Hearty produce from the Charlottetown Farmers Market provides food for those in need

by Maritime
Categories: News Archive
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    This summer, golden carrots, turnip and yellow zucchini brighten the tables of The Salvation Army’s Community and Family Services (CFS) in Charlottetown. This is thanks, in part, to the partnership with the Charlottetown Farmers Market. The vendors have begun donating the leftover produce each week that does not sell. This produce is making a big difference in the CFS Breakfast Room, a drop-in breakfast program open every weekday from 9 – 11a.m. They’ll typically see anywhere from 150 – 200 people every morning.

    “We make the produce available every day that we have it, and people can help themselves,” says Capt. Jamie Locke, Charlottetown Corps Officer. “Then on Tuesday and Thursday we open our food bank, and anything that we have an abundance of, or is of particular interest, we’ll offer to those who need it.”

    The Breakfast program isn’t just feeding people though, it’s educating them. Some of the volunteers were concerned that people wouldn’t have the skills or knowledge required to make some of the rarer vegetables. The volunteers started cooking a different vegetable every day, demonstrating to people how to prepare and bake the vegetable. They’ve cooked up spaghetti squash, golden carrots and swiss chard, to name a few, and they dish them up in small portions and distribute them for people to taste.

    “We’re getting good feedback from our clients, who are thankful to have food accessible that is very expensive in the grocery stores,” comments Locke. “When you’re on a fixed or low income just getting through the doors of the grocery store can be overwhelming, let alone trying to stick with fresh fruit and vegetables.”

    The Charlottetown Farmers Market isn’t the only organization that donates fresh produce to The Salvation Army. The Prince Edward Island Farm Centre passes along produce during the summer months. The PEI Food Exchange speaks to local farmers and gleans the fields of produce after the harvest and cleans them up to donate. Brookfield Gardens donates produce year-round, as they have the storage capabilities to do so.

    Thanks to these partnerships, Charlottetown CFS provides good food and helps with proper nutrition for people who are in need in Charlottetown.