“My kids never ate this stuff before!” Lori Nikkel, Manager
of FoodShare’s Student Nutrition Program, is hearing this again and again
from parents whose children are now eagerly eating broccoli, chickpeas, and
kiwi.
Kids at 17 schools across Toronto now have access to ‘Salad Bars’ where they
can eat as much fresh, nutritious food as they like – and they’re asking for
more.
“The kids love it!” laughs Nikkel. “I think the Salad Bar
program is the best program going.”
It is programs like Salad Bar that FoodShare– a Toronto based organization
that works on ‘field to table’ food issues – was founded
to create.
FoodShare focuses on the entire system that puts food
on our tables: from the growing, processing and distribution of food to
its purchasing, cooking and consumption.
“We believe that food is vital to the health of individuals and communities,
and that access to good, healthy food is a basic human right,” explains
FoodShare’s Executive Director Debbie Field. “We operate several
innovative grassroots projects that promote healthy eating, teach food preparation
and cultivation, develop community capacity and create non-market-based
forms of food distribution.”
It is this philosophy that resulted in the 6000 square foot market garden
at the Centre for Addition and Mental Healthy (CAMH) in Toronto and the
unexpected alliance between a large medical organization and a grassroots
food security group. Downtown Toronto may seem like an unlikely place for
a giant garden to some, but for Karine Jaouich, FoodShare’s Urban
Agriculture Coordinator, the location makes perfect sense.
“This project reflects a unique approach to hospital land use,”
says Jaouich. “It simultaneously addresses issues of clientemployment
and community integration neighborhood needs, food security and the environment.”
CAMH participants grow certified organic vegetables and herbs in the ‘Sunshine
Garden’ under the supervision of FoodShare’s urban agriculture
program staff. The diverse crops produced on this plot of land are then
sold directly from the garden at the Sunshine Market two days a week.
CAMH participants work in the garden where they learn about urban market
gardening from FoodShare’s staff explains Jaouich. “The market
garden program provides CAMH participants with six months of paid employment
through the United Way.”
According to Jaouich, the garden is not only providing employment and good
food, but also a vital community space. “Many community members and
CAMH staff visit the Sunshine Garden for tours and to learn what is growing,
who is doing the growing and why. Program participants enjoy the opportunity
to show off their work to enthusiastic community members and staff.”
CAMH staff and neighbours have reason to be enthusiastic: not only has a
beautiful green space been added to their environment, but also a convenient
place to shop for dinner. And it’s not only the garden’s eager
customers who are enjoying the fresh vegetables, but CAMH participants as
well. The participants are eating vegetables straight from the plant!”
reports Jaouich, whereas they were very reluctant to eat any vegetables
at the beginning of the program.
Again and again, FoodShare is finding that when people have access to fresh,
healthy food, they eat it. The problem is not that people don’t like
vegetables, but that the cheapest and most available food in grocery stores,
schools, and offices is often highly processed junk food. For those with
little time and money, a well balanced diet is sometimes a luxury they cannot
afford.
The Salad Bar program began because kids in some communities were coming to
school with no food at all. “Teachers were keeping cookies and bread in
their desk drawers in order to feed their students,” explains Nikkel.
“We saw a definite issue with kids who were not eating.”
Nikkel found that when she started bringing fresh fruits and vegetables into
her local school, the kids did not turn up their noses like some expected. “They
love it!” she insists. Nikkel believes the social setting encouraged kids
to get excited about the food and try new things. “Kids are more likely
to try food when their best friend is eating it, or when the whole class is
eating it,” she explains.
Salad Bars are not only popular amongst the students. Teachers and staff are
lining up at lunchtime as well. Staff pay $3 a meal, while students pay $2.
Technically, this money is considered a donation and negotiable for those who
cannot afford the fee. For most participants, however, the cost is affordable,
and teachers are getting even more than they bargained for. When a Salad Bar
program is introduced to a school “The teachers notice it right away,”
notes Nikkel. Kids are far more attentive and eager to learn when they have
a full belly. At one school, the principal has noticed that far fewer students
are sent to the office on the days Salad Bar is offered. “Kids concentration
was really dropping off after recess,” explains Nikkel. “It turns
out it was hunger that was causing it.” The positive spinoffs of eating
and growing fresh, healthy food are many, observes Jaouich. At the Sunshine
Garden, understanding of mental illness and addictions is being advanced. “It
breaks down traditional barriers between the institution and the community by
bringing community agencies, neighbours, program participants and staff together
as collaborators in the garden.”
Salad Bars are also breaking down traditional barriers in the schools where
they’re operating. Many of the Salad Bar volunteers are mothers of the
students, and many are new to Canada. Nikkel was thrilled to watch the changes
in the women who took part in the training program, volunteered at the Salad
Bar, and eventually found employment, “It was so awesome to watch these
women - who would never have come into the school otherwise - come in, get to
know each other, have fun, and build social skills and confidence.”
FoodShare’s programs are doing more than addressing isolated problems
like hunger or unemployment. The Salad Bars and the Sunshine Garden improve
access to affordable healthy food, support local agriculture systems, and strengthen
communities. Perhaps one CAMH gardener said it best, “It really feels
good to find something that needs to be done and then finish the job, knowing
that you did it well”.
