A True Community Effort for the Harvest Hut
This summer Oliver’s home gardeners didn’t just share with their friends and neighbors, they provided the community around them with fresh and accessible produce. Launching in May, the Oliver Harvest Hut started with a garden supplies swap and ended in October with fresh jars of canned tomatoes going out to the public.
The Harvest Hut created a space for members of the community to share their garden or farm surplus. Harvest Hut volunteers and visitors alike shared recipes, stories, tips, and skills. This summer nearly 1000 kilograms of food were shared to over 1,300 people 76 percent of whom were from Oliver. Additionally, two-hundred dollars were donated to the Oliver Foodbank, and all leftover produce was picked up by Foodbank volunteers each Monday.
This summer wasn’t all about the veggies, the Oliver business community also rallied around the Harvest Hut to build a permanent storage structure. The Oliver Correctional centre crafted the structure, Outreach Neon moved the Structure, Parks and Recreation prepared the site at Kinsmen Park, Alberto’s Decorating Centre contributed primer, and Selah Painting applied that primer to the shed.
Food Action Coordinator Caitlyn Bennett stated, “We are truly thankful for everyone who contributed to this project, whether it was grant sponsorships, vegetables, the shed, volunteer hours, or just a quick visit this summer. We got to share the larger message of the Food Secure Oliver Plan with so many new people and we hope to see those people working with us in the future whether it is on our existing projects or something new that inspires them”.
The public is invited to share their feedback and experiences with the project on the Town of Oliver or Oliver Food Network Facebook pages or via email.
Learn more:
www.oliver.ca/food-secure-oliver
www.facebook.com/oliverfoodnetwork/
Interested in Volunteering:
https://oliver.ca/volunteer-opportunities/
Contacts:
Diane Vaykovich
Corporate Officer
250 485 6200 or