A simple way to double your support to Island families this season
GUARDIAN GUEST OPINION
NANCY CLEMENT
It’s that time of year again and it seems like everyone is “talking turkey.”
Here’s a fresh look at the situation and a simple way to support two Island families at once when you donate to the turkey drive or the food bank. In two words: “buy local.”
Usually when you donate a turkey, one Island family benefits from your generosity. However, if you buy a locally raised turkey for a fair price (it costs about $2.50/lb. to raise a turkey), then the farming family that produced that turkey also benefits, as does the community they live in when they spend those hard-earned dollars.
The same applies for other types of food you might choose to donate during the holiday season. Our Island farmers produce a regular cornucopia of wonderful food – cranberries, blueberries, pumpkins, carrots, squash, meat, fish and tofu – not to mention the humble potato.
All of these are desperately needed by the food bank this time of year so why not buy them locally and support Island families twice over? Take it one step further and buy organically raised, locally grown food and you are helping the environment and future generations as well.
But where to find this food?
One possibility would be to go directly to a producer. You may well know a neighbour who raises turkeys, chickens or another type of food that you could donate. (See link for contact information for some producers at the end of this article.)
Another good place to start would be one of the farmers’ markets (e.g. on Belvedere Avenue in Charlottetown or Spring Street in the old Holman’s Building in Summerside) or there may be one in your community.
These choices put all the money you spend directly into the hands of the producer and then into his or her community. If you are purchasing your food at a retail store, many locally owned and community-based stores carry Island produce; or if you shop at a larger supermarket, ask for locally produced foods.
Ultimately, we all hope for the day when every Island family has an income that allows them to put enough healthy food on the table year-round, not just at Christmas, and that we will not need to rely on generosity and charity to fill the annual goal of more than 2,000 turkeys, and to keep food on the shelves of Island foodbanks year-round.
Ideally, we also all look forward to a time when producers are paid a fair price for their produce and can make a decent and reliable living at farming or fishing. Until then, the annual turkey drive will remain one of the harbingers of Christmas. Participating in the drive by buying locally and paying a fair price is a smart way to support two families with one turkey.
Contact and ordering information for some local producers is available at www.healthyeatingpei.ca.
Nancy Clement is with the working group on access to healthy, culturally appropriate food, P.E.I. Food Security Network. The network is an education and action organization committed to achieving food security in P.E.I.
