RINGING IN A NEW DECADE - FEBRUARY NETWORK MEETING

In January, the board and staff had the privilege of taking part in a second workshop with Dawn Morrison about Indigenous Food Sovereignty and we look forward to integrating this knowledge into our work.

Some board members and staff are planning to participate in the City of Kamloops upcoming public consultation for the Community Climate Action Plan. The date for the public consultation has not been announced yet.

Staff and contractors are currently doing some shifting of organizational duties to place a greater emphasis on grant writing and fundraising. Staff and contractor presence might seem a bit limited for the upcoming month or so as Sandra is away on vacation and Bonnie is busy focusing her time on grant writing.

Other things staff and contractors are up to…

• Michelle will be part of a panel discussion on expanding regional agricultural supports at the Island Agriculture Show in Duncan tomorrow (February 6). This stems from the policy implementation project that launched the Food Hub pilot and more recently started discussing the formation of a Farmers Institute.

• Bonnie will be a panelist at the Economic Unity Conference, hosted by Community Future Development Corporation of Central Interior First Nations, here in Kamloops on February 20-21

• Sandra is recruiting a KFPC team to help Kamloops Reach at the May 17th PitStop meal. Watch for her article in the Connector. Contact Sandra if you would like to be involved.

• The Food Hub pilot wrapped up and the report was completed. The team is awaiting the release of the next stage of funding to continue the development of this project.

• KFPC is a community partner for a 2-Day Food Business Planning Workshop on Feb 10 & 11 at the United Church: This is an excellent opportunity for local food businesses:

  • The workshop is ideal for micro, small, and medium-sized food processors looking to improve and/or expand their operations, as well as farmers looking to create value-added products.

  • It is a 9 module workshop series that covers: business planning, marketing, product development, financial planning, quality management, packaging, production & costing, logistics, and resources & networking.

  • Cost for the 2 day workshop is $100 per participant

  • Check out the Blog section of the KFPC website for more information.

Community News & Updates

• Farmers’ Market archives need help sorting: February & March. Contact wed@kamloopsfarmersmarket.com

• Naturalist Club wants to host workshops and educational resources for Kamloops residents regarding personal land management to support species biodiversity and climate change resilience. Contact kamloopswildgrowers@gmail.com

• Shelaigh provided updates on the Qwemtsin Health and Skeetchestn Food Forest projects, as well as celebrating the recent completion of a Permaculture Design Certificate course.

• Two NorKam students shared about their Fridays for Future events, organizing climate strikes, and the NorKam Environmental and Upcycling Club. Composting has started at NorKam. This is a passionate group of students!

• Carole shared a thought provoking poem.

• Diane, the Mount Paul Community Food Centre’s Food Literacy Coordinator shared about new kids’ programs and a new Food Sense program coming soon, as well as a more formalized garden program that will include kids’ programming.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 4, 5:30 – 7:30
**Panel Discussion with Dawn Morrison and Joanne Taylor on climate chaos mitigation, particularly relating to water**

Set up: Rob W, Diane M
Clean up: Ben C, Carole H
Note taker: Emily P