Here is an update from the 'Our Community Pantry' food security project, this letter was sent Mayor Houston.
September 23, 2021
Good Day Mayor Stuart Houston,
Thank you so very much for taking time to meet with our committee yesterday. As we
all agreed, we are concerned for the welfare of those in our community struggling with
food insecurity.
It is the intention of the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove to be part of the solution to this
growing concern through ‘OUR COMMUNITY PANTRY’.
‘Our Community Pantry’ is a food rescue program/system that will provide for local retail
food abundance to come available to those that go hungry in our community. Please
know that programs like these are not in competition with local Food Banks, but
compliment them.
‘Our Community Pantry’ offers fresh produce, dinted cans, baked product, plus dairy
and other items near their best before date. We are aware of, and will abide at all times
with, the governing Safe Food Handling Acts in the Province of Alberta.
As Rotarian’s we always focus on the greater good of our community. Immediately, and
into the future, our community needs to build spaces where everyone is welcome to sit
for a while. A place to find friends and to become part of a larger community. We need
to provide the resources so that everyone can reach their own potential. In the area of
Food Insecurity, ‘Our Community Pantry’ will fill a very important caring and wellness
void.
It is also our intention to work with multiple groups that are concerned with the welfare
of others in our community. They would include NeighbourLink, Parkland Pregnancy,
FCSS and others (as appropriate) to food insecurity.
Our Rotary committee is partially made up of members who played a volunteer and
leading role in the Auggie's Cafe lunch and connection program. Our experience there
helped with our understanding of the need to support those in need ,as well as
ensuring that the optics of the activities are well respected in the community.
Many Rotary Clubs are offering this same program in our greater Edmonton region and
across our Province. We will have the privilege of sharing information with them, so that
we all benefit from mistakes and successes, as we grow into the needs of our Cities and
Towns.
Our ask is for a City of Spruce Grove kitchen to operate out of. The ideal
location would be the Log Cabin in Central Park, close to schools and close
to several seniors’ residences. We truly need walkable access for those
that will be best served by our Pantry. We will have limited delivery services
in these COVID times, but that process is hard to maintain over extended
years.
As we learn to successfully live with Covid, ‘Our Community Pantry’ can expand
programming, offering many more life skills solutions. We can do that through
partnerships with existing agencies, and through the business expertise of Rotarians.
We all agree that a healthy community, in both body and spirit, benefits us all.
Dianne Brown, Committee Chair of 'Our Community Pantry'
Catherine Pederson, President of the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove
