Canada: Urban farm in Timmins that grows vegetables all year round, feeding people on a fixed income
Rodrigue and his team also grow basil, Italian parsley, swiss chard and joi choi.
By Lydia Chubak
CTV
Feb 12, 2023
Excerpt:
“We are onsite on a district social services administration board property, next to a senior building and it’s kind of nice to have the seniors there and there’s a school next door and there’s an income housing just done the street as well,” Rodrigue said.
He told CTV News that the proximity allows him to walk over to the seniors’ apartment building to bring them freshly harvested leafy greens.
Carole Duguay, the community services manager for the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB,) said the residents at the apartment complex were a bit surprised by the gesture at first.
“They were like what? You’re delivering kale?” said Duguay.
“But now … they’re using the product; we’re providing a recipe book so they’re getting the knowledge of what to do with the kale.”
The board has submitted proposals to various ministries and if accepted, it would be able to expand the partnership it has with Borealis Fresh Farms.
“This is one of the things that leads to long term health impacts,” said Brian Marks, the CDSSAB’s executive director.
“As a deliverer of primary care through our ambulance programs, you know here’s an opportunity to provide something to a population that we already house or we already serve through income maintenance to provide a foundation for maybe a lifetime of nutritious food preparation.”
