Community Food Development Coordinator

Academic literature suggests that there is an association between child level food insecurity and development, including known negative cognitive, behavioural and health consequences. The purpose of this Great Beginnings Program is to support the hiring of a part-time Community Food Development Coordinator at the Strathcona Community Centre Association (SCCA).

The SCCA currently delivers 15 “food-related or food-dependent” programs. These programs include:

• a hot breakfast program (directed at students of Lord Strathcona Elementary School)
• an after school healthy snack program
• the “Cooking Fun for Family” program
• the “After School Gardens Adventure Club”
• “Vic’s Kitchen,” a program that identifies youth at risk and involves them in culinary training that in turn services other activities in the centre

The existing food programs at the SCCA involves 750 individuals from the Strathcona community, but potentially could involve up to 2,600 individuals through enhanced engagement with community and expansion of programs. The Community Food Development Coordinator strengthens current food programs and develops new programs that include community gardening, sustainable food production, culturally-sensitive family-oriented food preparation, food-related workshops on canning and other food-related activities. The coordinators also work to secure and utilize food and food supplies more efficiently across all their food programs and have developed new partnerships with the Food Bank and others to assist them with current programs and developing new ones. (For example: weekend backpack program with RayCam Community Centre.)

By way of Great Beginnings Program seed funding, the Food Programmers have expanded partnerships and have been able to become more financially self sufficient in their food programs.

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