Local Food
In 2006, Ecosource became a leader in local food literacy, when it opened the first community garden in Mississauga.
Today, Ecosource manages 11 community gardens as well as a large urban agriculture teaching site and delivers mobile food growing workshops to thousands of Peel residents.
As a Good Food Organization, Ecosource is part of a national network of community food organizations dedicated to ending food insecurity.
To achieve this goal for all Canadians, Ecosource’s food programming aims to:
- Enhance local food literacy and local food procurement in schools
- Increase access to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables
- Develop culinary skills among children, youth and families
- Provide training and employment opportunities for youth through food-based social enterprises; and
- Encourage outdoor activity through gardening
In 2021, Ecosource engaged over 3,000 community members in food growing and donated over 10,600 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks.
Spotlight on the Growing Community Connections Project
This project increases access to community gardens in parks across Mississauga, improves the production and distribution of fresh food, and supports opportunities to connect community members and partners. In particular, we engage community members who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Project activities include:
(1) A series of workshops and public events to bring together community gardeners, volunteers, and Mississauga residents to grow food, learn and share;
(2) Collaboration with local organizations and food banks to improve access and distribution in their neighbourhoods and connect their participants to community garden spaces;
(3) Maximizing food production with particular attention to culturally-relevant crops by increasing the number of garden plots and enhancing accessible garden features.
In support of this project, Ecosource gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Pendle Fund at the Community Foundation of Mississauga, a registered charitable public foundation serving the people of Mississauga.
