Hamilton Harvest - Growing a Solution to Hunger

We are in the thick of harvest season and the support and generosity towards the program is amazing. The large group of volunteers from the City of Hamilton Community Services Department gave their time to harvest carrots on October 16th, it was a beautiful sunny fall day filled with laughter, hard work and a sense of community. The next few weeks will see more community groups such as a class from Cardinal Newman High School and also the Stoney Creek Junior B Hockey Team coming out to help harvest and bring fresh produce through the doors of Hamilton Food Share.
So many amazing photos and articles have been produced from these events and the word about the program is getting out!
Look for articles in the Spectator and the Hamilton Community Newspapers

So proud to be a part of this program and to watch it spread across the community!

Fall Harvests

Last week was a great week for bringing fresh local food to HFS. We had an amazing group of boys from The Living Rock Ministries out to Murphy's Farm on Thursday and in only a couple of hours they were able to glean 639lbs of squash, eggplant, zucchini and corn. Friday was the OAFB's Buy Local Share Local at the Ottawa Street Market and we were able to talk to many people about the Harvest program as well as meet with various farmers to let them know about the ways they can participate. The generous shoppers at the market donated 123lbs of fresh food. Saturday brought the rain and cool weather and with it came 28 dedicated volunteers from McMaster University as a part of Mac Serve. The group braved the rain and mud to harvest over 5500lbs of potatoes from Plan B! What an amazing group of volunteers and generous farmers!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Well fall has arrived and thankfully with it has come more fresh veggies to Hamilton Food Share through the harvest program. We are getting weekly donations from Veggie Village at the RBG as well as our continued produce from Plan B!
This week will bring two new groups of volunteers to the program, a group of youth from the Living Rock Ministries will be gleaning a local farm where for generously donated various fall vegetables. Saturday will bring a large group from Mc Master University as a part of their Mac Serve day. This group will be harvesting potatoes from Plan B.

If you are down at the Ottawa Street Market this Friday, October 1st, stop by the OAFB and Hamilton Food Share booth to participate in Buy Local, Share Local!
Your chance to help support local farmers and local food banks all at once.

Wonderful Things Happening!

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Opening of Veggie Village at the RBG. It is a stunning plot of nine gardens each with its own personality and incredible message. One of the creators of Veggie Village gave me a personal tour and explained to me the thinking behind each plot and the hopes for the future of the garden. It is truly a work of art and an incredible resource for the people of Hamilton and Burlington. Take some time to stop by Veggie Village and even make a pledge to keep amazing projects such as this happening in our community!

Great Day Gleaning!

The first day of September brought the sunshine, the heat, a gentle warm breeze and a small but dedicated group of volunteers to Murphy's Country Produce in Binbrook. They were there to glean the fields and to pick as much as they could to send to the food banks. The generous farmer had agreed to let them work in various plots to gather a nice variety of corn, tomatoes, zucchini and green beans. Brian Murphy is a local farmer who understands the needs of HFS and is willing to share some of what he has to make a difference in the fight against hunger. Being part of this new program was easy for Murhpy's farm as we brought the volunteers, packaging and truck to pick up and deliver the food to Hamilton Food Share. Thanks to the generosity of Brian and the help of the 7 volunteers, HFS was able to send out 1,144 pounds of fresh from the farm vegetables today, this food will be on tables and in hot meal programs by Friday! Such an amazing day!!!!

Check out our facebook page "Community Harvest Hamilton" for more pictures!!!