Making the FOOD Connection for Northwestern Ontario.
Get Fresh! in Thunder Bay
Win $100 in Country Market Bucks by entering your favourite recipe using local food. Click on this icon to fill out the on-line submission form. Your recipe can also be dropped off or mailed to the Food Action Network c/o Thunder Bay District Health Unit, 999 Balmoral Street, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6E7.
Contest Rules:
- All recipes must use local foods (food produced/ grown in and around Thunder Bay) as the majority of the ingredients. Please include where the local ingredients can be found in the Thunder Bay region.
- Recipes will be judged on creativity, originality, ease of preparation and taste.
- The recipes must be original to the applicant. If your recipe has a short story behind it, please submit that too!
- Recipes must be submitted by October 16, 2010.
Do you know where your food comes from? The Food Action Network encourages you to take a closer look and to buy local food more often.
When you choose foods grown closer to home you're helping our: 
health
community
local economy
and the environment
Check out:
Get Fresh Guide 2010 (your guide to local food) New
We are also offering free workshops throughout the summer where participants will learn how to eat with the seasons, a key part of eating local. New
Thunder Bay's first on-line local food store: Superior Seasons Food Market is your one stop shop for local food on the web. New
Also check out:
Thunder Bay District Agricultural Economic Impact Study 2009
Sharing Backyards
If you have a yard you can share or you are looking for space to garden, SharingBackyards.com is for you. This website will let you post a listing or find a yard you can use in your neighbourhood. Click here for a pamphlet with more information on the Sharing Backyards program.
The first ever NWO Regional Food Conference...
Northern Food Connections: Get Fresh, Eat Local, Go Wild
was held Thursday, March 4 to Saturday, March 6, 2010
at Lakehead University.
The conference was a chance to showcase local food security projects and develop new skills, as participants worked towards greater food security in the NWO region.
Hands-on workshops, discussions, and displays covered such topics as producer/retailer/consumer connections, small farm stories, do-it-yourself food production and preservation, indigenous food culture & knowledge, food justice, and sustainable food systems.
Click here for more information.
Cost of Eating Well in the District of Thunder Bay
Each year the Nutritious Food Basket Survey conducted by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit shows that low-income households struggle to pay rent, the bills and to buy enough healthy food for their family.
The Cost of Eating Well in the District of Thunder Bay 2009
Budgeting for Food
Where to Get Food 2009
What is "Community Food Security"?
Food security for our community would mean that ALL people have access to safe, nutritious, and personally acceptable food at ALL times through a just and sustainable food system.
Is our community food secure?
Many people in our region find it difficult to access healthy foods. There are many reasons why:
- inadequate income
- lack of transportation
- mental illness
- poor health
- lack of budgeting and planning skills
- lack of cooking skills
Some people find it difficult to seek help, and find it embarrassing to go to food banks or soup kitchens.
As a community we also depend heavily on food that is transported over long distances to reach our plate. This is not good for our local economy, nearby farm families nor the health of our planet. We have lost the connection with our food and how it is produced.
What is being done?
Many organizations and agencies support food security programs in our district. We support programs for those in need of healthy food at a low cost. These include community gardens, commmunity kitchens, gleaning and the Good Food Box. Where to Get Food 2009 is a listing of food banks and other food programs.
We also support and promote a more vibrant local food system. For more information on specific programs and intitiatives choose from the list to the left of your screen.
Food Action Network
Click here to find out more about this network of individuals and agencies from various sectors that is working towards community food security for the City of Thunder Bay and surrounding area through coordinated, community-led action.
Join the Food Action Network call: 625-5956
Check out the other food security topics listed in the menu to the left of your screen.