Food Security is essential for the health of our whole community!

When is our food secure?

• When we have access to, have control of, and take responsibility for all aspects of the food system.  This is food self-reliance not just emergency food provision. A big part of the food system that needs nurturing is local agriculture, and also its distribution - that is, easy access to local farm produce.
• When everyone, all the community, has access to safe, nutritious food… a basic right of everyone. We believe that safe, nutritious food is organically grown food.

We offer you local, organically grown food and organic food sourced as close to home as possible!

Food Security is a HUGE concept. When we take responsibility for our food we take responsibility for all aspects of the food system. It becomes important to support and encourage sustainable agricultural practices that do not deplete the soil but help enrich it! "Certified Organic" means that the farmer uses good stewardship practices that are sustainable.

Every step matters. We make choices that reflect our commitment to help the community to become more food self-reliant.

• Farmers harvest just what we need. We do not order like a grocery store has to, having planned surplus that then goes to waste in the garbage.
• Anything that is surplus at Share Organics is either given to shelters or groups in the community who will use it OR it is composted.
• We order farmer direct as much as possible to minimize waste and to allow the farmer a fairer wage. Anything not farmer direct is researched to know that farmers and workers are treated ethically. A fair wage is integral to sustainable food production. If the farmer cannot make a living, who will grow our food?
• Supporting local farmers means that the food has travelled fewer miles before it arrives on your plate. It also means that if something interrupts transportation systems to our Island, we will still be able to feed ourselves. Fifty years ago farmers on Vancouver Island produced an estimated 85% of the Island's food supply. Today, Island producers provide about 10% of the food consumed.
  http://www.communitycouncil.ca/pdf/CR-FAIR_FS_Assessment_2004.pdf
• We reuse delivery bins, packaging, and ice packs.  Anything that can't be reused is recycled.
  A mere bucketful of non-recyclable waste goes to the garbage every week.
  
• We deliver by bicycle as much as possible. All our routes are shaped so that less carbon is used by delivering to multiple homes in the same area on one route.
• Buying a "Box" allows us to support small scale farmers with a guaranteed sale of their crop. Non-modifiable Boxes like our Local Produce Box are especially beneficial in this regard.
• We offer folks the opportunity to purchase a Donation Produce Box. This, along with our weekly produce donations, is our attempt to provide safe, nutritious food to those who need it most!

What we want to work towards… our vision of a more food secure Vancouver Island!

• Creating a distribution hub in the Western Communities so that even more deliveries can be made by bicycle
• Contract farmers to grow more in the "shoulder seasons" and right through the winter!
• Please let us know if you have any ideas! We strive to constantly evolve and explore new ideas.

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