South Shore Community Gathering

Organizers: Sheila Bird and Dayle Eshelby
Co-hosted by: Facilitator Corrie Melanson of See Meaning and Catherine Hart a FoodARC Research Associate.

This regional gathering and conversation was hosted as part of the outreach project “Looking Back to Move Ahead,” which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and is being led by FoodARC and some of its partners.

The project involves collaborating with local organizers to co-host a series of regional gatherings that serve as opportunities for outreach, knowledge and story sharing, action planning, and capacity building, and which focus on local priorities and interests.

The purpose of this gathering was:

• To share stories and opportunities around making food matter in our community
• To identify community food priorities to inform FoodARC’s visioning process and potentially spark local food initiatives
• To gain clarity on the capacity of the community and FoodARC to support the implementation of community food initiative

The event’s twenty attendees introduced themselves with help from a meaningful photograph they selected upon arrival. Community members spoke energetically about where they were from, the role that food plays in their life, why they came, and what connected them to the particular photo they chose.

Catherine Hart introduced the Food Action Research Centre and shared the findings of the most recent cycle of Participatory Food Costing in Nova Scotia. The research is published in “ Can Nova Scotians Afford to Eat Healthy?

Participants had paired conversations, guided by questions. Attendees moved into groups to distill highlights, connections, and new insights.

We greatly appreciate the hospitality and catering by the Women’s Institute and we felt fortunate to work in a space like the Sable River Community Hall for this gathering.