Garden in a Box celebrates end of successful first season

Toronto - At the end of a successful gardening season, Farm & Food Care Ontario recognized the conclusion of the season of its Garden in a Box program by making a donation to Feed Ontario. Alicia Becker, Community Engagement Manager for Farm & Food Care presented Amanda King, Director Network & Government from Feed Ontario with a cheque for $5000 raised through the program.

Garden in a Box started in the spring of 2021 when participants received a box of seeds, gardening gloves, a gardening journal and the ability to participate in an online community of folks across Ontario learning to garden for the first time.

“Over the last couple of years we’ve seen a growing interest in Ontarians planting their own gardens,” said Becker. “This program was developed to help people get started and build a meaningful connection with farmers and food producers, as well as provide a small scale idea of the variables farmers have to deal with when growing their crops every year.”

“Farmers deal with weather, pests and soil conditions in their fields, and our gardeners got a sense of the decisions farmers have to make every day while taking these considerations into account in their own backyards,” stated Bonnie den Haan, FFCO Chair and Ontario dairy farmer. “It’s important for the public to have a sense of the heartbreak that can be felt and also how wonderful it feels to eat food that you’ve grown through your own hard work.”

A portion of the proceeds from the 500 Garden-in-a-Box kits sold was earmarked for Feed Ontario the province's largest collective of hunger-relief. Together with food banks, industry partners, and local communities, Feed Ontario works to end hunger and poverty by delivering fresh and healthy food, developing innovative programming, and driving change through research and advocacy. On December 7, 2021, that contribution was made to Feed Ontario with the presentation of a cheque from Farm & Food Care Ontario.

“Ontario’s farmers make significant contributions to food banks across the province and we’re pleased to accept this donation from Ontario gardeners as well,” said Amanda King, Director Network & Government Relations at Feed Ontario from Feed Ontario.

Those interested in participating in the 2022 Garden-in-a-Box program should follow FFCO’s twitter or Instagram @farmfoodcareON to watch for the program’s announcement.