Program updates

By Kathryn Scharf, Program Director

Remember we asked about a name for our kids programs? We had a couple of good suggestions, then a robust brainstorming session evolved Kids Dig it! out of someone’s random “Chixdiggit” comment. Mandy and Jocelyn deserve some recognition for their efforts (not the random comment part--that may have been me--but the creative and practical evolution part). On a roll, it would seem, Mandy and Christina went on to devise several possible names for our gardening workshops, including Get Down and Dirty and Dishin’ the Dirt. Now, what else is left to name...?

Lots going on in the garden department! A new community seed exchange has started out of The Green Barn. A group of YIMBY and Global Roots participants got together for the first time to sort and catalogue seeds from the various gardens they're involved with. Participants in our programs will all have access to these seeds. Others who are not directly involved, but who have seeds to donate or exchange, please get in touch with Liz . This year's gardening workshops (organic gardening 101 and starting seedlings) have gotten off to a good start, and YIMBY’s first backyard sharing meet-and-greet took place, with 40 people in attendance. This year, we're short on those with yards and have more interest from potential gardeners. (Last year was the opposite.) If you have a yard to share in either the Wychwood or Davenport neighbourhood, get in touch with Liz.

The FLY girls (a high school cooking and wellness program with Kamla) have been working their way through some of the foods typical to the cultural backgrounds of program participants. The series kicked off with Stop staffer Nadia demonstrating foods from St. Lucia, where she grew up. Last week, after an Egyptian-themed day was scotched due to illness, a last-minute “compare healthy food fast food variations to McDonald's” class was subbed in. Wish I could report that the response was 100 per cent in favour of sweet potato fries, but, according to Kamla, “reviews were mixed.” Opportunities for further re-programming will abound as several of the girls take part in March Break camp next week. They'll be making films at OISE, getting their hands dirty with gardening and vermicomposting units and see the food bank in action during a volunteer stint.

Another elusive quest--metrics that tell the story of our programs’ impact--received a forward push with our After School Program quiz. This quiz, which contained 20 questions about healthy eating, food preparation, gardening skills and knowledge of hunger/food security showed that the kids' scores increased from, on average, 30 per cent at the beginning of the program, to an average of 85 per cent at the end. Andrea--one of our resident evaluation nerds (who also happens to coordinate Kids Dig It!)--was jubilant. She sees the impact of the program every day, but it's harder to capture statistically. Beyond measuring knowledge through such a quiz, we've also been trying to test shifting attitudes and behaviours (how much do you like cooking, how confident are you could plant your own garden, etc). Now that we have Meredith on board helping us full-time and the replication process pushing us along, this evaluation work is going to really gain focus and momentum.

FARMERS' MARKET UPDATE

By Cookie Roscoe Handford, Market Manager

We still have storage veg at the market! Monforte and Fifth Town Cheese are going great guns with lots of cheeses that can all be tasted at the market. Akiwenzie's are done for the season; their boat's up on the shore and they'd need to cut through six feet of three-foot deep ice to get it to the water. So close and yet... Our knife sharpener, Denzil, is back from his holiday and ready to sharpen all your garden tools for you in time for spring. Don't forget to get your seeds from Colette at Urban Harvest.

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