HILLSBURGH – The first annual Carrot Stock music festival on Sept. 21 marked a celebration of the local food movement.
The partnership between Guelph Community Health Centre and Everdale, a not-for-profit farm brought together two organizations to create solutions for hungry people in the community.
The Seed is a not-for-profit food project at the Guelph Community Health Centre that was created in 2015 by a coalition of community organizations and individuals.
Carrot Stock is raising money and support for The Seed’s work.
On stage – The Lofters, one of the first groups on stage at Carrot Stock near Hillsburgh, describe themselves as the offspring of the Funky Mamas or their ‘besties’. The group was one of numerous musical acts entertaining those gathered at the inaugural event at Everdale Organic Farm and Learning Centre on Sept. 21.
The goal is to raise $30,000 for the Good Food Project – a project of The Seed and Everdale that is increasing fresh food access for low income community members of Guelph/Wellington. Everdale is growing fresh local food that is being distributed through The Seed’s programs and social enterprises by finding other ways to make this food more affordable to the local community.
Brittany Skelton, community food market coordinator for The Seed explained the change from Carrot Fest to Carrot Stock “because the food movement in the area is moving towards a more cohesive and cooperative approach.”
Skelton said “Everdale as we know is an amazing urban organic farm that is here teaching folks lots of great things.”
She added, “Everdale partnered with The Seed this year and is purposely growing food to support The Seed programs, ensuring amazing local and the best top quality organic food is getting into the hands of folks who need it most.”
Skelton said, “Carrot Stock is really celebrating that idea of the community coming together and raising funds for a good food project, which right now is a joint collaboration project between The Seed and Everdale.”
Getting creative – Ayla Behrens-Lippert, Hannah-Sofia Nelson and Nilza Gagne get into the spirit of Carrot Stock near Hillsburgh on Sept. 21.
The fundraiser helps support that work so that Everdale will be able to continue to grow food for people in the local community and groups like The Seed are able to offset the cost of buying local organic food, Skelton said.
She said the classic events from Carrot Fest remain along side great food and the music.
Skelton said, “we put our feelers out in the community and there are a lot of folks in the area who are super passionate about the local food movement and ensuring that it is a right everyone is entitled to. A lot of them were very excited to partake in this day and get behind the message and movement.”
According to statistics from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Food Insecurity Policy Research, about 20,000 people (13% of the population) in Guelph and Wellington are food insecure.
That means they do not have consistent access to healthy food.
