“Usage is high”: local food bank growing healthy produce with Clarington church

A area outreach team has found a novel way to bolster its meals financial institution reserves.

The AIDS Committee of Durham Area (ACDR) is teaming up with Religion United Church in Courtice to expand a vegetable backyard garden. Staff members and volunteers have been planting seeds, pulling weeds and watering the soil with the aim of developing peas, carrots and other healthier products.

“Our firm operates a weekly food items bank for our group customers who are residing with HIV,” explained Brian Reusch Serapio, manager of volunteer engagement at ACDR, in an interview with Durham Radio News. “Usage is higher and has been all through COVID and that demonstrates demographics all over Durham Region.”

“Faith United is supporting that by dedicating a part of their house,” Reusch Serapio extra. “It’s this kind of a stunning partnership and so generous of them to do that.”

Volunteers (from the two ACDR and Faith United) have already been equipped to harvest lettuce and herbs from the back garden.

The generate nutritional supplements the foodstuff ACDR now receives from Feed the Want in Durham. “We acquire so much excellent, healthier, healthy food stuff from them on a weekly foundation,” stated Reusch Serapio.

The financial instability of current several years has put several in precarious positions. According to Feed Ontario, food banks across the province noticed a 10 per cent bounce in the range of purchasers through the very first year of the pandemic.

ACDR’s food items bank supports all over 60 households.

“There’s an significant link concerning nourishment and dwelling properly with HIV, for the reason that HIV impacts the immune method,” pointed out Reusch Serapio. “And so remaining equipped to fortify the immune system, it can make sense when you think about it. All the methods that all of us bolster our possess immune units – slumber, caring for ourselves, stress administration – and an significant just one is nourishment.”

Volunteers are anticipating a lot more develop to arrive in as harvest time strategies.

“There’s some carrots that are extremely, pretty early in the stages,” pointed out Reusch Serapio. “And peas – incredibly, very early in the stages.”

Volunteers are also boosting tomatoes and peppers, alongside with basil and parsley. There is also a cantaloupe plant in the backyard garden.

“We’re wanting for items that are truly easy and completely ready to use, so that when issues experienced in the backyard garden and they’re prepared to eat, we [can] just convey them to our food items lender and […] go them straight to intrigued local community customers,” mentioned Reusch Serapio. “Salad, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers – those people are all tremendous effortless points that persons can conveniently use.”

The AIDS Committee of Durham Area supports people dwelling with HIV by way of its circumstance administration system. As properly, the committee gives education and outreach around HIV pitfalls.

Organizers have lately been collaborating in an outreach plan aiming to aid seasonal farm employees staying in Durham’s northern communities.

“We’re generally open to ideas from local community users, like what happened with Religion United,” reported Reusch Serapio.

Pics courtesy of ACDR