Part of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets - Farmers’ Institute members can sell in the barn on Wednesdays (and most Saturdays, even in fall, winter and early spring) or use the barn’s refrigerators and freezers for their farm use (such as distributing frozen meat to customers, keeping produce cold and stored for the markets). The solar panels, commercial freezers and commercial refrigerators were partially funded by the Government of Canada Local Food Infrastructure Fund in 2020.
Before the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Farmers’ Institute received $17,485 for a Local Food Infrastructure Project from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. This funding, and a matching amount from the Farmers’ Institute, was for the purchase of a refrigerator and freezer for the small barn behind the hall, for solar panels on the roof, improvements to the barn and the development of a expanded food distribution system for the food producers on the island. We envisioned a mid-week food distribution market for farmers, focussed on local eaters and the BC Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program. We have worked on this through and after the pandemic, providing local meat, eggs, and produce for our community.
We are also fortunate to have received $17,000 in funding from the United Way Food Security Grant in 2024 to purchase food processing equipment. This is intended to improve our ability to process meat, fruit and produce and fill gaps in our food system.
