Here at LOCPS we try to be as active in our community as possible, be it helping out at schools, coaching soccer or volunteering with our local heritage committee…not to mention supporting various charitable endeavours that come along! Thankfully, our profession allows us the opportunity to offer our photography services as a way to give back whenever we can.
In late September 2018 we connected with Food Banks Canada to help photograph an event held in Erin, Ontario to showcase some of the amazing work being done in that community. We started at Everdale, a farm in Hillsburgh whose “mission is to be a farm-based organization that provides hands-on, solution-based food and farming education to build and engage healthy local communities”, and got to see the area that was recently harvested in support of the local East Wellington Community Services food bank.
After touring the farm, seeing the greenhouse and selecting a recently harvested squash, it was off to the Erin District High School to see their Farm Project, where an area in front of the school was transformed into a teaching farm that provides local, fresh, organic produce! We witnessed the multitude of volunteers harvesting what was grown, as well as some planting in preparation of next year. Connected to the High School is the local seniors centre, where we saw yet another example of a community organized garden run by the seniors.
We then got the opportunity to enter the local food bank for a peek. Having never been inside one previously, it brought into focus looking at the items on the shelves that we take for granted just how fortunate we have been to have never needed to rely on this important service. Maybe more importantly, the empty areas on the shelves made it apparent that more is always needed…
In the midst of this musing, the fresh produce that was just harvested at the school arrived and placed on the table for sorting and distributing to those who need it. In just a couple of hours, we were treated to a full circle demonstration of how a community can work together to provide one of our most basic needs - fresh, healthy food!
“Thanks for the photos – they are lovely!! We look forward to sharing these with the food bank too. Thanks again for your help on the day and being flexible as we moved to a few locations!”