Story Highlights
- Food insecurity is often linked to poor physical health, but Bil Smith, Executive Director of the Killaloe Community Resource Centre (CRC), sees its impact on social relationships and mental wellbeing in his community every day.
- Fueled by United Way East Ontario, the CRC’s Good Food program ensures that fresh, nutritious food is grown and delivered to their neighbours who need it most.
- CRC’s weekly drop-in program brings people together to access food from their gardens, cook it, and share a meal as a group to bring people together, create connections, and build community resilience.
- Traditional approaches to tackling food insecurity often focus solely on the distribution of resources. CRC’s model, however, goes beyond that by building community as a critical part of the solution.
Among the 2200 residents of Killaloe in rural Renfrew County, 200 rely on the food bank each month to make ends meet.
Bil Smith, Executive Director of the Killaloe Community Resource Centre (CRC), knows all too well that while food insecurity is clearly linked to poor physical health, it also has a severe effect on social relationships and mental wellbeing.
“We see the impacts of food insecurity every day. It is loneliness and isolation.”
At the heart of Killaloe’s fight against food insecurity is the CRC’s Good Food program, fueled by United Way East Ontario, where dedicated volunteers, engaged community members and youth programs come together to nurture their greenhouses and gardens to feed the community.
This collective effort ensures that fresh, nutritious food is grown and delivered to their neighbours who need it most.
Engaging the community and supporting all
Cooking With Friends is one of the many ways CRC’s Good Food program is making nutritious food more accessible to people experiencing food insecurity in Killaloe.
This weekly drop-in program brings people together to access food from their gardens, cook it, and share a meal as a group.
“About 15 to 20 people come out, they get together, they cook a meal together, they sit down and eat together.”
Participants not only gain and share valuable food literacy skills and make new connections, but they also have a chance to support others. For those who might feel isolated, the program offers a meaningful way to help a neighbour out while receiving support and strengthening social ties.
“Most all good things happen around the table, around food. Learning how to grow the food, how to cook it, and eating it together, it's building community.”
Recognizing that Killaloe’s population is aging, the CRC understands that not everyone can or wants to participate in a group cooking setting. To ensure that everyone benefits from their gardens, they also deliver meals cooked at Cooking with Friends to the Mill Stream Seniors Apartments and provide fresh produce to the local food bank.
This approach ensures the program’s benefits are far-reaching and cater to the various needs within their community.
“We are growing food and we're donating most of that food to the Killaloe Food Bank. Last year we donated close to $10,000 worth of produce, allowing them to stretch their scarce dollars much further.”
Coming together to address the challenge
Food insecurity is a public health issue affecting every region. In 2022, 18 per cent of Canadian families reported experiencing food insecurity, up from 16 per cent in 2021. And as the cost of food continues to rise, more individuals and families worry about running out of food or facing a limited selection of food.
At United Way East Ontario, we believe in building communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and live an active, healthy life. By supporting community-led organizations like the Killaloe CRC, our donors and partners are helping make this a reality.
This support from United Way East Ontario allows Bil and the CRC to improve and maintain their community garden program. It funds the hiring of a garden coordinator and covers essential costs for materials, including soil, compost, and plants needed at the beginning of each year.
“The United Way has been a great partner. They let us come up with a program idea, they get behind us and they ask us how they can support that to make it be a reality.”
While we help people meet their basic needs and get through crisis, we also work on long-term solutions to break down barriers and improve lives for the next generation. At the heart of it all, we listen to communities and follow their lead, so those solutions are sustainable and embraced by the residents who need them.
Addressing food insecurity by strengthening community ties
Traditional approaches to tackling food insecurity often focus solely on the distribution of resources. CRC’s model, however, goes beyond that by building community as a critical part of the solution. This approach is not just about handing out food, it is about bringing people together, creating connections, and building community resilience.
Take Wren, for example. She was once a client of CRC’s Good Food program and is now a passionate volunteer, ensuring that this program continues to serve her community. Her journey highlights how Good Food creates a sense of belonging and mutual support, where everyone contributes and benefits.
“Other communities are starting to look around and they're looking at this program as a model for one that they hopefully could get going in their own community.”
CRC’s approach, where the team, volunteers, and clients work hand-in-hand, demonstrates a more impactful way to address food insecurity by creating opportunities for people to learn, connect and thrive.
Removing barriers to opportunity
Everyone deserves to build the life they want for themselves and their families.
But without a support system, stable internet, or healthy meals to get through the day, many people are stuck in survival mode.
Your donation to United Way East Ontario helps people in our communities achieve financial independence and stability.
