Fenton, a young farmer; Toni Pickard from the Kingston Action Group for the Basic Income Guarantee; and David Townsend, executive director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, followed by group discussions on topics chosen by the participants. Recommendations for steps to increase food security will be collected from the groups and shared in the community.

Sponsors for Food Matters include: the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, Kingston Community Health Centres, Loving Spoonful, National Farmers Union Local 316, Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

The Food Policy Council for KFL&A formed in 2012 to work toward the creation of a more secure, accessible and sustainable food system in our region.

For more information about the FPC and about the Food Matters event, and to register for the event, go to foodpolicykfla.ca