25. Little Mountain NH – Putting Food Insecurity on the Table

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project Title

Community Garden Harvest Matchmaker

Organization Name

Little Mountain Neighbourhood House

Keywords

Urban agriculture, community food security, food security

Related Course Concepts

Food justice, Food security, Asset based community development, Cultural identities

Organization Information

Organization Name

Little Mountain Neighbourhood House

Mission and Vision of Organization

MISSION

To develop and facilitate social, educational, cultural and recreational programs and initiatives that strengthen neighbourhood life for a diverse group of community members.

VISION

What is our vision? To connect, engage and empower community members to create a vibrant, inclusive and caring neighbourhood.

Guiding Principles + Values

  • Diversity - We value diversity of backgrounds, circumstances and opinions and strive to include all members of the community as equals.
  • Responsiveness - We are responsive to the ever changing needs of our participants and stakeholders by being open, flexible and proactive in how we meet their needs.
  • Integrity - We operate with a high level of integrity, transparency, honesty and respectfulness in everything that we do.
  • Engagement - We stimulate staff, volunteers and neighbours to listen, connect, partner and engage with our programs and one-another.
  • Accessible - We provide welcoming, affordable and accessible services.
  • Caring - We strive to provide a fun, caring, and safe space that fosters compassion and respect.
  • Excellence - We strive for excellence in everything we do by delivering innovative, professional and effective programs that make efficient use of our limited resources.
  • Empowerment - We empower our participants, staff, volunteers and the greater community through learning, skill development and teaching.

Contact Information

Preferred Method of Contact

  • Best method(s) to contact: Email
  • Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays
  • Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Project Description

The Community Garden Harvest Matchmaker Project will focus on strengthening the garden's capacity to support our food insecure community members, increase collaboration with agencies working with vulnerable residents, and increase the food security intent of the community garden. The project will require students to record what the garden is growing, harvesting and can (and is) distributed to Agencies including the Neighbourhood House food programs. The garden is a food security project of the Neighbourhood House and we aim to be more intentional in what we grow and how and to whom we distribute the produce.

What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

We (the Riley Park Community Garden) need to be more clear with its' intent as a food security project to use the produce to its fullest capabilities. The Project provides more clarity on what we should be growing, what community partner could use this produce and how to get the produce delivered to the Agency and its' food programs for their use. We want to create a more direct line to the agencies and coordinators of the food programs with clear communication about what is in season and how we logistically will get the produce to the programs for their use.

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

Capacity to do:

  • research
  • interviews with food program coordinators
  • be clear on email and phone communications
  • organize a spreadsheet from the data gathered from Agencies, Master Garden volunteers and expert sources of data including West Coast Seeds

Student Assets and Skills (to be developed through the project)

Including:

  • soft skills of communication
  • leadership
  • project planning
  • a growing plan

Is a criminal record check required?

No

Project Location

Little Mountain Riley Park - the Neighbourhood House and Garden

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

No preference

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

Including:

  • Past LFS projects interviewing Agencies and community members (request from your TA)
  • West Coast Seeds planting information
  • Riley Park Community Garden newsletters and website for harvesting schedule
  • Riley Park Community Garden website

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

The following will be provided at the first community partner meeting:

  • In person orientation
  • Meeting with the Garden Volunteers
  • Introductions to Little Mountain Community Kitchen and food program coordinators
  • Related background reports

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

Students may volunteer to help with:

  • organizing and assisting on community kitchens at 5 sites
  • assisting at the LMNH Kitchens and Community Meal programs
  • garden special events including lunches and workshops
  • garden wrap-up celebration to assist with setup and activities

Expected Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

I hope students will learn about...

  • matching food grown with those who are food insecure in the community, issues with distributing food to Agency partners.

I think students will come to appreciate...

  • the benefits that a community garden can bring to the residents, how a garden can contribute to a healthier diet for those who are living in poverty.

Through this project, students will develop...

  • leadership, research skills, project planning, communication skills

Organizational Outcomes

Intended Project (Short Term) Outcome

  • To have a record of what we grow, harvest and distribute that includes the 2019 actual. To create a list from Agencies (including LMNH) for what their food programs would like to have us grow in 2020 with their food program schedule to align the harvest with the community agency needs.

Medium Term Outcomes

If the student project is part of a larger project at your organization, how will the students' work contribute to the goals of this larger project?

  • As a Good Food Organization, LMNH is working to ensure all residents are food secure. The garden is a food security project. We are educating our staff, program participants and community members. We aim to address the issue of food security and community involvement, and bring our community members closer through education and community events. Beyond its immediate function as an inclusive gathering point, we want the community garden to reflect our core visions to improve food security, ecological sustainability and community development.

How does the student project contribute to your organization's mission and long-term vision?

  • Increases our community resiliency as we are providing produce but more important we are a hub for building connections with neighbours, agencies through education and events.
source: https://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:LFS350/Projects/F2019/RileyPark