Grow project harvest season is well underway as projects in support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are being combined. Tuesday was a particularly busy day with four taken off across the region; Common Ground near Rosenfeld, Hands Harvest Hope by Darlingford, Gardenland near Boundary Trails Health Centre and the SHARE project also near Darlingford.
"It's just wonderful to see the communities coming out to harvest food, which will be used as financial resources for people who don't have enough food," said Manitoba Regional Rep Gordon Janzen who attended the Common Ground harvest, and noted harvest days are always good days. "I just appreciate people who are in what I call this network of generosity, looking beyond themselves. So, as foodgrains bank, we really appreciate the communities in Manitoba that are working together to end hunger."
This year there are nearly three dozen grow projects scattered throughout the province, with the majority of those in Southern Manitoba.
"They have a big impact," noted Janzen when asked what impact all of those volunteers and projects have on the Foodgrains Bank's work around the world. "Last year we had half of the donations in Manitoba come from growing projects, and then beyond that there's other individuals and also individual farmers who contribute. The growing project groups provided half of our support in Manitoba last year, and that's really very significant, and it's just great to have connections with these groups."
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Janzen participated in a Learning Tour to Nepal earlier this year, and with that experience in mind, was asked what commonalities there are between those benefitting from the grow projects and those growing them here.
"The first commonality that comes to mind is the idea of communities working together," he reflected. "It's not just an individual in the growing project, but it's a whole community that makes this possible. Also on the program, I noticed how it's our work to bring communities together, and in working together they find ways to improve their communities."
A special guest joining Janzen at Tuesday's Common Ground harvest near Rosenfeld was Wesley Ncube, MCC Constituency Relations Coordinator. He also offered a couple thoughts on the same question.
"Working with someone here in Canada, and also farmers elsewhere, one of the things that I can say (about) the commonality you ask, I think it's gratefulness on both sides," he said. "Here, farmers are grateful for whatever they have, and they want to share with other people. The people that receive are also grateful for the grace they receive from the from the farmers on this side."
With files from Candace Derksen