By: Alyssa Rush and Edited by: Matthew Kang
The local food movement matters now more than ever.
But how can we change our spending habits to support our local communities? Have you heard of the “ten-dollar challenge, billion-dollar impact?”
It’s a simple but powerful idea: if every family in Ontario shifted just over $10 a week of their regular grocery budget towards local food, we could generate $2.4 billion in local economic impact each year.
This would create over 10,000 new jobs!
By making small changes in how we spend our grocery dollars, we can strengthen our local food systems and build more resilient communities.
What counts as local food?
Local food isn’t limited to one source. It can come from:
- Community gardens
- Local farms
- Neighbourhood farm markets
- Even your own backyard!
Eating locally also means enjoying the changing seasons, from fresh greens in spring to hearty root vegetables in the fall.
Want to get started?
One of the best ways to support local is by purchasing a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) box from a nearby farm. (Check out this link to learn more about our 2024 Food Champion, Common Ground Farm and their CSA)
When you buy a CSA share, you commit to receiving part of a farm’s harvest throughout the season.
Shares often include:
-
- Fresh vegetables and fruit
- Eggs
- Meat and poultry
- Microgreens
- Flowers
It’s a win-win.
Farmers gain reliable income, and you get fresh, local food delivered to your doorstep or a local pickup point.
Shifting $10 of your grocery budget into your local food economy each week can spark real change.
Share this challenge with your family and friends. Share it on social media. Take action.
Support your local community and farmers. Starting with just ten dollars.
This is such an exciting possibility, and well presented in this article. The benefits of local food are endless – from the high quality, gorgeous colours, & delicious flavours and aromas – to the great feeling of knowing you’re shortening the supply chain, supporting neighbours, and contributing to the resilience of our region’s ability to feed us into the future.
I have been loving rainbow chard from New Moon this week! It’s delicious sauteed with a little lemon & salt.