News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By Suzanne Whittingham 

March is Nutrition Month, and the theme this year is ‘Celebrate Food From Field to Table’. It is a movement to encourage people to look at the importance of what we eat each and every day, and cultivating our understanding of where our food is grown and harvested and the issue of creating sustainable agriculture. 

Tatjana Bates, Community Dietitian and Chair of the Williams Lake Food Policy Council, wants to remind the whole community to “thank our farmers for growing and producing fresh wholesome, beautiful food for us.” She is excited about the progress that has been made over the last few years to bring different community and governmental groups together to address the whole issue of providing local food to everyone. “This year's theme is very timely, for we have so much going on in the community with regards to local food production and supporting local farmers. It's really great to be involved in this theme and showcase what we're doing in our community.” 

With the recent economic downturns to forestry in our community, the issues of finding new paths to growing a stronger local economy, supporting farmers and families by buying locally grown food, reducing waste by reducing packaging as well as mileage with how far that food travels are crucial. 

She explained that 'Cariboo Growers' is a new project starting on Saturday April 10th at the new local food Farmers Coop, located at the Community Partners building on the corner of Oliver and 3rd Avenue S. It will be open Fridays from 12:00 – 6:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 – 3:00. Tatjana Bates said that this particular project was born out of a local food policy forum from November 2006. 

“The forum was sponsored by Interior Health. We brought the general community together to discuss what was important about food. From that we developed priorities and out of that the Williams Lake Food Policy Council was created. From there, we've been carrying out those priorities,” she explained. “It's been very important to create some strategic key relationships with other groups. Some of those groups are the City of Williams Lake, Community Futures, School District # 27, Interior Health, the Boys & Girls Club, Thompson Rivers University, the Social Planning Council, the Williams Lake Environmental Society, United Way, the Weston Foundation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Business Improvement Association, and the BC Cancer Agency. 

“Since the original food forum we've worked together with the Sustainability Committee and the Conservation Society and the Williams Lake Environmental Society. Also, we've provided input into the city's Integrated Community Sustainability Planning process. One of the top ten priorities is the production of local food and agriculture,” she said. “We're very pleased to bring our local expertise together in support of these projects. Williams Lake has a great deal of local expertise and passion. It's important that we all work together.” 

She said that there has been a community garden in Williams Lake for more than 12 years at the Child Development Centre. “Our first community garden was actually in a senior's back yard. Her name is Biddy Jones, who's just now moved away. She was well-known in the community. She donated her whole back yard, a total of twelve plots, towards the garden,” Tatjana continued. “We just built our second garden in partnership with the city. It's beside the Cariboo Lodge and the Museum, with a total of 20 plots. That was a joint project between the City, the Food Policy Council, Terasen Gas and Tolko. We're now taking participants names to fill up those gardens, which will be planted this spring.” 

As part of the community gardening process, she also said that there will be a seed exchange, or 'Seedy Saturday' event held at the opening of the Food Growers Coop on April 10th. 

“Last year we also started a pilot school garden named 'Choices for Youth' at Cataline School. The Boy's & Girl's Club looked after the garden at Cataline for the summer,” she stated. The Food Policy Council is also working with the School Board to plan for putting in more gardens in other schools---looking to support putting in gardens or greenhouses at Williams Lake and Columneetza Secondary Schools. 

“It is important to help our youth connect with food and the growing of food. It helps them to make that connection to a healthy environment and health and cultivate understanding about these issues,” she said. 

Another project that they have partnered with is the Mountview Elementary School Farm to School Salad Bar program. It is a very successful model that has been running for a year and a half. It feeds 160 students twice a week with as much local produce and food that they can get. The students will also be going on farm tours and are already involved in recycling food through composting. The Food Policy Council and the school board are looking to start some more Farm to School programs, with the local Food Co-op supplying those future projects. 

“We've been doing two things at a time, for the most part,” she continued. “One is getting the farmers and producers to grow more food and the second is supplying the markets for the food at the same time. Way back when we first started with the local food forum, no one had a clue as to where to buy the local food. The farmers were struggling and many were about ready to retire. It was difficult for many to make a living with farming. Traditionally, there have not been the local markets to support the local farmer. 

“We found this gigantic gap. That's why we came together with the food forum and formed the Food Policy Council. So, we want to close that gap and increase the access to good healthy local fresh food and support our local farmers and producers. Ultimately, we hope to convince young locals to go into farming.” 

Currently, the Williams Lake Food Policy Council has around 20 farmers in the Cariboo-Chilcotin signed up to participate in the Food Cooperative, with more expressing interest all the time. Some are starting greenhouses in Wildwood. People from the community are also inquiring about what they can do or what is available for them. 

Some First Nations communities are inquiring about starting market gardens and are growing community gardens, and there has been a move to grow more food further west, according to Tatjana. 

“We don't grow enough food to provide for everyone---we need to encourage the growing of more food,” she said. “There is an irony to the fact that out of the basic necessities for life of food, water and air, food is the most taken for granted. We don't think what's in it or what affects our health. We're being kept in the dark about the current system of food production. If we could educate ourselves more about the issues around food, it would increase the value of local food production. 

“There is a momentum building in our community. We can't continue in the direction that has produced the current statistics of epidemic obesity and diabetes. That is why we are working regionally and provincially to reduce these statistics. It's all about creating 'Health Full' environments for people. 

“One of the first things the Food Policy Council did back in 2006 was to work with the schools in SD-27 to promote healthy eating policies by providing real food at the schools and at events. Students learned and had opportunity to practice healthy eating. The high sugar and high fat foods are all gone now,” she explained. 

As Community Dietitian, Tatjana said that she wants to walk in and get students engaged directly in the process of growing food and knowing where food comes from. It's being made part of the curriculum. “The students want good healthy food. We can't assume that they just want the junk food,” she continued. 

Tatjana has some advice for families. “It is really crucial that families and extended families role model traditions with regards to food and demonstrate and teach how to prepare food in the kitchen. We also need to get into mentoring and helping our youth learn these traditional skills before the elders move on. Sit down with your family or extended family of friends and enjoy meals together. Studies show that children who grow up in these community environments do better in school and have less drug and alcohol use. Simply eat meals together.”

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