Vancouver Island charity delivers food-producing soil, plants to vulnerable people

A garden program aimed at increasing food security for Vancouver Island’s vulnerable populations has wrapped up its third year of providing fresh, healthy and affordable food.

FED Urban Agriculture, which runs the My FED Farm project, said in a release Wednesday that through its efforts this year it has added an additional 209 square metres of food-producing land.

The land takes the form of gardens, which community members or groups tend, which could potentially produce 2,525 kilograms of food for those in need within Greater Victoria.

The local food security charity says that between June and July, more than 700 planter bags and 3,674 seed packets and plant starts were delivered to households and community organizations throughout the region to increase access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.

The program was established in March 2020 in response to the economic hardships many households faced at the start of the pandemic.

FED Urban Agriculture says it saw a notable uptick in interest in the program this spring with cost of living on the rise, inflation at a record high and concerns about supply chain issues.

FED Urban Agriculture volunteers are pictured.

"Food prices have risen almost 10 per cent this year alone, and people are feeling the financial burden," said Brianna Stewart, FED program manager.

"Our intention for My FED Farm was to inspire resilience, community connection, and a sense of agency in our underserved populations during these challenging times," she said.

This year, the program served 14 community partners, three First Nations, and 120 individual households.

Participants in the program received food growing kits made up of geotextile planters, soil, plant starts, seed packets, educational materials and a garden consultation.

FED Urban Agriculture volunteers are pictured.

In efforts to make the program as accessible as possible, My FED Farm delivers the kits directly to recipients' homes.

The program is offered in a larger scale to community organizations and First Nations with additional goals of creating connections within the community and offering a place of hands-on learning.

Since the program started three years ago, My FED Farm says it has supported almost 3,000 people and added over 9,979 kilograms of annual food growing capacity to Greater Victoria.