Regional Food Security Summit & Reflections on Food Security
This past Tuesday, September 29th, two of our Board members, as well as our Executive Director, had the opportunity to attend the Regional Food Security Summit in Belleville, which was presented by Gleaners Foodbank. The summit included representatives from across Hastings County.
Reflections on Food Security
By Kenzie Gibbs, QWYC Child & Youth Worker, and former youth member
Food insecurity is on the rise across Ontario, and is also a whole lot closer to home than most of us think. Have you ever had to wonder where your next meal will come from? Stared at the cupboards, wondering how to make that last bit of food meant for one day stretch over three? These are challenges people in our community face every day. Food bank usage is increasing faster than donations can keep up with. At QWYC? We aren’t looking to change the world in a day, just to change the way our youth view their world, one day at a time.
At QWYC, we offer multiple different programs across all sorts of categories; one of our most popular is our “What’s Cooking” program. “What’s Cooking” runs every evening through the school year and every afternoon through the summer and on Saturdays. The program at its core is about bringing people together; food is community. The program not only provides the meal for each lunch/dinner, it also allows our youth the chance to learn how to make multiple different meals at varying levels of difficulty. Every meal through our programming is healthy and nutritious.
In addition to our “What’s Cooking” program, we also offer a variety of snacks daily, ensuring they meet all food groups. Some examples of our snacks (particularly the ones that get grabbed first) are: melons, oranges, bananas, granola bars, vegetable crackers (with cheese, of course), and frozen yogurt tubes. Every time the youth come, we have snacks set out ready for them to enjoy. These snacks and meals give our youth peace of mind that something healthy will always be waiting for them in our lounge. We also have a “Grab & Go” shelf that youth have access to the entire time they are here, and it is provided on a “take what you need, no questions asked” policy.
At a time when our community is facing food insecurity at such high rates, especially post-pandemic, when even families who never thought they would have to ask for help are suddenly having to walk into the food bank every month, we are a safety net for one of our community’s most vulnerable populations. All three of these programs are completely free, and no one will never be asked to explain why they need a snack; just if they’re sure that they are full. These programs can make a world of difference to someone who might not know where their next meal is coming from. At Quinte West Youth Centre? The next dinner can come from our kitchen. When you’re a youth, the world can feel terrifying and be the cause of a million stresses, with these programs? Food is one less thing we have to worry about, so we can think about school and sports and music, not being hungry.
