There’s a sign within The Local Community Food Centre that reads, 'It’s not about Charity, It’s about Justice.' That encapsulates the central principle of this not-for-profit organization that does so much to provide a safety net for Stratford’s diverse communities.
Launched in 2012, The Local serves vital functions beginning with recognizing the community value of good food. Food insecurity is an increasingly prevalent issue across Canada in communities like Stratford. The Local provides food that is delicious, nutritious and sustainably produced, to be enjoyed in a safe, social environment. It also empowers people to get involved, to cultivate a sense of purpose and belonging, including one hundred forty volunteers, many with disabilities, to participate in solutions.
“Everybody brings a piece that is so important, and that’s where we can work together,” says The Local’s Community Connector, Julie Docker Johnson.
The Local offers programs for education and engagement in social support systems; promotion of inclusivity for those who are vulnerable or marginalized; and food skills programs through the urban farm and the kitchen that teach practical knowledge and promote healthy eating. There is a sense of security and community here that is more personal than commercial. Local farmers and artisans provide quality products for The Local’s grocery store.
Jenn Parsons, Manager of Food Logistics, knows them all. She enthuses that a great benefit of those relationships is that, “here, you can go grocery shopping and then have a free meal afterwards. Everybody deserves good food; it just needs to be affordable.”
Pricing is wholesale, typically half that of retail, but just because the products are affordable and accessible doesn’t mean they can’t also be fabulous. High-end pastas, duck fat, gluten-free products, and locally harvested produce from the greenhouse to the farm, are all available. Many customers can afford supermarket prices, but choose to buy here instead.
“The more they’re here, the more it continues to break down stigmas,” asserts Johnson. “Everybody in the building is different and none of it matters.”
In some instances, those who need this service most, can also be the most challenging to bring in. Among Stratford’s most vulnerable demographics are homeless men for whom the City of Stratford provides no shelter. There are shelters for women and for children, but not for men.
Johnson shares the sensitivities involved in assuaging the concerns that some, who have no access to food, may have regarding social stigmas they may feel, and that they may have to overcome in order to sit down for a wholesome and nutritious meal, where they are welcome without judgment. Successfully doing so provides emotional nourishment too, along with a real sense of hope.
These Community Meals are offered two to three times per week, including family style dinners on Mondays, and warm light lunches and salads on Fridays. There are also meals provided during the week in collaboration with the Connection Centre, Children’s Aid Society and Alzheimer’s Society, among other community-based organizations. The bottom line is that access to good food is integral to mental health as well as physical health, and that nourishing healthy individuals is fundamental to maintaining a healthy community. The mission of The Local is to treat this issue as a basic right, and one that is in the best interests of all of us.
Amidst the families of all ages seated around dinner tables at The Local are those who are food insecure, homeless, or who simply don’t want to dine alone. It seems like an outing, an event, where kids are playing, and all demographics are having dinner and socializing without having to worry about paying for it, or what anyone is thinking about it. It’s all about community, dignity and respect. Everyone needs to feel like they belong somewhere. This centre, built around good food and healthy practices, breaks down barriers for people from all circumstances; creates opportunities and connections that reduce social isolation and provide demonstratively positive effects for mental health.
“You create relationships with people when you sit at a table over food and have a conversation,” shares Johnson. “This is as great a place as any to belong.”
