In January 2020, we officially launched Our Food Future — Guelph-Wellington’s ambitious initiative to create Canada’s first circular food economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and made worse many of the challenges Our Food Future aims to resolve.
Grow Back Better is Our Food Future’s 10-point recovery plan in response to COVID-19. We are reprioritizing or restructuring existing elements of Our Food Future to provide immediate support to three core priorities in our local food economy:
- Increasing access to affordable, nutritious food
- Supporting new and existing food businesses
- Strengthening regional food system resiliency
In the coming weeks and months, we will be launching different programs focused on these priorities areas and the 10-point plan. Grow Back Better will leverage $1.6 million in funding from Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge and supports the City’s economic and social response to COVID-19.
Support Emergency Food Home Delivery
Our Food Future is supporting The SEED to provide those most impacted by COVID-19 with immediate access to nutritious food. Support our community today through our new Harve$t Impact Community Donation Platform. Donate now.
Kids Get Growing Gardening Kit
Our Food Future, in partnership with the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph, is providing free gardening kits to over 700 kids in Guelph-Wellington. Registration for these kits is now closed due to an overwhelming and fast response. In the coming weeks we’ll be placing Build Your Own garden kit instructions on this site to help you and your family garden at home. You can find more information at the Get Growing! – Urban Agriculture page.
Guelph Farmers’ Market Online
Find some of your favourite Guelph Farmers’ Market vendors on our online storefront. Our Food Future is helping connect food producers and consumers on the Open Food Network, an open source, not-for-profit e-commerce platform. Order online from local producers today! You can still find links to market vendors not on the Open Food Network on the Guelph Farmers’ Market website.
Seeding Our Food Future – Micro-grant project
Seeding Our Food Future is a grant program offering $5,000 in seed funding plus training and support for 40 new and existing Guelph-Wellington food system businesses, not-for-profits and social enterprises. Apply today! Applications are due by June 30.
Guelph-Wellington Urban Agriculture Challenge
The Guelph-Wellington Urban Agriculture Challenge is looking for your great ideas for community and urban food growing. Our collaborator, 10C, is offering $102,000 in funding to implement ideas and projects that will support circular economic recovery and accelerate food production, getting more food to the table with less environmental impact. Apply today, the deadline for the first phase is October 30, 2020. Join the conversation at The Kitchen Table.
More programs coming soon
Check back soon for future program information or sign up below for updates.
For more information
Smart Cities Office
519-822-1260 extension 3559
27 Douglas Street, Guelph
[email protected]
