Preston group build barns and fill them with free food
Huge cheers cut through the humid air on Tuesday afternoon as the ribbon was cut to officially open a new community food hub in the black community of Cherry Brook in the Halifax area.
The Preston Area Food Network has built three wooden food sheds to help people in the area who are struggling to make ends meet and need food and hygiene products.
“We see this as something that will break some of the food insecurity that people have,” said Debbie Simmonds, Preston Area Food Hub coordinator.
It’s called a community stretch program, and it’s funded by Nova Scotia’s Department of Community Services. People who come to the sheds or contact the organization do not have to give their name to receive free non-perishable food or toiletries.
“It’s important that this is anonymous,” said Ken Hudson, president of the Preston Area Food Network. “We just need to know what’s coming off the shelves so we can restock it as quickly as possible.”
The new food shed in Cherry Brook is a wooden structure with a small steel roof. Inside it has several shelves. It will eventually be equipped with solar panels to provide electricity.
“Ultimately we’ll look at how to grow this so that maybe one day we’ll have produce, where we might have greenhouses where we can grow our own vegetables,” said Hudson, cutting the ribbon in front of an enthusiastic crowd of volunteers.
“The goal is to grow these community shelves so that we become more than just a place to pick up non-perishables.”
The new food shed is located next to Cherry Brook United Baptist Church.
“It’s going to affect a lot of people in our community, and beyond,” said church clerk Sally Beals. “Especially for the three black communities, this is a great achievement that we are making.”
While the Cherry Brook food shed is now open, two other sheds are nearing completion in nearby North Preston and East Preston. The North Preston Food Barn is opposite Nelson Whynder Elementary School, while the East Preston facility is adjacent to the Baptist Church on Upper Partridge River Road.
“Food insecurity is an ongoing issue that we’ve had here in this area,” Simmonds said. “To address it, we need something here in our own community so people don’t have to travel far now to get what they really need.”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians – from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project that Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
