News Archive – Page 5 – Land to Table Network Society

25Oct 2022 by admin

L2T October Highlights

Land to Table was busy this month. Here are some of our highlights from October. On October 5th, Network Director, Liz Blakeway attended the United For Food Summit, hosted by United Way BC (one of our key funding partners) at the Red Barn on the traditional territory of the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN). What a treat to meet in person, exchange stories with fellow Regional Community Food Hubs and learn about TFN “celiselem” Community Farm. It was encouraging to hear about UWBC’s commitment to working with partners on the ground to create greater access to funding, streamline reporting, and provide greater support toward community impact and advancing advocacy. On October 22nd, we hosted a farm tour for a group of students and staff from UBCO. Tour stops included farms and…

24Oct 2022 by admin

Food as a Lever

Regional News

In preparation for the fall 2022 elections, the Kamloops Food Policy Council created a blog series titled Food and the City - exploring deeper civic issues that relate to “food [as] a lever” for civic engagement, connection, policy change and action. The articles include a list of recommended policy options to support action for each topic - transportation, healthy ecosystems, common land-use opportunities, safer communities, decolonization, and food security. These are thoughtful, thought provoking, action-oriented, and perhaps most importantly, useful for election now newly elected officials. We highly recommend that all candidates (and those interested in food systems and policy) have a read. The KFPC blog posts have us thinking about: how we are doing in the North Okanagan, the ways in which food systems and food security provide opportunities…

28Sep 2022 by admin

What is L2T Up to this Year?

L2T Updates

Land to Table took on an extraordinary number of projects last year (March 2021-2022 with a summary report coming soon). And from that great work and engagement, there are two clear ‘project paths’ that we are excited to be expanding on over the next six months. Local Food Procurement through Value Chain Development With new funding from Feed BC, UBC, and also the RDNO (Rural Economic Development Grant) we are pleased to be expanding our work the focusses on growing the local food economy. Building on the successes and foundation of a first-year collaborations and achievements with UBCO, the focus this year is to deepen our work and impact wit UBCO, expand our knowledge and lessons learned to build relationships with other institutions and undertake some research of our own.…

28Sep 2022 by admin

Meet Madison: L2T’s New Communications Coordinator

Staff Bios

We would like to introduce you to a new member of the L2T team, Madison Pinder! Madison is taking on the position of Communications Coordinator for L2T. In partnership with the Public Health Association of BC, she supports both Farm to School and Land to Table programs and projects. We look forward to how she will contribute creatively to our team and highlight everything L2T has to offer. Madison was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas before taking the leap to attend the University of British Columbia about 5 years ago. In this time she built her marketing, graphic design and web design skills through leadership positions in various student organizations. Most recently, she held communications positions at the UBC Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and UBC's School of…

28Sep 2022 by admin

Meet Sammy: L2T’s New Food Security Coordinator

Staff Bios

We would like to introduce you to a new member of the L2T team, Sammy Blair! Sammy is stepping into the position of Food Security Coordinator for L2T in collaboration with United Way BC. This role is key to the North Okanagan Regional Community Food Hub initiative and will support L2T local food procurement projects as well as some organizational development work that we hope to undertake this winter. Sammy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and English Literature from Colorado College (2016) which led her to pursue an early career in writing and journalism. She has lived in many places around the world working with different communities to tell their stories with a focus on the outdoor industry and food systems. Then, after volunteering for a year as…

13Jun 2022 by admin

Media Release: Land to Table Continues to Steward United Way BC Regional Community Food Hub Initiative

L2T Updates, News

NORTH OKANAGAN-SHUSWAP, JUNE 13, 2022 – We are pleased to announce that Land to Table will be continuing on as a steward for United Way British Columbia’s (UWBC) Regional Community Food Hub in the North Okanagan. Over the past year, in collaboration with UWBC, Land to Table has been fulfilling this role by working collaboratively with our partners at the Okanagan Indian Band, The Good Food Box and the White Valley Resource Centre to address challenges and opportunities within the local emergency food sector, to increase organizational capacity and impact. Together, we have delivered over 3,200 hampers and meals, filled with local eggs, meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables, to seniors, young families and those impacted by the wildfires of 2021. In all program delivery, there is a focus to include…

19Apr 2022 by admin

May 12, 2022 | BX Open House

Events, Past Event

In 2021, The Institute for Sustainable Food Systems (ISFS) and the Land to Table Network of the North Okanagan (L2T) were contracted by the Regional District of the North Okanagan (RDNO) to prepare a 5 year development plan for the BX Ranchlands parcel at 4122 East Vernon Rd. The site is a valued community resource for agriculture, recreation, and conservation. In order to explore these interests further, ISFS and L2T worked with the RDNO and local stakeholders to draft a plan for the site that will maintain community access while supporting ecological well-being and encouraging agricultural opportunities for local farmers and growers. Watch a Video on the Proposed Development Plan You can click button above for a detailed overview of the plan or you can download a summary of the…

13Apr 2022 by admin

April 20, 2022 | Learning Circle: Whole System Perspectives

Events, Past Event

We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming and final Learning Circle Series session looking at: Systems Perspectives. This discussion will highlight the key points that we have learned in the series so far, and will ask panelists to help us further define and understand the complex/system issues that continue to impact local food procurement (at institutions), and how we create new systems that are sustainable in the long term. We invite you to join us for this upcoming session over Zoom, Wednesday, April 20, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (PST). Speakers will include (but are not limited to): Panelist Lindsay Harris, Kamloops Food Policy Council Panelist Brittany Maguire, Meal Exchange David Speight, UBC Food Services Register here to join us for this upcoming session over Zoom, Wednesday, April…

17Mar 2022 by admin

March 22, 2022 | Learning Circle: Aggregation & Distribution

Events, Past Event

Over the past year, Land to Table (L2T) and UBC Okanagan have partnered in collaboration with the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) to undertake a local food procurement pilot project. As a part of our ongoing exploration into existing modes of institutional local food procurement, we are hosting a series of three learning circle sessions. Our first session (Feb 2, 2022) Institutional Perspectives, featured discussion on procurement logistics and relationships, the values that guide decision-making, how partners balance cost, and how institutions engage with students. Please find the recorded session here. Our upcoming session, Aggregation & Distribution will feature farmer and aggregator/distributor perspectives on supplying to and working alongside institutions. In this session panelists will share different models for aggregation/distribution; the values that shape those models, financial challenges and…

09Mar 2022 by admin

Experts on Tap: Tips and Tricks for Exhibiting and Selling New Products

Event Recap, Events, Featured News

Tuesday, March 8th, 2022 - We held a live, online discussion with industry experts to help producers elevate their businesses and gain new listings and retail opportunities. The panel offered tips and tricks for exhibiting and preparing for upcoming events, including the Local Food & Buyers Mixer (March 18th, 2022) and the 9th Annual Cheese! It's a Natural Festival (March 19th, 2022) in Armstrong. 2024 Update: Check out the (rebranded) 2024 The Big Cheese! event featuring industry-only Food and Buyer Expo and Experts on Tap workshops on Friday, April 5th, 2024 and Local Food Festival open to the general public on Saturday, April 6th, 2024. Learn more at https://www.aschamber.com/thebigcheese.html If you missed this event or want to listen to the experts one more time, check out the highlights and the…