Position Your Business To Grow – From The Ground Up

Farmers, chefs, food processors, distributors and other stakeholders in the food industry are invited to Wellington’s premier Local Food Networking Event. The program includes presentations on value chains and consumer trends, an introduction to business resources & a local food trade show.

More info and online registration and volunteer opportunities: 

www.tastereal.ca or contact Christina Mann at tastereal@gmail.com

 Monday, February 25th, 2013 

12:00pm -5:30pm

Loyola House at Ignatius Jesuit Centre

 Admission (for 1) including booth space: $55
Admission only:
taste real partners: $25
non partners: $30

2013 SOURCE IT HERE FLYER

Pollination Guelph will be dividing native pollinator-friendly plants and removing non-native woody species at the Edinburgh Road North Project site on Tuesday, June 19th at 6pm. These plants, generously donated by Moritz Sanio, will be transplanted to our pollinator garden demonstration site at the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming, by the University of Guelph.  Attendees will learn about the Edinburgh Road North Project, how to care for and divide native plants, and how to identify and remove non-native species.

Pollination Guelph is still looking for 10 volunteers, so please RSVP to pollinationguelph@gmail.com ASAP if you are interested. The first 10 to respond will be given additional details on the event, including the specific location to meet at.

Saturday June 23rd, 2012

ve Chef Emerie Brine  

Mark your calendars, as this is an event you don’t want to miss!

To register call 519-338-2511 ext. 241

The annual Guelph Community Food Drive kicks off June 1-10, aiming to help smaller community food pantries stock their shelves before the summer.

We will be circulating flyers to as many neighbourhoods as possible during the first week of June with drop off and/or pick up details.

 Those neighbourhoods that do not receive flyers may drop off their donations to any of the organizations listed below.

 The summer is a time of high need when children are off school, but it’s also a time when donations to local food pantries start to drop off. The goal of the Guelph Community Food Drive is to keep the shelves stocked to help as many families as possible during the difficult summer months.

 Volunteers interested in helping deliver pamphlets and/or collect food are also welcome. Sports teams, clubs, individuals, and families may contact any of the organizations listed here.

 Drop off Locations:

Chalmers Community Services Centre – 40 Baker Street, 519-822-8778

Grange Hill East Neighbourhood Group (in Ken Danby Public School) – 525 Grange Road

Lakeside Church – 7654 Conservation Road, 519-836-8141

Waverley Neighbourhood Group (in Waverley Drive Public School) – 140 Waverley Drive, 519-821-9677

Brant Neighbourhood Group – 35 Algonquin Drive, 519-821-9243

The Salvation Army – 1320 Gordon Street, 519-836-9360

West Willow Neighbourhood Group (in Westwood Public School) – 495 Willow Road, Portable #6, 519-826-9930

Trinity United Church – 400 Stevenson Street N.

Spiritwind Christian Centre – 100 Crimea Street, 519-836-3963

Parkwood Gardens Neighbourhood Group (at West End Community Centre) – 21 Imperial Road S.

 Contact:  Karen Kamphuis                                                                        

519-836-8141 ext 226                                       

kkamphuis@lakesidechurch.ca

For more info, read GCUOF prepares for a new season of learning and gardening, a U of Guelph press release or Growing the urban organic way.

The garden always seeks more volunteers, so check them out. The GCUOF is located at College Ave and Dundas Ln, just off Parking Lot P18 and just past the Cutten Fields. For directions from Google Maps click here.

For great food-related jobs, check out:

• GoodWork Canada
• Sustainable Food Jobs
• Good Food Jobs

We’ll add more resources to this list as we find them…

Ontario’s current social assistance rates fail to support Ontarians who live in poverty to lead healthy, dignified lives. After housing, clothing and transportation costs, most people have no money left over for food and must rely on food banks and drop-in meals to survive.

Charity is not enough. Many have been active in calling on the province to establish a clear and transparent process to set rates based on what it actually costs to live a frugal, but healthy and dignified, life in Ontario.

The Guelph Wellington Task Force for the Elimination of Poverty is organizing to make an impact on this critical issue for many in our community, and invites your participation.

Social Assistance Review – August 2011

The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario has released its first paper, A Discussion Paper: Issues & Ideas, and have asked for feedback from communities by September 1, 2011. There are three opportunities for people in Guelph & Wellington to provide input and identify possible solutions:

1) Community Conversation: August 16th, 2011, 1-4 pm at St. George’s Church (99 Woolwich Street). Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. More information, including how to register, is available at www.gwpoverty.ca·        

2) Online survey: the survey is open to all members of the community to provide input from August 2nd – August 15th. If your organization provides a service to social assistance recipients, please contact Bethany at bethany@unitedwayguelph.com for a hard copy of the online survey to fill out with your clients.    

3) Conversation Cafes: small, informal conversations will be held throughout Guelph & Wellington to gather more input from social assistance recipients.

Farmalicious runs each weekend during harvest season from August 5th through to Thanksgiving at the following venues:

August 5th • Fat Duck Gastro Pub, Guelph

August 12th • Cork Restaurant, Elora

August 19th • Envers, Morriston

August 26th • The Other Brother’s, Guelph

Sept 2nd • Breadalbane Bistro, Fergus

September 9th • Fifty West, Delta Guelph Hotel

September 16th • Delhi Street Bistro, Guelph

September 19-23 • University of Guelph Campus Food Service

September 23rd • Carden Street Café, Guelph

September 30th • Woolwich Arrow Pub, Guelph

October 7th • Borealis Grille, Guelph

October 13th • Savour the Flavours Culinary Event, Minto Township

Every Wednesday from July-October, 3-7 pm.

Victory Public School, 125 Exhibition Street. Map…

For food producers/vendors

Our first week at the Victory Farmers’ Market was a huge success!  Although it is a small market, our vendors offered a wide variety of items including baby greens, radishes, apples, cherries, cheeses, chicken, yoghurt, eggs, spring onions, spinach, raspberries, strawberries, breads, tomatoes, garlic scapes, arugula, peas…

3 of our vendors sold out, but all vendors plan to bring more product starting this week, and we will likely have organic ice cream cones for sale.  Hope to see you there!

W are still looking for farmers to sell their farm fresh meats.

If you’re interested or know someone who might be, please contact the Guelph Wellington Food Round Table at distribution@gwfrt.com.

Current vendors:

* Backyard Bounty (veggies)
* Bizjak Farm (Niagara tree fruits)
* Bowman’s Organic Produce (produce, eggs, maybe beef, all certified organic)
* Green Table Foods (prepared meals)
* Monforte Cheese
* Polestar Hearth (artisanal breads)
* Rocket Handgrown Foods (heirloom veggies)

For volunteers

Want to have first dibs on buying yummy food, learn about new products and farmers, and contribute to growing the local food system?

There’s plenty of opportunities to volunteer towards getting Victory market up and running (contact distribution@gwfrt.com):

• Promotion: Designing the promotion/marketing plan; writing press releases; spreading the word using social media; putting up posters and banners…Ideally commit at least 2-3 hours a week to work in a team or on your own, from now until early July and possibly beyond (Note: the more people we have doing this, the less work everyone does).
• Weekly market assistant: Help vendors set-up and take-down; give breaks to vendors; welcome customers and tell them about the market and GWFRT; assist with children’s activities.
• Vendor recruitment: Make phone calls to farmers.
• Volunteer Coordinator: Make sure we have people signed up for all shifts and make sure they know what to do.

You’ll find the media release and new “Call to Action” here…