Feed the food bank

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author: alex lawlor | staff writer

Credit: Regina Food Bank

“Fact: Zimmerman attempted on May 12th of last year to auction the gun he shot Trayvon Martin with.”

After a long, seven-month building process, the Regina Food Bank has finally opened their new greenhouse for business. The greenhouse has 48 towers that will be able to grow fresh produce all year round, right here in Regina. Volunteers will tend to the greenhouse, and the Food Bank is looking for anyone willing to help, whether you have gardening experience or not. They hope to reach out to many different community organizations and provide educational opportunities for people of all ages.

Last summer, the Four Seasons Urban Agriculture project was given $100,000 as a grant from the Co-op’s Community Spaces program. The program is dedicated to conserving, as well as improving spaces throughout Western Canada. There are three categories projects can fall under to receive a grant for their project, which include recreation, environmental conservation, and urban agriculture.

This is a crucial project in terms of helping those in need within our city, and our province. The Food Bank is generally known for the food that is donated, with bins located in several locations throughout the city; however, being able to produce fresh fruits and vegetables is a huge step in the right direction.

Even though this is a very important project, it isn’t all that we can do for charity. There is so much more that needs to be done for the underprivileged people that live in Regina. Food is one important issue, but housing is another critical issue. With the extreme weather conditions that Saskatchewan is known for, it is just not right to have people living on the streets during these brutal winter months.

The beginning of these solutions can be found in Regina, but there is always more that could be done. In addition to the new greenhouse at the Regina Food Bank, the renovations for the new Souls Harbour building is another important step to take toward eliminating at least some of the poverty present in Regina. The Souls Harbor renovation would improve and change the location of the soup kitchen and men’s shelter, as well as including affordable housing units, a daycare, and a clothing store.

It’s important to remember that even though we may not see it on a daily basis, there is a lot of poverty in our very own city. Furthermore, there is a lot of poverty in our own province. There are still issues of undrinkable water on First Nations reserves, as well as high suicide rates, crime rates and expensive food prices. Both the federal and provincial governments are not doing enough to combat these issues, so we, as a province, have to rally support and accentuate the fact that this is a serious issue.

Overall, the Regina Food Bank is setting an incredible example for self-sustaining food production in our city, and if we keep working toward the goal of helping the people close to home that are struggling, we may be able to make some real change.

To learn more about the Four Seasons Urban Agriculture project or to get involved, you can check out reginafoodbank.ca/four-seasons-urban-agriculture-project/.

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