Imagine biting into a carrot freshly pulled out of the ground or eating a bowl of raspberries right after picking them. For people with their own gardens, nothing can be easier during growing season, but it is different for people living in places where gardening is impossible.
Now, even they can have the taste of fresh produce with the help of programs like the Good Food Club and the West Broadway Farmers’ Market.
Raspberry bushes by the Good Food Club gardens.
The Good Food Club helps grow food in several garden beds on the grounds of the Broadway Community Centre on Young Street. However, the organization does much more than just providing space for food to grow. Interactive programs for children, youth, and families help to teach them about where food comes from and what it takes to grow fruits and vegetables.
The farmers’ market is less about education than about getting fresh, high quality food onto people’s tables. Held at the Edward Carriere Community Rink on Young Street, the weekly farmers’ market starts on July 12 this year.
If the pattern follows previous years, the various items for sale will include, as the Direct Farms website notes, “honey, cheese, bread, jams and ferments, and arts & crafts” for people to try.
Offering these kinds of fresh foods is important. According to a University of Winnipeg study cited in Teghan Beaudette’s June 22, 2016 CBC article on hunger in Winnipeg, West Broadway is not an actual food desert but a food mirage, meaning that food is available nearby but often too expensive for the residents to buy.
The University of Winnipeg’s Institute of Urban Studies found that only thirteen of Winnipeg’s seventy-three supermarkets are located in the inner city. Even though many of these stores are within reasonable walking distance of the area, however, the residents still face the barrier of cost and the unavailability of certain items.
The farmers’ market and the Good Food Club offer two ways of alleviating this situation. Whether people want a unique selection of ingredients or they just need something nutritious to eat, the food initiatives in West Broadway are playing an important role in the community.
