Edible Profile: Good Food Brampton
Posted: February 6, 2014
Categories: Edible Education Network / Edible Education Project Profiles / Featured Edible Education Network Members / Member Profiles / News from Sustain Members
Good Food Brampton Community Kitchen has the goal of providing community members not only access to food, but the opportunity to receive education on growing, accessing, preparing and preserving healthy and affordable food. They work to connect people of all backgrounds so they can share experiences and participate in developing a sustainable food system, hoping to eliminate food security issues.
Food is universally known for its healing and uniting capabilities. Whether it’s coming together as a family to prepare Sunday dinner, or ordering out and indulging in a favourite dish on a down day, food can help us celebrate and can bring comfort and fulfillment in difficult times.
Knowing and understanding all of these positive effects of food makes the astounding statistics of poverty in the Peel Region an even more difficult pill to swallow – more than 70,000 children and youth are living in poverty (Peel Children’s Aid Society Foundation, 2010). This means that numerous youth as well as families battle food security issues daily.
Good Food Brampton was established by Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin (CFSPD) in 2013. They are located in the Hon. William G. David Centre for Families in Brampton. Their specific mission is outlined as:
“The Good Food Brampton Community Kitchen grows access to food by respectfully working with our community in all its diversity to increase knowledge and skills and empower participation in building a sustainable food system.”
Since their beginning in Sept. 2013, Good Food Brampton Community Kitchen’s accomplishments include housing three programs:
Good Food Brampton Youth Program is a collaboration between CFSPD and Rapport Youth & Family Services. This program is geared towards youth aged 12 to 24, and allows the youth to be active in menu selection, shopping and preparation of food. The youth come together weekly to prepare a meal together, and each leave with food to either share with their family or use themselves over the week.
Vita Centre Supper Connection is a program offered three times a year for young mothers to come together to share a nutritious meal. The program offers parenting education opportunities and a way to connect with peers. These meetings also reinforce positive parenting strategies and enhance parenting confidence.
Eat, Love, Share is a program in which women who have experienced violence, trauma or other forms of oppression, and have reached a stage in their healing process where they are capable of mentoring others, are given the opportunity to do so. This is done through the preparation of diverse meals of various backgrounds and sharing of experiences.
Evaluations have shown that general cooking confidence, confidence in cooking methods, as well as healthy eating habits have all increased after participants took part in the programs. And the programs have received a number of glowing testimonials:
“The GFB Youth Program is absolutely phenomenal! I’ve had an amazing opportunity to try new foods and recipes. I’m always super excited to come in and learn. All the food we make is new and delicious!”
Tyra H, 18
“I learned a lot from the program. I learned how to cook healthy food which is great. I was taught how to store my food to keep it good and avoid bad bacteria. Thanks to the food program I know I’ll never be hungry.”
Gabriel V, 15
Good Food Brampton sees this as only the beginning. They are preparing and cooking up more initiatives to serve and better their community, including two brand new programs.
Submitted by Good Food Brampton for the Ontario Edible Education Network
Written by Brianna Phillip. Contact info@goodfoodbrampton.com to get in touch.