Farm & Food Care Ontario hosts 10th annual Harvest Gala

Farm & Food Care Ontario hosted the tenth annual Harvest Gala on Thursday November 2 in Guelph. A sold out crowd of 210 farmers, agribusiness professionals and other Farm & Food Care supporters attended the event to celebrate Ontario food and farming and raise funds for Farm & Food Care’s outreach activities.

Highlights from the gala included the unveiling of 2017 edition of The Real Dirt on Farming, new virtual tours on the FarmFood 360° virtual tour initiative, and the presentation of the Ontario Association of Food Banks’ Paul Mistele Award.

The Real Dirt on Farming 2017 is the fourth edition of Farm & Food Care’s flagship publication. It is a nation-wide initiative that uses stories and credible science to help Canadians connect with their food and the farmers that produce it – who they are, what they do, and why they do it. Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd. and CropLife Canada each made $100,000 dollar donations to the project. Both companies formally presented Farm & Food Care Ontario with the donations during the Harvest Gala.

Three additions to FarmFood 360° – an initiative using 360® camera technology to show Canadians real farms and food processing plants – were also announced. With support from the Ontario Sheep Farmers, Gray Ridge Egg Farms and the Canada Mink Breeders’ Association, virtual tours of a sheep farm, egg farm and mink ranch are being added to the FarmFood360 library. Additional tours of an egg processing facility and a western Canadian grain farm will be released late in 2017.

"Our two nationally-focused resources are cornerstones of Farm & Food Care Ontario’s public outreach efforts," says Kelly Daynard, executive director for the organization. "These projects could not be done without a collaborative strategy, and we are very grateful to all for making them possible."

The Ontario Association of Food Banks’ Paul Mistele Award was presented to Stephen Thomas from Elanco. Stephen’s voluntary fundraising for the Friends of the Food Bank Ontario Pork Program secures nearly 50 per cent of the program’s funding each year.

"Stephan has been an incredible supporter of the food bank. His contribution cannot be understated," says Amanda King, director of membership and communications with the Ontario Association of Food Banks.

Source: Farms Food Care