CFCC announces landmark $5 million gift from The Sprott Foundation and three new Community Food Centres across Canada
Posted: March 20, 2013
Categories: Food in the News / GoodFoodBites
Release from CFCC:
TORONTO, MARCH 18, 2013 — Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC) is thrilled to announce a $5 million leadership gift from The Sprott Foundation that will increase access to healthy food in low-income communities across the country. The gift will enable CFCC to work with partners across Canada to develop Community Food Centres modelled after Toronto’s innovative The Stop Community Food Centre. These centres will address problems of hunger, poverty and poor health through a multi-dimensional program mix with food at its core.
“Food insecurity and diet-related illness are on the rise in Canada, and the good food we value as best for ourselves and our families is out of reach to an increasing number of our fellow Canadians,” said Nick Saul, President & CEO of CFCC. “At CFCC, we believe that we need to go beyond alleviating basic hunger. We believe that food is more than just a commodity, that it is a powerful tool that can bring people together and build skills, community and health. That’s why we’re working with partners across the country to create innovative and responsive organizations that will offer food programming that meets local needs and work together to create change across the country.”
CFCC is taking a leadership role in bringing healthy food to low-income communities. In 2013, CFCC will begin working with three new partner sites: The Regent Park Community Food Centre, a partnership with the CRC at 40 Oaks, in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood; The NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre in Winnipeg’s Inkster neighbourhood, in partnership with the NorWest Co-op Community Health Centre; and The Dartmouth Community Food Centre in Dartmouth, NS, a partnership with the Dartmouth Family Centre. CFCC will work with these partners to develop Community Food Centres that will provide dignified emergency food access, food skills programs and education and engagement opportunities for people of all ages. These new centres will join existing partners The Stop, The Local Community Food Centre in Stratford and The Table Community Food Centre in Perth, ON, to grow, cook, share and advocate for good food and a healthy and fair food system.
“We connect as a caring family to the causes we support,” said Juliana Sprott, President of The Sprott Foundation. “When Community Food Centres Canada came to us, my entire family saw a tremendous opportunity to compassionately and intelligently help those who are food insecure. We believe strongly in investing in new approaches and in taking risks when we believe the result will be better health for our neighbours.”
The Sprott Foundation joins a growing list of individuals, organizations and government agencies that have made generous contributions to Community Food Centres Canada and our partner organizations. CFCC launched in July 2012 to drive the development of 15 Community Food Centres across the country over the next five years.
The story of the birth and development of the innovative Community Food Centre model is told in CFCC President & CEO Nick Saul’s new book, The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement (Random House Canada), which will be launched on March 24 at The Stop’s Green Barn. The book chronicles Saul’s 14 years at the helm of The Stop and the grassroots change that inspired the Community Food Centre movement.
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For more information on CFCC and their partner sites, visit the CFCC website. Follow CFCC on Twitter at @aplaceforfood
Media inquiries: Christina Palassio, Communications Manager, 416 531 8826 ext. 229 or christina@cfccanada.ca