Volunteers helped provide fresh, affordable produce to Centreville-Chicopee community members through the Neighbourhood Summer Market.
Fresh, affordable food isn’t easy to come by these days – and it’s doubly challenging when you are trying to make ends meet with very limited income.
That thought was the inspiration behind the Neighbourhood Summer Market, now in its second year at Centreville-Chicopee Community Centre.
The program, funded in part by the “Love My Hood” grants through the City of Kitchener, provided low-cost, fresh produce to community members throughout the summer.
Maggie Cahill, a Community Development Worker at House of Friendship, worked with a team of volunteers to make the market a reality.
By buying produce in bulk from local suppliers, Maggie’s team was able to pass along the savings.
“The goal was to make it easier for community members to afford fresh food. Because of the Love My Hood grant, we were able to sell the food at a very affordable price.”
The market was promoted via social media and through word of mouth in the community, and was also promoted to community members who rely on House of Friendship’s food distribution program for food.
“We had some community members who made the market part of their weekly shopping,” said Maggie. “We heard from them that they appreciated not having to go from store to store to get the best prices.”
In addition to the food, several craft vendors also participated in the market, making it a fun shopping experience for community members.
Volunteers Kimmy and Jackie both enjoyed being part of the summer market.
“It’s fun, and it feels really good to be able to help,” said Kimmy.
“People loved it,” added Jackie. “It was so wonderful to have fresh, local produce. Our goal was to provide affordable groceries for people living in our area, and we were able to make that happen. It felt good.”
Thank you to the City of Kitchener for their support of the Centreville-Chicopee Summer Market!
