Free food security presentation in Grand Forks
By Erin Perkins
If you’re concerned about local food security, you won’t want to miss the Kettle Valley Food Co-op’s (KVFC) free presentation Resilient Food Secure Communities with Jon Steinman, Thursday, Feb. 16.
The event is one of many to come for the KVFC this year in celebration of what has been declared by the United Nations as 2012, International Year of the Co-op.
Steinman, a Nelson resident and board director for the Kootenay Country Store Co-operative — Canada’s largest independent consumer food co-operative — is best known for hosting and producting the Kootenay Co-op Radio show, Deconstructing Dinner. In his radio show, which ran from 2006-2011, he discussed where our food comes from and the issues around transportation, environment and food security. He is an advocate for more resilient regional food systems.
“People should know where their food is coming from,” said Nancy Nikolai, KVFC project coordinator. “And you can if you eat local food. It is very worrisome of what people are eating, especially with the rise in diabetes and cancer…People have to hear this message (of Steinman’s). I want to see the younger people thinking about what they are eating.”
Steinman became interested in food while studying food systems at the University of Guelph in Ontario. There he worked with restaurants who were focussed on finding local suppliers for the food they served. Steinman has coordinated and been involved in a number of food initiatives including G.E. Free Kootenays, Community Food Matters and the Kootenay Grain CSA.
The free presentation runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Seniors’ Centre in City Park, 565 75th Avenue, in Grand Forks. All are welcome, no tickets required, and the audience is encouraged to ask questions and share ideas.
For more information about Jon Steinman and his radio show, Deconstructing Dinner, visit www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/about.htm. For more information about Kettle Valley Food Co-op visit their website at www.kettlevalleyfoodcoop.org.
Also coming up through the KVFC, on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Selkirk College in Grand Forks there will be a producers meeting. Everybody is welcome to attend and discuss what food needs to be produced this season. On Thursday, March 1 the KVFC is having a bulk order. Check out the website for more details.
The annual Seedy Saturday hosted by the Grand Forks and Boundary Regional Agriculture Society (GFBRAS) is set for March 10 with more details to come.
