Did you know that about 1 in 7 households, and half of the female lone-parent families, are experiencing food insecurity in Peterborough? With rising inflation and increasing housing costs, those rates are growing.
The YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s Nourish Project supports individuals and families by providing access to healthy food, and opportunities to build skills. They offer nutritious food boxes, community gardens, cooking classes, and advocacy training
Last April, through a partnership with an anonymous donor, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough provided $250,000 in grants to 21 local organizations addressing needs related to food security. The Nourish Project was one of the grant recipients.
With additional support from the Community Foundation, the Nourish Project supported 1,192 individuals through their food box program and Curve Lake Community Market. Both programs offer participants access to healthy and quality food with dignity.
“The Food Security Grant was a lifeline for us. It enabled us to bring financial stability to our programs and to continue to offer programs based on fostering dignity and health,” said Joëlle Favreau, Manager of Nourish. “We seek to raise awareness about food insecurity as a critical health issue. Most community members are not aware of the extent to which this is an acute issue that has a widespread impact on the health and wellbeing of children and adults in our community.”
Recognizing the serious need to address food insecurity in our area, the Community Foundation has launched a Food Security Fund so donors can help organizations address underlying causes of food insecurity and work to build sustainable solutions. If you want to extend your help beyond gifts to the food bank, please consider a donation at https://cfgp.ca/project/food-security-fund/