Imagine a natural source of fresh food growing downtown. That’s the vision of a group aiming to create Winnipeg’s first food forest.
CORE, Winnipeg Community Orchards for Resources and Education, has established a space for a food forest to be planted and to flourish in downtown Winnipeg at The Forks, on a piece of land located between the Children’s Museum and the playground.
The project was launched at a special ceremony in the early evening of June 18 at the Forks.
Here, CORE’s president, George Toth, and vice president, Rob Spewak, presented their vision to plant donated trees and shrubs over the next two-and-a-half years
The group has procured 58 fruit trees and 75 fruit bushes to be planted, including apple trees, pear trees, Saskatoon and blueberry bushes, to name a few.
CORE embraces the Aboriginal concept of being caretakers of the land. Members of the group believe the land belongs to all people and it is our responsibility to care for it. If we do that, they say, then the earth will give back food to us.
During the evening ceremony, Clarence and Barbara Nepinak each gave an Ojibwa blessing to the land and the water.
In the background, children were playing quietly and babies were finding their voices. It was a fitting environment as Clarence Nepinak offered commentary about the Forks being an area of coming together over many generations, making reference to the legend of all peoples coming together in a community.
On Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, anytime between 9 am and 5 pm, on the weekend of Summer Solstice, everyone is invited to bring a shovel and garden gloves to The Forks, where one can dig deep to plant a fruit tree or shrub in the food forest. It is a community event so children and elders are welcome.
This will mark the first phase of the project which is lauded as an effort for the well-being of all creatures and for true human rights.
The idea is simple: ‘Plant a tree today and feed a person for many generations’.
More info can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1422922574651736/?source=1
