Good Food Box - Ottaw (La Boîte verte d'Ottawa)

Ottawa Good Food BoxLa boîte verte d’Ottawa

Ottawa Good Food Box

History:

- started in 1996 by Community Developers and Community Nutritionists

- Making fruits and vegetables more accessible, more affordable

= healthy people

Ottawa Good Food Box

• Nonprofit, community-based, non-charitable model

• brings neighbors together to buy delicious and nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices

• Our goal is to purchase food which is in season and is grown close to home as possible.

• Customers order in the 1st week of the month and pick up in the 3rd week

• A newsletter with nutrition tips, recipes and information about the program, is included in every box.

Large Box $20

Medium Box ($15)

Small Box ($10)

$5 Fruit Bag

$25 Local Organic Box

Our boxes

Ottawa Good Food Box

Mission:

Increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables

Introduce variety and new food experiences.

Encourage cooking from scratch

Build community

Ottawa Good Food Box

GFB Today:

42 sites across the city, from Orleans to Kanata to Hunt Club and everywhere in between, rural GFB sites in Carp & Constance Bay

500 boxes per month

Feeds about 1500 – 2000 people/month

85+ active volunteers

2 part-time coordinators

Other Projects

Healthy People, Healthy Communities – a PhD research project to assess barriers and facilitators for Urban Aboriginal people to access the GFB

Cooking & Nutrition workshops:-Good Food in the Schools-Cooking out of the Good Food Box- Workshops for Newcomers- Workshops for Seniors

Good Food Markets

Market Mobile

Good Food in the Schools

Program Goals:

Increase food security

Provide food skills education

Foster community development

Successes

Schools, families, and children engaged in the program

Children eating healthy foods, changing attitudes, and building life skills

Children working together, building community

Schools starting GFB sites

Families accessing healthy food

“Let’s Keep Kids Out of Hospitals” award from CHEO for poverty reduction

Eating Better…Eating

Together

• promotes healthy eating

• reduces social isolation among older adults

• Welcoming workshops

• Informal, seniors can discuss healthy eating and healthy food practices

• hands-on cooking demonstration

• seniors cook and eat a healthy meal together

GOOD FOOD MARKETS

Bon marchés de quartiers

Good Food Market

GFM are community markets that sell high quality, affordable fruits and vegetables. These markets bring healthy produce to neighbourhoods where it might not otherwise be available, and where farmers’ markets are not possible because sales are too low to cover farmers’ costs.

Good Food Markets

Good Food Markets are an initiative of the Poverty and Hunger Working Group through the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres and their community partners.

Partners include: the Ottawa Good Food Box, Ottawa Public Health, City of Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing and the Social Planning Council.

As well as our 11 Market locations.

Dried Goods & CFAs

Why did you come to the market? (check all that apply)

Response Chart Percentage Count

Affordable food 43% 88

Quality of food 35% 72

Close to home 68% 138

Special activities 8% 17

Socializing with friends and neighbours

22% 45

Food that I can't buy elsewhere

3% 6

Other, please specify... 14% 29

Total Responses 203

3. Because you came to the market will you...

Response Chart Percentage Count

Eat more fruits and vegetables

57% 112

Save money on food 43% 86

Know my neighbour better

28% 56

Try new kinds of food 20% 39

Eat more food from my culture

11% 22

Feel healthier 40% 80

Prepare home cooked meals

25% 50

Be more aware of local activities

36% 72

Total Responses 198

www.OttawaGoodFoodBox.ca