Funding helps launch food supply study

By Scott NeufeldTuesday, September 5, 2006, http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_498.php
The Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan and provincial government have partnered to provide local organizations that promote healthy living with extra funding.More than $72,000 was given to 13 groups across the region to launch healthy activity campaigns. Community developer Wendy Aasen, who will help oversee the projects, said the grants are part of the ActNow B.C. program that encourages local health authorities to be more proactive in achieving health targets.“This is a very exciting initiative that takes a unique approach in that it not only provides funds to a variety of community groups, but it also supplies a community developer, someone ‘on the ground’ to help them build capacity to implement successful projects,” Aasen said.The biggest beneficiary is the North Okanagan Food Security Action Coalition, which pulled $19,800 to carry out a community food assessment and develop a strategic plan to improve access to locally grown food.Aasen said the assessment will study every aspect from how food is grown, sold and how people access local produce.“This is timely in a way because we are approaching harvest time,” she said. “To keep the environment sustainable we need to support local growers.”The need to support local growers is clear, Aasen said. A healthy local food producing industry is critical to insulate the area from the collapse of the food supply.“If something happened to the transportation industry or if a natural disaster occurred we wouldn’t last long without food coming in,” she said.The local food assessment will look at ways to strengthen the local supply by talking to growers and finding out how they distribute their food. The assessment will look for gaps and see how food distribution can be improved.Part of the focus of the assessment will be to talk to organizers of programs that give food to the needy and look at ways at improving the flow of food to the less fortunate. Aasen said there are a number of local groups which try and provide healthy food to the needy but many are in danger of closing due to lack of funding.“One of the things the assessment will address is how to keep these programs going,” she said. “We also want to look at how we can distribute the food better between existing groups.”The funds will pay for a co-ordinator who will talk to local organizations and find out what their needs are. Aasen said the first phase of the assessment will be completed in March with future phases subject to additional funding.The Greater Vernon Cycling Advisory Committee was given $4,300 in funding to look at ways to improve bike security and get more cyclists out on the road. Aasen said one of the biggest impediments to cycling is the worry that your bike will be stolen.Other local organizations which garnered grants include the City of Vernon Rec. Centre, which received $1,920 to encourage citizens to be more physically active.