Dakota Halfpenny, Author at United Way Elgin Middlesex

The #LocalLove Letter, local news with impact.

Join the Make it Livable initiative

by Dakota Halfpenny on February 2, 2024 Comments Off

The #LoveLove Letter, United Way Elgin Middlesex

local news with impact

Kelly Ziegner, President & CEO United Way Elgin Middlesex

We value your support of United Way’s mission to improve lives and build community, so I’ll get straight to the point: We need to Make it Livable.

Make it Livable is a United Way-led push to persuade the Ontario government to increase social assistance rates so that all recipients have a dignified, livable income.

Participants at a town hall talk at Wolf Performance Hall in early January heard real stories of how people struggle to meet their basic needs, while receiving payments that, if you factor in inflation, are hundreds of dollars lower than they were 25 years ago.

These are families with kids, people with disabilities and individuals in crisis – people whose incomes in many instances sit at less than half the poverty line.

It’s just not livable. It makes no economic or ethical sense.

In just the past two weeks, hundreds of people have endorsed our recommendation that the province:

Double Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates to bring people’s income above the official poverty line.
Index both ODSP and OW rates to inflation.

We ask you to advocate with us by supporting the recommendation, before Feb. 20, so that we can send a strong message to the provincial government that raising social assistance rates now needs to be a spending priority for 2024-2025.

Yes, it’s a bold request.

But the cost of doing nothing has been far too high for far too long.

As an organization – and as a community that cares deeply about neighbours-in-need – we work to reduce and prevent poverty every day. And we can do that most effectively when we also tackle poverty’s root causes.

I‘ll leave you with the words of Elizabeth McIsaac, president of the Maytree Foundation and keynote speaker at the town hall event: “Social assistance is an opportunity to invest in individuals, families and community … We can re-envision social assistance so it puts the person first, not the system.”

So let’s encourage the province to make that investment today, before the human cost escalates even more.

Be #United with us and for this community.

Join us now and Make it Livable.

Kelly Ziegner
President & CEO, United Way Elgin Middlesex

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Make it Livable in the news — Couldn’t make it out to the town hall event? Hear and read one person’s story of how social assistance rates are keeping people in poverty, and how it’s having an impact on all of us.

211 is here for you — If you need help for you or a loved one, call 211 to speak to a Navigator who can connect you to information, programs and services close to home. Free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in over 150 languages by phone, live chat and email.

Share the Love 50/50 Lottery for United Way — You’ll get one extra day to play Share the Love, in a leap-year edition of our 50/50 draw that will delight two winners. One ticket-holder who plays by 8:59 a.m. on Feb. 14 will win an early-bird gift pack valued at $500 that includes premium London Knights tickets and Downtown Dollars. And one ticket-holder will win half the total proceeds when the lottery closes at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 29. Play today!

Share the Love, The 50/50 Lottery for United Way. Win win final draw Feb 29, 2024.

You could win! Leap into Share the Love Feb. 1-29

by Dakota Halfpenny on February 1, 2024 Comments Off

It’s time to take the leap and Share the Love.

United Way’s leap-year edition of Share the Love, the 50/50 Lottery for United Way, offers Ontarians a fun and exciting way to win cash and support our community.

New this year: an exciting Early Bird draw folks won’t want to miss! Participants could win a prize package valued at more than $500, including premium seats for 4 at the Feb 19 London Knights Game, by securing their tickets before the 8:59 a.m. on Feb 14, 2024 deadline.

Early bird ticket buyers, including the winner, are also eligible for the final 50/50 draw on March 1, which offers a chance to win half the pot.

Last year’s winner took home $14,247.50. That’s a whole lot of cash and a whole lot of love!

Buy tickets

Ticket sales open February 1 and end at 11:59 p.m. on February 29, 2024.There’s no limit to how many tickets you can buy – or how often you can play.

Also new this year: United Way ticket kiosks at pop-up locations and events around the region throughout the month of February.

Buyers can choose 20 tickets for $20, 100 tickets for $50, or 200 tickets for $75.
And because it’s a leap year, you have one extra day to buy tickets, one extra day to boost the total pot. One extra day of fun!

United Way will invest half of the winnings to improve lives locally and help our community partners reduce and alleviate the impacts of poverty. Last year, more than 65,000 people in our region found support at a United Way funded program or service.

Ontario Lottery License #RAF1364420

Buy tickets

Make it Livable town hall conversation, Jan 15, 2024 panelists on stage.

United Way calls on Ontario to double social assistance rates

by Dakota Halfpenny on January 16, 2024 Comments Off

Make it Livable town hall conversation, Jan 15, 2024 panelists on stage. Left to right: Craig Needles of Blackburn Radio, Elizabeth McIsaac, President of Maytree Foundation, Cheryl Forchuk, Professor at Western University, Ashley Harp of the Circles Program and Jeff Preston, Associate Professor at King’s University College.

“Social assistance is too low for people with disabilities, too low for families with children, too low for individuals in crisis. This is taking a huge toll on our most vulnerable neighbours and on our whole community. It needs to be fixed. And we urge folks who believe poverty is not ok to stand united in action with us.”

Kelly Ziegner
President and CEO, United Way Elgin Middlesex

In a regional drive with provincial impact, United Way Elgin Middlesex will ask the Ontario government to double social assistance rates that currently leave many recipients struggling far below the poverty line.

The push is part of a one-month Make it Livable advocacy initiative that began with a United-Way-led community conversation on Jan. 15 highlighting how current OW and ODSP rates fall far short of meeting recipients’ basic needs.

Live event available to watch thanks to Rogers TV.

United Way is seeking local support for its recommendation that the province:

Double Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates to bring people’s income above the official poverty line; and
Index both ODSP and OW rates to inflation

Endorse our recommendation

The recommendation and local endorsements will be presented to the Ontario government by Feb. 29 for consideration in the provincial 2024-2025 budget.

“Social assistance is too low for people with disabilities, too low for families with children, too low for individuals in crisis. This is taking a huge toll on our most vulnerable neighbours and on our whole community. It needs to be fixed. And we urge folks who believe poverty is not ok to stand united in action with us,” said United Way Elgin Middlesex president and CEO Kelly Ziegner.

United Way is asking people in this region to step up and:

Endorse the United Way recommendation that the province designate 2024-2025 budget money to Make it Livable for people on social assistance
Contact Premier Doug Ford and MPPs to increase social assistance rates to above-poverty levels
Check out the facts and issues on the Make it Livable website
Share #MakeItLivable support with their friends and networks

“As the region’s largest non-government investor in social services that reduce and prevent poverty, we’ve seen people’s dire need for livable, dignified level of income,” Ziegner said. “The status quo is too costly for them, and for all of us.”

Kelly Ziegner, speaking during the Make it Livable town hall

Panelists at the Jan. 15 town hall were Western University professor Cheryl Forchuk, King’s University College professor Jeff Preston, and Circles London coach Ashley Harp.

Two of the four panelists have lived in poverty and have received social assistance – and are now strong advocates with people receiving social assistance.

Keynote speaker was Elizabeth McIsaac, President of Maytree Foundation, a Canadian think-tank centred on evidence-based solutions to poverty. The session was moderated by Craig Needles of Blackburn Radio.

McIsaac noted that a single person receiving Ontario Works gets $733 per month. Factoring in inflation, they have $200 less buying power each month than in the days of Premier Mike Harris, who cut welfare rates by 21.6 per cent in 1995. “Over time, we have not made progress. In fact, we have gone backwards,” McIsaac said.

Keynote speaker was Elizabeth McIsaac, President of Maytree Foundation talking during panel

She added, “Social assistance is an opportunity to invest in individuals, families and community … We can re-envision social assistance so it puts the person first, not the system.”

Panelists said too-low social assistance can perpetuate poverty either by making recipients spend their days in survival mode or by penalizing those who do find some work but who then can’t afford childcare or transportation.

“We’re putting people into the world’s worst ‘choose your own adventure’ that’s ever been invented,” Preston said.

Jeff Preston, professor, King’s University College, talking during panel

United Way, a non-partisan partner working with dozens of local agencies and with all levels of government to reduce and prevent poverty, advocates for a community where everyone matters.

United Way provides strategic leadership and investment to more than 50 local poverty-fighting programs and services aimed at ensuring everyone has a fair shot at a good life.

By the numbers

The poverty line in Ontario for a single person is $2,302/month ($27,631/year), as calculated through the federal Market Basket Measurement and based on the cost of a specific basket of goods and services representing a modest, basic standard of income.
The average cost of a market-rate, one-bedroom apartment in this region is $1,378/month.
A single person on Ontario Works receives $733/month, an amount frozen for the past five years.
A single person on Ontario Disability Support gets $1,308/month. While an ODSP increase of 6.5 per cent in 2023 was a welcome step, the increase didn’t catch up to years of inadequate funding by successive provincial governments.

A town-hall discussion about social assistance hosted by United Way Elgin Middlesex. Featuring Elizabeth McIsaac of Maytree Foundation, Professor Cheryl Forchuk, Associate Profressor Jeff Preston, and Circles London Coach Ashley Harp.

We need to talk about social assistance

by Dakota Halfpenny on January 10, 2024 Comments Off

Social assistance rates in Ontario are not just inadequate. They’re unlivable.

With rates stuck at less than half the Canadian poverty line for most recipients, our most vulnerable neighbours – people with disabilities, families with kids and individuals in crisis – can’t afford food, rent and other necessities.

United Way Elgin Middlesex is launching a public conversation, beginning with a town hall talk with local and national experts, that asks the province to Make it Livable.

Everyone is invited to register for this free event and lend their voices to this critical advocacy campaign.

WHAT: Make it Livable town hall
WHEN: Monday, January 15, 2024 , 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas St., London
WHO: Hosts: United Way Elgin Middlesex President & CEO Kelly Ziegner and Maly Bun-Lebert, United Way board chair; moderator Craig Needles, Blackburn Radio.

Panelists: Western University professor Cheryl Forchuk, King’s University College professor Jeff Preston, and Circles London coach Ashley Harp.

Keynote speaker: Elizabeth McIsaac, President of Maytree Foundation, a Canadian think-tank centred on evidence-based solutions to poverty.

Participants will help shape an answer to the question: What would it look like if people receiving Ontario Disability and Ontario Works supports were to receive a livable, dignified level of income?

During the event, we will announce key next steps in the push to Make it Livable.

Advocacy in Action, Bring Affordable Housing Home

In the News: Op-Ed – Non-profits a key to solving housing crisis

by Dakota Halfpenny on December 13, 2023 Comments Off

“Now is the time to pull together, act and invest in the measures we know will deliver the housing options we need. We haven’t a moment to lose. Ontarians are depending on us. Let’s bring affordable housing home now.”
Opinion-editorial by United Ways of Ontario, in Metroland news outlets. Dec. 12, 2023

Top leaders from 22 United Ways across Ontario have agreed that the non-profit housing sector is ready-built to meet the continuum of need for urgent and long-term affordable housing in communities across the province. In this op-ed published in the Metroland Media chain, United Way Elgin Middlesex is among signatories advocating for greater support for the community housing sector and implementation of the new United Way-led action plan, Bringing Affordable Housing Home.

United Way Elgin Middlesex is a leader in affordable-housing advocacy, and President and CEO Kelly Ziegner was an invited participant last month in a province-led forum that will inform the government’s upcoming housing supply action plan.

Download the action plan for housing stability in Ontario.

Cardinal Tree of Life, art by Yolanda Juarez a participant at The Micro Enterprise

Celebrating joy, #United in community

by Dakota Halfpenny on December 6, 2023 Comments Off

local news with impact

2023 #LocalLove Letter Holiday card art, Yolanda Juarez Cardinal Tree of Life

My family knows I’m a planner, a do-er. But I also like to leave space, especially at this time of year, for discovering joy in unexpected places at unexpected times.

Perhaps you feel that too – a craving for serendipity, as warm as a toque in a snowstorm of to-do lists.

If so, I’d invite you to meet Yolanda Juarez, whose artwork graces this email and our holiday story. In her Cardinal Tree of Life, Yolanda has transformed ordinary beads and wire into extraordinary, exuberant art.

Cardinal Tree of Life is an original work by Yolanda Juarez, an artisan working out of My Sister’s Place, The Micro Enterprise, a not-for-profit organization empowering women in business and art. Created of repurposed beads and hand-twisted wire, the work represents joy and beauty that can be found in everyone and every season.

“I love decorating for all the holidays and all the seasons, and winter is the season for cardinals,” she explains of her piece. “I’ve added butterflies, too, because they’re all about metamorphosis. Caterpillars change and become more beautiful, like all of us.”

More than most of us, Yolanda knows about change.

She trained as an electrical engineer in El Salvador and, after coming to Canada in 1985, worked and raised a young family while re-certifying in her profession. The day Yolanda was to graduate in 1993, she was in a car crash that left her with serious and permanent injuries.

“It was hard to accept, but I’m the kind of person who doesn’t give up,” she notes.

With a 10-year-old, six-year-old and a baby to care for, Yolanda began eight years of physiotherapy and speech therapy. Unable to work, she started volunteering.

This past March, Yolanda became a participant at The Micro Enterprise, a social enterprise located in the coach house behind My Sisters’ Place where United Way has invested support for years.

At The Micro Enterprise (operated through Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services), women artisans create and sell their handiwork, learn business skills, receive mentorship and become mentors.

“Yolanda creates masterpieces,” says Sheela Gurushanta, Micro Enterprise co-ordinator. “She learns so fast and is so creative, we realize her previous knowledge and muscle memory are working with her imaginative side.”

For Yolanda, it’s also about belonging.

“I find peace of mind when I come here,” she says. “I find friendships that are really important to me. Every day here, I find purpose.”

Yolanda’s story, and Cardinal Tree of Life now shining brightly in our office, embodies that unexpected beauty.

Her story reminds me of the transformations that can happen when people stand #United for a community where everyone matters.

Today, as you tick your holiday to-do lists, we hope you pause and celebrate your personal version of what Yolanda has discovered in her new-found community: peace, friendship and purpose.

From our United Way family to yours, we wish you the best of holidays.

Kelly Ziegner
President & CEO, United Way Elgin Middlesex

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Feel Good Giving — Looking to find the perfect, meaningful holiday gift for clients, staff and suppliers? With Feel Good Giving through United Way, you can donate an hour of tutoring for a child, a meal for a neighbour-in-need and so much more. And it’s guaranteed to be the perfect size!

Give now for maximum impact — If you want your do-gooding to do even ‘gooder’, check out these donation options before Dec. 31. Your year-end giving could power up matching donations from dedicated community investors and generate a healthier credit for you at tax time.

United in Action – Save the date — Join us in a panel discussion advocating for people living on social-assistance benefits that leave them struggling far below the poverty line. RSVP today.

Bringing affordable housing home — There’s a need and shared obligation to solve today’s housing crisis. A new United Way Action Plan for Housing Stability offers seven concrete recommendations intended to achieve results.

Left to right: Max, vocalist and lead guitarist is wearing red ballcap, jeans; Kaelin, drummer is blonde with a pink toque and Adidas pants; Evan, basist is wearing a Columbia toque and khaki pants.

Punkers go Full Throttle for United Way

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 16, 2023 Comments Off

We’re all from A.B Lucas high school, where fundraising events for United Way are a big part of the school culture. Every year and all year, for all the students, it’s a really big thing.”

Max McGill
Full Throttle, vocalist and lead guitarist

High-schoolers Max McGill, Kaelin Chase and Evan Levite decided during their first jam session in March 2020 to go Full Throttle on plans for live performances.

A day later, a global pandemic lockdown forced the fledgling band to stomp on the brakes. They weren’t able to practise face-to-face, much less plan any gigs.

Restrictions that might have stopped other new bands in their tracks instead gave power-punk-pop band Full Throttle the motivation to work independently on their song-writing and instrumental skills.

Today, the teenage trio is preparing to celebrate its debut EP, entitled “Premature”, during a Nov. 29 release party – with event proceeds supporting United Way Elgin Middlesex.

The debut party takes place at Toboggan Brewing Company at 585 Richmond St., London, starting at 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 29.

Full Throttle has quickly gained popularity since winning the Forest City London Music Awards battle of the high school bands last year. Their fourth single, All I Want, had 10,000 streams in a little more than a month.

And in the past six months alone, Full Throttle has played about 20 gigs in London and as far afield as Toronto.

United Way’s work to invest in community-building for neighbours in need has been engrained in their growing up.

“We’re all from A.B Lucas high school, where fundraising events for United Way are a big part of the school culture. Every year and all year, for all the students, it’s a really big thing,” said Max McGill, vocalist and lead guitarist.

Added bandmate and bassist Evan Levite, “When we decided to have a release party, we figured it made sense to use our crowd to spread the word about how United Way helps in the community.”

The EP, recorded at Beach Road Studios in summer 2023, was produced by Juno Award-winning Siegfried Meier. They are represented by Lemmon Entertainment and their album released on Lemmon Records.

Drummer Kaelin Chase said they’ve played cover tunes but have been writing and performing their own music since they began. The EP’s six songs are all original.

Full Throttle’s musical and community mentors along the way have included their teachers and parents. Musically, they’ve been inspired by the work of local bands such as 63 Monroe, The Gandharvas, The Demics and Bobnoxious.

“We’re really pleased Full Throttle has chosen to spotlight United Way as they celebrate this next big step in their career,” said United Way development director Jennepher Cahill.

“Not only do they have a great sound as a band, they’re a remarkable group of local young people with a keen interest in doing good for the community,” she said.

Bringing affordable housing home

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 15, 2023 Comments Off

Action plan for housing stability in Ontario outlines achievable
ways to solve housing crisis

Governments, and the private and non-profit sectors, must together forge new ways to house all Ontarians, says a United Way action plan that emphasizes the importance of partnerships in building affordable and deeply affordable housing.

The blueprint released this week notes that community housing sector is “a critical part” of the equation and “an indispensable partner” for governments looking to solve the local and provincial housing crisis.

Entitled Bringing Affordable Housing Home: An Action Plan for Housing Stability in Ontario, the report offers up seven recommendations to solve the local and provincial crisis in housing. Following each recommendation are concrete steps – a blueprint for achieving each recommendation – that can significantly contribute to our collective progress in growing housing security in Ontario, including in partnership with the non-profit sector.

Local experts were among 400 non-profit leaders who contributed to the report, shared this week by all United Ways in Ontario to municipal, provincial and federal governments.

“These recommendations align with the long-term goals of London’s Whole of Community Response to Homelessness, specifically the pillar of affordable housing,” said Kelly Ziegner, president and CEO OF United Way Elgin Middlesex.

“We are proud to say that several of our community partners and members of the Health and Homeless Initiative contributed their experience and expertise to the creation of this action plan.

“Implementing this action plan will help achieve the desired outcomes of the Whole of Community Response and bring stability to our region’s affordable housing sector,” Ziegner said.

Having a safe, affordable and accessible home is foundational to building a stable life and a healthy community, the report notes.

Even so, nearly two in five renting households in Ontario pay unaffordable rents. Not only does that place hundreds of thousands of Ontarians into hardship, it increases pressure on all community programs and services.

From 1990 to 2021, only eight per cent of housing starts were rentals, and just 0.4% were non-market-rate housing.

“The need and our shared obligation are clear. We must find a way to house Ontarians – all Ontarians,” the report says.

“Non-profit housing and co-operative housing providers are eager to deliver affordable and deeply affordable housing for lower income households, in perpetuity. They are ready to provide the supports and services needed to increase the well-being of communities facing myriad social and economic challenges,” the blueprint continues.

The seven recommendations:

Land and Assets. Federal, provincial, and municipal governments make surplus lands and assets available to non-profit and co-operative housing providers to grow deeply affordable and supportive housing options across Ontario.
Investment. Federal, provincial, and municipal governments increase investment in and improve greater access to financing for the development of affordable and deeply affordable homes across Ontario.
Incentives. The provincial government, in partnership with municipal governments, provides development incentives that prioritize non-profit housing organizations and establishes flexible programs that maximize the community housing sector’s capacity to compete in the housing market effectively.
Preservation. The provincial government, in partnership with federal and municipal governments, provides consistent and predictable long-term funding to preserve existing deeply affordable housing and supportive housing options offered by the community housing sector.
Supports and protections. All levels of government supply housing stabilization and eviction prevention supports and strengthen tenant protections to help renters access and maintain affordable and secure homes
Indigenous housing. The federal and provincial governments address and prioritize persistent housing and homelessness challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples through a dedicated strategy, programs and supports developed and implemented in partnership with Indigenous leaders, diverse Indigenous communities, housing providers, and all levels of government.
Collaboration and partnership. The federal and provincial governments coordinate housing strategies, plans and programs with municipal governments while promoting cross-sector collaboration and resource sharing.

Download the action plan for housing stability in Ontario.

Living Wage Week, Woman with a red hat on is cleaning dishes in a kitchen

Paying a living wage benefits staff, workplaces, community

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 10, 2023 Comments Off

One of United Way’s core values is to help give everyone in the community a fair shot at a good life – to invest in people, programs and policies that reduce and prevent poverty.”

Roxanne Riddell
community impact director, United Way Elgin Middlesex

Organizations committed to paying a living wage benefit not only their employees but their workplaces, communities and corporate bottom lines, advocates say.

During Living Wage Week, United Way reminds employers that paying people a living wage is an all-around win for everyone – and a critical tool to reduce and prevent poverty.

A living wage reflects what people need to cover the real costs of living in their community. With the working poor accounting for 42% of those living in poverty, living-wage employers have made a commitment to make life better for their employees and, by extension, their community.

The London Elgin Oxford living wage for 2023 is $18.85/hour. This figure represents an increase of 4.3% over 2022’s rate of $18.06.

“One of United Way’s core values is to help give everyone in the community a fair shot at a good life – to invest in people, programs and policies that reduce and prevent poverty,” said Roxanne Riddell, United Way’s community impact director.

“That mindset has to include leading by example, and so we committed in 2019 to being a living-wage employer,” she said. “We’re proud to be part of a growing group of diverse employers that, as a matter of justice and good business practice, are committed to paying living wages.”

A graphic depiction of how the 2023 living wage of $18.85/hour for London Elgin Oxford is calculated.

Shelter, transportation, food, child care and other factors go into calculating the 2023 living wage of $18.85/hour in London Elgin Oxford. (Source: Ontario Living Wage Network)

Paying a living wage also makes good business sense. It’s more than just proof of a corporation’s core values and the company’s support for social justice: a living wage increases retention rates, reduces absenteeism, improves morale and boosts productivity. And increasing the spending power of families stimulates the local economy.

About 55 employers in London, St. Thomas and Elgin and Middlesex counties are certified living-wage employers.

The living-wage amount, reviewed annually, reflects how much a worker must earn per hour in order to make ends meet and enjoy modest participation in civic and cultural life.

The calculations are based on region-specific expenses including food, shelter, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, communications and childcare costs. They also take into account expenses for three types of households: two adults supporting two small children, a single parent, and a single adult. The results are weighed in with applicable government taxes, transfers, and benefits and then aggregated to come up with an hourly wage.

If you are interested in becoming a Certified Living Wage Employer, please contact the Ontario Living Wage Network by visiting their website: https://www.ontariolivingwage.ca/certify

Urban Roots, CSRF funded agency: Jen and Anna amid the sunflowers with packhouse in the back

Urban farm moves processing from shipping container to storage packhouse facilities with ‘room to grow’

by Dakota Halfpenny on November 8, 2023 Comments Off

This project is helping us tackle food insecurity in this region. We’re more efficient than ever before. And that’s important because we know people in our community are in need of fresh and affordable food.”

Anna Badillo
Urban Roots, Executive Director

An urban farm that donates organically grown produce to the community can help more people than ever after using pandemic-recovery funding to build two industrial sheds on its southeast London property.

Urban Roots’ new cold storage and wash/packhouse sheds have replaced a cramped, converted shipping container that the nonprofit had been using to process and store produce on its one-acre farm.

With two larger structures, the organization can now keep its harvested fruits and vegetables fresh and safe from weather, insects and animals. And staff and volunteers finally have plenty of room to work together, processing that produce for distribution.

“This project is helping us tackle food insecurity in this region,” said Urban Roots Executive Director, Anna Badillo. “We’re more efficient than ever before. And that’s important because we know people in our community are in need of fresh and affordable food.”

Completed in September, the sheds are among 26 projects United Way Elgin Middlesex allocated to receive funding from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund to address needs that have emerged or increased since the start of COVID-19.

Pandemic led to increased demand, decreased capacity

Urban Roots turns underused urban property into farmland, then operates on a model of thirds. It sells a third of its produce at below market rate from its three London locations; donates a third to partner community organizations who provide it to people they serve; and sells a third to local restaurants and food outlets. The nonprofit also brings in hundreds of volunteers each year and runs educational workshops.

Since the pandemic — in a region where the health unit says one in five households are “food insecure” — Urban Roots has been trying to keep up with increasing demand.

Growing and cultivating the food has not been the problem. In the six years since the nonprofit started planting, it has increased its annual harvest from 1,000 pounds in 2017 to more than 20,000 last year.

Until now, the problem had been keeping that food fresh with limited storage. Often produce would have to be left outside, and despite best efforts to keep it protected, some would rot or be eaten by insects and animals before it could be distributed.

“We had a huge bottleneck,” said Badillo. “The shipping container was too small to accommodate the increase in orders.”

‘Food shouldn’t be a privilege — it’s a right’

“At Urban Roots, we believe food shouldn’t be a privilege — it’s a right,” said Jenn Daniel, who was hired to oversee the packhouse construction as part of the pandemic recovery project.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about whether you can pay for rent this month or have fresh greens. You should be able to do both.”

Urban Roots, Jen among asparagus

It’s why she started selling rhubarb for $1 per pound, after seeing the same amount at a grocery store for $8 – “people shouldn’t have to choose between rhubarb and eggs,” she said.

And it’s why she feels so excited about the new sheds.

“We are seeing a lot more folks coming out to our farmgate market, and in general more need for affordable food,” she said. “Now we can do so much more because we have so much more space.”

Now we can be consistent and reliable

During one week this September, Urban Roots distributed over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to six community markets in addition to running its twice-weekly farmgate market at its Norland Avenue farm.

A year ago, that would have been an “extremely stressful” week, Badillo said.

“We’d be sending lots of last-minute emails saying we can’t make this delivery at this time, or we don’t have space to process the orders,” she said.

Urban Roots, Anna and Jen in front of packhouses

But this year, everything went beautifully. The fresh fruits and vegetables were ready for distribution as promised.

“Now we can be consistent and reliable for our community market partners and we can keep our produce fresher for longer,” said Badillo.

“Now we have so much potential to grow.”

See the full list of funded projects and for more information about the Community Services Recovery Fund.