The good food box grew out of a desire to create sustainable options to get fresh vegetables and fruits to people who live in poverty. It was first started by the Toronto Food Share.
History
For more information about the Good Food Box program at Stonegate CHC, please call 416.231.7070 ext. Good Food Box Holiday Drive For a decade, Stonegate CHC has held an annual fundraiser in November and December to collect funds to purchase Good Food Boxes. The boxes are given to Stonegate residents living with food. One of the best ways we are able to do this is by expanding our Good Food Box program. United Way of Greater Toronto, funded in part by the Government of Canada, have allowed us to continue to offer our Good Food Boxes twice a month until Spring 2020 through their Emergency Community Support Fund.
The group saw that food banks were problematic in many ways: people were ashamed about taking charity, the food given was typically over processed and unhealthy and understood that food banks are not a sustainable response to hunger. Instead, Food Share started to explore alternative self-help models for community building and continuous growth, like community gardens and collective kitchens.
In 1994, they came up with the good food box, varying sizes of affordable local foods bought wholesale from farmers. Food share has gone from delivering 40 boxes when they first started to 4,000 in 2008. The good food box is offered in cities across Canada. Some options are strictly local or organic boxes, or sizes large enough to feed whole families fresh fruit and vegetables for $25 a month.
The program works with local farmers to purchase crops at wholesale prices so that they can be affordable to those in need. It benefits the consumers, and the local farmers selling the produce.
How to
This 110 page guide from the Toronto Food Share is chocked full of all the information organizers need to start their own good food box program. From the food sovereignty philosophy, to detailed work rhythms charts outlining roles in production and distribution, the manual makes it easy for activists and organizations to feed their communities.
The primer also includes practical tips for first time organizers, including how to contact local farmers, how to grow production and how to narrow in on a target demographic. It ends with sample newsletters, leaflets and other promotional materials.
Thank you for reading this story…
More people are reading rabble.ca than ever and unlike many news organizations, we have never put up a paywall – at rabble we’ve always believed in making our reporting and analysis free to all, while striving to make it sustainable as well. Media isn’t free to produce. rabble’s total budget is likely less than what big corporate media spend on photocopying (we kid you not!) and we do not have any major foundation, sponsor or angel investor. Our main supporters are people and organizations -- like you. This is why we need your help. You are what keep us sustainable.
rabble.ca has staked its existence on you. We live or die on community support -- your support! We get hundreds of thousands of visitors and we believe in them. We believe in you. We believe people will put in what they can for the greater good. We call that sustainable.
So what is the easy answer for us? Depend on a community of visitors who care passionately about media that amplifies the voices of people struggling for change and justice. It really is that simple. When the people who visit rabble care enough to contribute a bit then it works for everyone.
And so we’re asking you if you could make a donation, right now, to help us carry forward on our mission. Make a donation today.
- Log in or register to post comments
We welcome your comments! rabble.ca embraces a pro-human rights, pro-feminist, anti-racist, queer-positive, anti-imperialist and pro-labour stance, and encourages discussions which develop progressive thought. Our full comment policy can be found here. Learn more about Disqus on rabble.ca and your privacy here. Please keep in mind:
Do
- Tell the truth and avoid rumours.
- Add context and background.
- Report typos and logical fallacies.
- Be respectful.
- Respect copyright - link to articles.
- Stay focused. Bring in-depth commentary to our discussion forum, babble.
Don't
- Use oppressive/offensive language.
- Libel or defame.
- Bully or troll.
- Post spam.
- Engage trolls. Flag suspect activity instead.
If you are interested in receiving quality produce at an affordable price, supporting local farmers, and enjoying a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, then the Good Food Box program is for you!
The Good Food Box (GFB) is a non-profit fresh fruit and vegetable distribution system created and operated by FoodShare. The GFB runs like a large buying club with centralized buying and coordination. Individuals place orders for boxes with volunteer coordinators in their neighbourhood and receive a box brimming with fresh, tasty produce.
Customers benefit from the cost savings of bulk buying and time saved by this distribution method. Produce is touched by fewer hands, gets to them faster, and costs less. This means purchasing high quality, fresh food is within reach of many more people than the regular retail system.
Every Good Food Box is filled with top-quality fruits and vegetables from local farmers and the Ontario Food Terminal. Each box contains the same mixture of produce, though the contents change with each delivery depending on what is in season and reasonably priced at the time. Customers pay between $15 and $38 depending on the box typethey choose to purchase.
Good Food Box Program Toronto Phone Number
Stonegate CHC coordinates bi-weekly GFB deliveries at the Health Centre. For every 10 orders that we receive, FoodShare Toronto will give us one free box that we give to a community member in need.
We accept orders on an ongoing basis and community members are welcome to participate. For more infromation on orders & payment calendar, please check our online calendar. For more information about the Good Food Box program at Stonegate CHC, please call 416.231.7070 ext. 239.
Good Food Box Holiday Drive
For a decade, Stonegate CHC has held an annual fundraiser in November and December to collect funds to purchase Good Food Boxes. The boxes are given to Stonegate residents living with food insecurity and hunger issues during the Holiday season. This year, due to COVID-19, our centre intends to continue giving boxes to community members in need throughout the pandemic.
A donation of $22 buys one Good Food Box for a family in need. A $50 gift purchases boxes for two families. Five families benefit from a $100 donation. While a $250 donation gives 12 families fresh produce.
Good Food Box Program Toronto Phone Number
For more information about the fundraiser, please contact Julia Graham at 416.231.7070 ext. 229.