Halifax, Nova Scotia – The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that Hope Blooms Youth Social Entrepreneurial Ventures is receiving $25,000 under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to achieve its vision of a Global Kitchen for Social Change. Hope Blooms is one of the first organizations to receive funding in the first round of the Government of Canada’s Local Food Infrastructure Fund.
Today’s announcement supports eight new cooking stations, with the goal of giving more opportunities for community members to come together to cook food, share meals, teach cooking classes and support food entrepreneurs. This new space will allow Hope Blooms to welcome an additional 70 at-risk youth and 65 families. The project will also support the youth of Hope Blooms in their newly appointed roles as 2019 United Nations Ambassadors for teaching Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2008, Hope Blooms has had a measurable impact on food security and social inclusion in Halifax. It actively engages youth to grow food in 4,000 square feet of organic food gardens year-round. Youth from Hope Blooms gained national attention in Season 8 of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, when they secured $40,000 to build a new greenhouse to keep up with demand of the salad dressing they make with locally-grown ingredients.
Across Canada, the Local Food Infrastructure Fund will deliver $50 million over 5 years to help small community-based organizations purchase equipment that increases accessibility of healthy, local foods within their community, such as urban gardens, community kitchens, food banks, and greenhouses. It is part of the federal Government’s first-ever Food Policy for Canada that has the vision of ensuring all people in Canada are able to access a sufficient amount of safe and healthy food, within a Canadian food system that supports both our environment and the economy.
Source : Government of Canada