Peggy O’Neil, a passionate home economist and former MLFPC Board Member, is releasing more episodes in Season 3 of her “Food for the Future” podcast! This podcast is your gateway to a world of inspiring stories, insightful conversations, and thought-provoking discussions about the future of food. Get ready to embark on a journey that celebrates local contributions for global encouragement.
Listen to these next episodes to hear from experts like Alicia Martin discussing mandatory food system literacy in education, and Carolyn Webb addressing waste reduction in school lunches and the push for a universal school food program. Explore local farm activities with Susan Lester-Ryan, Co-Owner of Lester’s Farm Market, and gain global insights on World Food Day with Jocelyn Brown Hall from the UN Food & Agriculture Organization. Don’t miss these engaging discussions on food, education, and sustainability!
Listen to the podcast at curiouscast.ca/podcast/1258/food-for-the-future-hosted-by-peggy-oneil/.
- Saturday September 23, 2023
Series: Food for Thought
Hear about innovative research on mandatory food system literacy in public education for Grades 1-12 from Alicia Martin, PhD Candidate, University of Guelph.
Learn more about Alicia Martin here: https://geg.uoguelph.ca/martin-alicia.
- Saturday September 30, 2023
Series: Waste Not
Discover ways to avoid waste in school lunches, and what is being done across Canada in support of a universal school food program with guest Carolyn Webb the Coordinator of the Coalition for Healthy School Food (Ontario Chapter).
Learn more about the Coalition for Healthy School here: https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/on-action.
- Saturday October 7, 2023
Series: Back to the Future
Find out what is happening for Fall on local, family-run farms, including apple-picking, visits to the pumpkin patch, and farmgate markets from Susan Lester-Ryan who is the Co-Owner of Lester’s Farm Market.
Learn more about Lester’s Farm Market here: https://lestersfarmmarket.com/about.html.
- Saturday October 14, 2023
Series: Our World
Learn what is happening across the globe on World Food Day (October 16th ), and see how small changes at home can make a big difference. Jocelyn Brown Hall, Executive Director, UN Food & Agriculture Organization (North America)
Learn more about World Food Day here: https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/en.
In the heart of downtown London, there exists an urban garden that has thrived for over three decades, thanks to the dedication of Yvonne and Chris Padadakos. These two gardeners have pursued their love for growing fresh fruits and vegetables as well as flowers and their garden shows how much they believe in growing your own food in a sustainable way. Though gardening in the city comes with its fair share of challenges—limited space and sunlight, and issues with animal/pest damage – they’ve come up with smart ways to protect their plants, and make the most of the space they have.
Ark Aid Street Mission and its dedicated team, including kitchen manager Rick Ford, are committed to providing healthy and nutritious food to the community through innovative initiatives like the Encampment Strategy Project. This initiative provides nutrient-rich meals tailored to address the specific health needs, such as IBS, colitis, gum disease, and malnutrition, that affect 80% of community members.
The Northwest London Resource Centre (NWLRC) is a community support leader that prioritizes food literacy and accessibility education for Northwest London’s residents, having reached out to 5,887 unique residents in 2021 alone. They operate an Emergency Food Cupboard in partnership with the London Food Bank’s Mobile Food Bank, have created a multilingual food item checklist, and adopted a needs-based approach to ensure fair distribution.
They also run several initiatives like the Cereal Box Challenge, Northwest Eats, and the Community Pop-Up Market to combat different facets of food insecurity. They source locally, partner with organizations, and involve the community, as seen in the Northwest Eats program, which involves youth volunteers preparing meals for distribution to families in need. Their Community Pop-Up Market, in partnership with Urban Roots, provides free, freshly-picked produce, distributed at their Sherwood Mall location.
The idea for a community-driven urban farm was born during the pandemic when Joe Gansevles recognized the need for accessible food in the London area. From bylaws, to being on a floodplain, to a lack of funding, challenges seemed to pop up at every corner. However, with the help of community members they were able to overcome these obstacles and form the PATCH!
provide employment training, and cultivate a safe space for volunteers and community members to garden and meet new people. Their stunning Cavendish Community Food Hub location is equipped with wheelchair-accessible gardens, follows eco-conscious practices, and has generated thousands of pounds of fresh produce this year!
accessible pots, raised garden beds, and roomy pathways to ensure participation from individuals of all abilities. Their Cavendish location exemplifies resourceful practices by repurposing donated wooden pallets as materials for garden beds, and redirecting waste as soil-enriching compost that is donated by The Wormery at the Western Fair District (thanks, Dan!). Committed to sustainability, they primarily deliver their produce to organizations by bicycle, clocking over 750k miles. Among their partnerships, they generously contribute their harvest to organizations such as the London Food Bank, Ark Aid Mission, and Indwell . It is truly a community effort!
designed for all to enjoy, regardless of sensory limitations. Additionally, they have plans for a streamlined irrigation system. 
operative housing complexes could have, that a university could have, that large-scale employers that have land that they could re-purpose and utilise for their workforce. Our long term plan would be that we can live in a city where there’s easy economical access to food for people, and this is an open-patent design. People can come and they can liberate what we’ve done and they can do it in their neighbourhoods, schools, and workforce. 
In the early days of the pandemic, Jacqueline Thompson, the Executive Director of LIFE*SPIN noticed a need in the community for healthy, organic, and accessible food. She partnered with Jeff Pastorius, the founder of On The Move Organics, to unite their efforts & create an initiative called the Community Food Box Project. Together, they recognized the need to address food insecurity that was amplified by the pandemic. The Community Food Box Project emerged as a lifeline, connecting local sustainable agriculture to the homes of families facing barriers to reliable food access.
Sixteen-year-old Zhawanoogbiik Danielle Riley embodies the spirit of compassion and community care. She has demonstrated great initiative as a Food System Champion by helping connect others with the resources they need to care for their animals.
The Middlesex Centre Pollinator Team has truly shined in supporting our local food system.
On The Move Organics, founded in 2008 by Jeff Pastorius, is on a mission to rebuild Ontario’s local food system by connecting with local farmers. Starting with bike deliveries in the Old East Village, the company expanded to offer groceries and delivery vehicles as demand grew.
non-carbon delivery options like bike deliveries and electric alternatives, and improve efficiency in their warehouse to reduce food waste and environmental impact. With a dedicated focus on locality and community outreach, On The Move Organics aims to make positive strides in the food system for years to come. Check out On The Move Organics’ website for more information: 
