{"id":13286,"date":"2017-02-23T11:09:28","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T16:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/?p=13286"},"modified":"2024-11-01T16:40:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T20:40:49","slug":"a-kitchen-building-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/featured-series\/a-kitchen-building-community\/","title":{"rendered":"A Kitchen Building Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post is part of our series featuring the winning charities from the 2016 Aviva Community Fund<\/a><\/strong> and is provided by Anne-Marie McElrone, Director of Partnership Development at the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre. This multi-part blog series features the stories behind the charities who won the 2016 Aviva Community Fund contest, and the impact they will make with each project across Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n

Eighteen months ago, Russell spent much of his time in his Dartmouth North apartment.<\/strong> He didn\u2019t know his neighbours, and getting one good meal a day was a challenge. He had to walk 90 minutes to reach the nearest soup kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was planning on moving out of the neighbourhood,\u201d said the 55-year-old from the Pictou Landing First Nation. Instead, Russell discovered a community in his own backyard at the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre.<\/p>\n

Russell seen here at the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre. Photo courtesy of Snickerdoodle Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI walked in for lunch,\u201d said Russell. \u201cIt was friendly, welcoming and very clean. I had a great meal, I met some people and now we always sit together and have tea.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre had just opened its doors for the first time, in a neighbourhood where 93 percent of people say they struggle to eat one healthy meal a day. The beautiful new 5,000 square foot community space, complete with commercial kitchen, large dining room, and a massive outdoor gardening space, created an immediate buzz in the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

Russell watched all the activity around the centre for weeks, and finally, on his birthday, he decided to check it out. Soon after, he began visiting the centre to take part in community meals. Now Russell is volunteering at the centre and has signed up for the community kitchen program, where neighbours cook together on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis place has given me a reason to wake up in the morning,\u201d said Russell. \u201cI\u2019ve made friends. Now I meet people on the street and say hello. I finally feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good Food is Just the Beginning<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Russell\u2019s experience captures the essence of what makes a Community Food Centre special. Good food in a dignified setting is at the heart of what we do, but once someone comes through our doors, there are so many ways for them to get involved. Whether it\u2019s enjoying healthy food together, building new skills and habits around healthy eating, learning to garden, or helping neighbours with issues affecting their daily lives, the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre has quickly become a hub for community connection in a place where many struggle with poverty, food insecurity, and social isolation.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Snickerdoodle Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Extending Our Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nearly 20 percent of Dartmouth North households are considered low income.<\/strong> Many residents are seniors on a fixed income and our community includes a higher than average proportion of lone parent families and people living alone.<\/p>\n

The Dartmouth Family Centre, which has spent more than two decades in the neighbourhood serving new moms and families with young children, opened the Community Food Centre to reach out to the entire community and extend its work with families as their children grow up.<\/p>\n