Bringing Our Food Back Home!

In partnership with the Ucwalmicw Centre Society, and with funding from the Community Food Action Initiative (in partnership with Interior Health), Lillooet Food Matters hosted a very successful and inspiring, free, public forum on March 19th, 2011, in Lillooet, entitled


" BRINGING OUR FOOD BACK HOME: A FREE FORUM ON MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES FOOD SECURE".

Over 100 people came to hear guest speakers, see colourful and educational displays, enjoy a FANTASTIC free meal (we are proud to say made by volunteers, with 95 % organic and over 90% locally produced and provided ingredients), and then participate in a community visioning and brainstorming session. The results are in! The people have spoken: for food security in Lillooet and area, we need:

• EDUCATION for all, from school aged kids to the general public, on a wide variety of food security related topics, from how to save seeds (and why); how to grow food sustainably and wisely; where does our food come from; how do we store it; how to prepare healthy meals using locally grown food; and so on.

• FARMER'S MARKET IMPROVEMENTS on both sides of the table! The market wants more vendors of locally produced food and value added food products, and more public support for all the vendors! Get involved, come to the market (Fridays 9-1:30) and join the membership.
  

• POLICY CHANGES that support community agriculture and local food security initiatives! Let's see neighbourhood composting; raw milk products being available and legalized; chickens and rabbits in our backyards; healthy local foods served in schools, grown by students; financial incentives to grow food on a small scale and large scale; create a Food Charter, and so on.

• NETWORKING so we are working together towards a common vision of a food secure community. Network the networks!

• GLEANING PROJECTS where extra, or unwanted, undervalued, unused foods are managed wisely, harvested, processed and distributed to those in need.

These top 5 Most Wanted priorities are just a smattering of what we heard at the Forum. There are more ideas, and more details...please check out our page on the right hand sidebar entitled FORUM SUMMARY REPORT for a full review of the day's events.

If you would like a copy of the Summary Report emailed to you, please let Gillian know at smithygilly@gmail.com. A hard copy can also be mailed to you if so desired.

If you were one of the lucky attendees of the Forum, please feel free to leave a comment about your experience that day. Was it successful in your view? Did you learn anything? Are you more inspired as a result? Which initiative or food security issue would you like to see addressed?

To get involved, contact us, and we will also keep you posted on the formation of a Steering Committee whose objective will be to ensure that the priority food security initiatives are addressed and ideally put into practice. We sincerely hope that this report and our day was not just talk...let's grow Lillooet!