Volunteer gardeners are working hard to feed people in Lac du Bonnet, where a thriving community garden yielded roughly 6,000 kilograms (about 13,000 pounds) of produce this year.
Close to 1,000 kilograms of that food was grown specially for the local food bank in the southeastern Manitoba community, where the last haul of the season was recently distributed — a trailer load of pumpkins.
“The fresh produce is very nutritious,” said Kim Laurans, who chairs the Lac du Bonnet & Area Food Bank.
“It’s hard to get in the store, it’s very expensive,” he added. “So this way we can give out free, very healthy produce to our clients.”
The bulk of that produce was grown in Lac du Bonnet’s community garden. The chunk of land along Highway 502 was donated by local farmers, while water is piped in with help from the Town of Lac du Bonnet and the surrounding rural municipality.
“If we looked at food security across Manitoba, we would want to look at this model,” said Leslie Wakeman, a founding member of Lac du Bonnet’s community garden committee.
The garden started four years ago with just 13 plots and has since blossomed to 52.
“If we can grow to 70 — which we may very well grow to next year — we’d be putting probably close to 18,000 pounds [more than 8,000 kilograms] of fresh produce into our community,” said Wakeman.
“That helps to offset grocery bills or create equity in terms of access to healthy food for people in our community,” which is approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and has a population of just under 5,000, between the town and the rural municipality.
Wakeman said everyone is welcome to take on a plot and try their hand at gardening, barrier-free. There are raised beds for people with reduced mobility and a greenhouse with tools every member can use.
Field to food bank
Two plots are cared for by the Manitoba Métis Federation, which Wakeman said employed two students over the summer and provided at least 14 local families with fresh food.
Another three plots are dedicated to the food bank. Volunteers — most of them seniors — came out six days a week to plant, weed and harvest, said food bank garden co-ordinator Lillian Wall.
“We don’t use any pesticides or herbicides, and so the produce is very fresh,” she said. “It comes literally from the field to the food bank twice a week.”
The food bank has an additional plot behind its building, in the centre of the town of Lac du Bonnet. Fresh produce gets packed into the hampers twice a week, with excess going into the freezers.
Wall said they don’t just offer the basics.
“We planted asparagus, mushrooms,” she said. “Brussels sprouts were another new thing we tried this year.”
The food bank’s herb garden performed especially well this season, yielding a welcome addition to the hampers, said Wall.
“That means you can put some rosemary or some thyme on your roasted potatoes,” she said with a smile. “It’s a little added touch that makes [clients] feel good — and tastes great.”
The variety makes a big difference for Craig Goodchild, who said he comes in twice a month and uses the veggies to make big batches of soup.
He’s on disability and lives on $400 a month, after paying his bills, he said.
“Potatoes, carrots, cherry tomatoes” are among his favourite ingredients, he said, grinning. “They give you what you need and it helps out.”
Serving a wide area
Lac du Bonnet’s food bank serves a vast area, with clients from communities as far as 50 kilometres away, including Whitemouth and Sagkeeng First Nation.
“Our need is quite large,” said Laurans, adding that the volunteer-run group hopes to open a new branch in Powerview-Pine Falls.
The food bank chair said the volunteer gardeners are a huge help, as rates of hunger continue to grow throughout the region.
“We also get a lot of private produce donated in the fall,” he said. “[Our clients] love it. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers — you can’t beat that sort of food.”
Back at the garden, Wakeman said members share knowledge on things like saving seeds, batch cooking and canning, all of which can increase local food security.
She hopes more residents get involved next season, to get even more food into kitchens across Lac du Bonnet — and beyond.
“Produce coming out of a garden into the community means that kids are going to school with food in their lunches,” said Wakeman.
Lac du Bonnet’s success should be food for thought for local governments everywhere, she said.
“A healthy community is going to be a rich community, in so many ways.”
A community garden in Lac du Bonnet produced around 6,000 kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables this year, with close to 1,000 kilograms going directly to the southeastern Manitoba community’s food bank.