KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha Lakes Food Source is celebrating 20 years of helping to feed the hungry.
On Saturday, local MPP Laurie Scott met with the team at Kawartha Lakes Food Source (KLFS) to hear more about how two recent grants, totalling $109,400, to the organization have helped make a difference.
“Kawartha Lakes Food Source has been a constant resource serving our community in many capacities. The two Ontario Trillium Foundation grants are being used to support many members in the community, by teaching valuable skills while offering support to those experiencing food insecurity,” said MPP Scott.
Kawartha Lakes Food Source received a $74,000 Seed grant to launch an innovative Food Literacy program that has provided more than 300 community members with the tools, ingredients, and skills required to cook at home in early 2020. The second grant, a $35,400 Resilient Communities Fund grant, was awarded in 2021 to fund a complete overhaul of the KLFS fundraising strategy to bring the organization into the digital age and up to speed with best industry practices.
In addition to in-person and virtual cooking classes, the Food Literacy program saw community members of all ages participating in garden workshops at KLFS’s Open Gardens. Participants learned about planting, growing, and harvesting produce and gained a deeper understanding of our food systems and the principles of food sovereignty. Thanks to the $74,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, citizens of Lindsay experiencing food insecurity have gained additional skills and capacity for self-determination within our food system.
“The impact of these Ontario Trillium Foundation grants cannot be overstated,” said Heather Kirby, Executive Director of Kawartha Lakes Food Source. “They have allowed us to build skill and confidence in the kitchen as well as to completely evaluate and update our donor stewardship activities.”
Kawartha Lakes Food Source is a community effort to reduce hunger in the City of Kawartha Lakes by maintaining a central distribution centre to supply food to organizations that provide food to individuals in need, raising public awareness, and working in concert with other local not-for-profit organizations. More information about the work being done by KLFS and how community members can get involved can be found at kawarthalakesfoodsource.com or call 705-324-0707.
