Earlier this year, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (“GVFB”) launched Goodly Foods, a social enterprise addressing wasted food in BC. Goodly Foods is a unique initiative that aims to develop a viable social enterprise repurposing surplus produce from local suppliers while creating supportive community employment opportunities.
The goal of the project is to reduce the amount of excess food in the local system by re-purposing produce or finding new uses for it, when it would otherwise go to waste (think surplus or ugly bananas processed into a (healthy) banana bread).
Goodly Foods is now ready to start production of their first product, a Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup, thanks to a generous, $1.1M investment grant from the Walmart Foundation.
With the recipe carefully developed by acclaimed Vancouver-based Chef Karen Barnaby, GoodlyTM soup will be distributed through Food Bank channels and available for sale to buying partners in the fall of 2018.
Greater Vancouver Food Bank & Goodly
I had the opportunity to ask Cynthia Kinsella, Chief Development Officer, Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Alexa Pitoulis, General Manager, Goodly Foods some questions, to learn more about this initiative and how we can all support the GVFB throughout the year.
Q: Around the holidays, the Food Bank seems top of mind for donors, what changes do you see during the summer months though?
Goodly will be a
social enterprise that
has far reaching
impacts, and we are
really excited about it!
A: “With children at home for the summer, and all of the supportive breakfast, lunch, snack and weekend food supply programs on hiatus, families are under greater strain. Many rely on these programs at the schools to supplement their children’s nutrition. On top of that, donations always go down in the summer, so we face an increased demand and diminished supply every year at this time.
The recent state of emergency in BC with more than 550 wildfires burning right now, add an additional layer of need via emergency support at local food banks across BC.”
Q: Do needs change season to season?
A: “Hunger exists 365 days a year, and the need is really driven by the demographics of the neighbourhood. Across Canada, on average 1/3 of the people who use food banks are children and about 12% are adults.
In Greater Vancouver, we have an aging population, and so our member demographics reflect 22% children, and 22% seniors – so fewer children and more seniors than the national average. In some of our locations we have a greater need for senior specific nutrition, and in others our Children’s Table is in more demand and we provide more baby formula, baby food, baby cereal, and toddler food.
Because of our partnerships with BC farmers and orchard owners, the selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables that we can provide at this time of year is something we are proud to offer to all of our members.”
Most-Needed Items, as of July 2018
Canned chicken or turkey
Canned fish
Canned black beans
Canned chickpeas & kidney beans
Dried lentils*
Natural peanut butter
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Brown rice, barley or oats*
Whole wheat pasta or couscous*
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit
Hearty stew or chili
(*in sealed packages)
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Q: How did the concept for Goodly come about?
A: “As the largest food bank in BC, we are one of the few with the capacity to accept larger donations. We recognized that there was a surplus of fruits and vegetables in the province (and across Canada), and at the same time that it can be a logistical challenge to distribute this perishable food to our members immediately.
We thought that if we could process this food some way initially, and then distribute it to our membership we could provide food with high nutritional value in a consistent, reliable way. The Walmart Foundation provided us with a generous grant to support this important work, as part of their commitment to prevent food waste and support food banks.”
Q: How do you see this impacting GVFB members?
A: “We will be able to distribute Goodly products to our members this fall, and our plan initially is to provide it on a monthly basis to each of our 13 direct to member locations, in the same way as we operate our milk distribution and egg distribution programs. We will also be able to provide it to our agency partners, so that they in turn can provide it to our members who access the food we provide through their programs.”
Q: What’s your favourite thing about the Goodly campaign?
A: “Goodly Foods is reframing the conversation around wasted food. What’s most exciting about the project is not just that we’re recovering food that would otherwise be wasted, but that we are also providing employment opportunities to people who may experience barriers to finding traditional employment.”
Follow the Greater Vancouver Food Bank on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information.
This is a different kind of cat walk! Registration is now open for VOKRA Walk for the Kitties 2018, presented by FirstMate Pet Foods. The 5km walk takes place at Jericho Beach and all funds raised go directly towards supporting the organization’s rescue efforts.
VOKRA Walk for the Kitties
Where: Beach Path, West of Jericho Sailing Club (1300 Discovery St, Vancouver)
When: Sunday, September 16, 2018 at 10:00am
Participation: Register online now for the 5km walk for $25 (plus fee). Dogs are welcome to tag along and you can grab a free ticket for them online as well.
As a volunteer-driven non-profit, the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (“VOKRA”) relies on Walk for the Kitties to raise much needed funds to help them rescue more than 1,400 cats and kittens each year.
Their mission is to end cat overpopulation and homelessness. They rescue, heal, then place cats – first in their network of foster homes, then in carefully matched, loving, forever homes. They are a passionate, volunteer-driven charity with extensive cat care experience. They believe that no-kill is the only responsible approach to rescue, that Trap-Neuter-Return works and that cats are AWESOME!
Here’s how your contributions help:
$25 buys a flat of food
$50 provides one cat with care for a month
$85 covers the cost of one spay/neuter
$100 buys 20 nursing kits used to feed orphaned kittens
Donations, pledges, and support from the Walk for the Kitties will help VOKRA buy food, litter, and even spay/neuter treatments for local cats. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
It might be time to go back to school, or back to work, but the fun doesn’t stop in Metro Vancouver! We’re gearing up for a fun festival season including the first of the month, the Richmond World Festival (September 1, 2018), which Miss604 is proud to sponsor. Then there’s Tri-City Culture Days (September 28-30, 2018), and the Vancouver International Film Festival (September 27 to October 12, 2018) to look forward to. All of these events are more are listed below:
September Events in Metro Vancouver
Jump to: Saturday, September 1 to Sunday, September 9, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 10 to Sunday, September 16, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 17 to Sunday, September 23, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 24 to Sunday, September 30, 2018
Multi-Day Events
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green. This list is updated often so send in your event listing anytime – for free – and check back often to plan your week.
Farm Attractions
Chilliwack Sunflower Festival
Bose Corn Maze, Surrey
Taves Applebarn & Sunflower Patch, Abbotsford
Chilliwack Corn Maze
Maan Farms, Abbotsford
Richmond Country Farms
Aldor Acres, Fort Langley
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Sponsored by Miss604: Richmond World Festival
Free Outdoor Dance Series at Robson Square
Chinatown Movie Night
PNE Summer Night Concert Series
Kerrisdale Antiques Fair
Essential Oils Make and Take
TaiwanFest
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Stanley Park Urban Forest Train
Riley Park Farmers Market
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Richmond Night Market
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Artful Sundays
PNE Summer Night Concert Series
Clayton Community Farmers Market
Poirier Street Market
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
TaiwanFest
Stanley Park Urban Forest Train
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Casts from Riverdale, Once Upon A Time, and The 100, along with Whitecaps alumni will take to the pitch at BC Place to play the 2nd annual Vancouver Whitecaps FC Legends & Stars Charity Match in support of BC Children’s Hospital on September 15th.
Whitecaps FC Legends & Stars Charity Match
When: September 15, 2018 4:45pm to 5:45pm ahead of the 7:00pm match v Seattle
Where: BC Place
Photo credit Bob Frid via Whitecaps FC
This year’s Legends & Stars match, which is set for Saturday, September 15, 2018 at BC Place, will once again feature KJ Apa (Archie/Riverdale), Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook/Once Upon A Time), and Lindsey Morgan (Raven Reyes, The 100).
They will be joined by first-time participants Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge/Riverdale), Casey Cott (Kevin/Riverdale), Jacob Tremblay (Auggie/Wonder, Jack/Room), Rahul Kohli (Ravi/iZombie), three-time Olympic medalist and figure skating world champion Patrick Chan, as well as alumni from Whitecaps FC’s 40+ year history, including fan favourites Jay DeMerit, Jay Nolly, John Catliff, and Ivor Evans.
Tickets for the Legends & Stars match are on sale now for just $5 and all proceeds will be donated to BC Children’s Hospital. Limited tickets are available – fans are encouraged to act quickly to avoid disappointment.
- Purchase tickets to the alumni match only here »
- Purchase a ticket to the alumni match + MLS match vs Seattle here »
To attend Legends & Stars, fans must also have a ticket for Whitecaps FC’s Major League Soccer match vs. longtime rivals Seattle Sounders FC later that evening.
Preliminary Roster (Subject to Change)
Coaches: Alan Errington, Gerry Heaney
Honourary coach/ambassador: Carl Valentine
Riverdale
KJ Apa (Archie Andrews)
Casey Cott (Kevin Keller)
Jordan Connor (Sweet Pea)
Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge)
Martin Cummins (Sheriff Tom Keller)
Charles Melton (Reggie Mantle)
Drew Ray Tanner (Fangs Fogarty)
The 100
Henry Ian Cusick (Marcus Kane)
Mike Dopud (Michael Vinson)
Jessica Harmon (Niylah)
Richard Harmon (John Murphy)
Jarod Joseph (Nathan Miller)
Lindsey Morgan (Raven Reyes)
Bob Morley (Bellamy Blake)
Tasya Teles (Echo)
Once Upon A Time
Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook)
Chris Gauthier (William Smee)
iZombie
David Anders (Blaine DeBeers)
Robert Buckley (Major Lilywhite)
Malcolm Goodwin (Clive Babineaux)
Jessica Harmon (Dale Bozzio)
Bryce Hodgson (Don E/Scott E)
Rahul Kohli (Ravi Chakrabarti)
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Letterkenny
Andrew Herr (Jonesy)
Tyler Johnston (Stewart)
Other
Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Ben/Baby Daddy)
Patrick Chan (Olympic medalist + figure skating world champion)
Adrian Holmes (Frank Pike/Arrow + 19-2, Smallville)
Dan Payne (Beast/Descendants)
Ryan Robbins (Samuel Bly/Sacred Lies, Noah Funk/Pure)
Emma Tremblay (Ruby Arias/Supergirl)
Erica Tremblay (Bunny/Imaginary Mary)
Jacob Tremblay (Auggie/Wonder, Jack/Room)
Adam Tsekhman (Gary Green/Legends of Tomorrow)
Henrik & Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Whitecaps FC Alumni
John Catliff (striker)
Jeff Clarke (midfielder)
Jay DeMerit (defender)
Paul Dolan (forward)
Nick Dasovic (defender)
Ivor Evans (midfielder)
Steve Macdonald (defender)
Erin McNulty (goalkeeper)
Rob Merkl (goalkeeper)
Jay Nolly (goalkeeper)
Guido Titotto (midfielder)
Alfredo Valente (midfielder)
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Follow Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
