Food banking leaders recognized nationally for contributions

         Local leaders in the food banking community were in the national spotlight recently for their efforts to curb hunger and poverty.

         At the Food Banks Canada conference in Charlottetown, St. Paul’s Family Resource Institute, a member of FEED NOVA SCOTIA, also received an Excellence in Food Banking Award for their innovative support of marginalized residents in Spryfield. Swinemar describes it as a proud moment for the organization. “St. Paul’s is a perfect example of the fact that many food banks in our province provide much more than food assistance,” she says. “They look at the whole picture when supporting those in their community and we’re incredibly proud to have an organization like St. Paul’s as part of our provincial network.”

          The Spryfield organization has one of the largest (and certainly the longest-running) community gardens in Atlantic Canada, and they provide resource like income tax support, a literacy lending program, a parent and tot group, and cooking classes, to name just a few examples. They’re also actively involved in research surrounding food security.