After a summer of tender loving care, crops at nearby farms, community garden lots, backyard gardens and even sidewalk city planters produced a bountiful harvest.
Timmins’ anti-hunger and locavore communities celebrated that harvest on Saturday at Covenant United Church on Eighth Avenue.
Area farmers, grateful gardeners and eager food enthusiasts gathered at the church to celebrate the seventh annual Harvest Moon potluck dinner, featuring local, home-cooked dishes and dessert.
The dinner and silent auction began with the goal of connecting local farmers and food lovers to share their joys and benefits of eating locally.
All of the funds raised by the ticket sales and the silent auction go to the Anti-Hunger Coalition in Timmins, which has a fundraising goal of $3,000.
Tickets were sold for $5 each at Altered Reality and participants were encouraged to contribute by bringing their own dish to add to the potluck supper.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate, local flavours and local foods,” said Michelle Goulet, executive director of the Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins (ACT). “It’s also a time to celebrate the harvest.”
“We also have on our silent auction table a lot of different items from local farms,” Goulet added. “It is not mandatory that the foods offered at the silent auction are home grown, but we do want to celebrate food that is made from home grown products.”
“When we say local we do mean grown in Timmins and outlying areas,” explained Goulet. “Products in ACT’s Good Food Box are grown not only in the Timmins area, but also other parts of Ontario.”
The food offered included locally grown vegetables and meats and there was even some beer was available at the silent auction.
“We had turkey donated by Graham Acres Farm,” said Goulet. “We also had some locally brewed beer donated by Full Beard Brewery, a Timmins-based micro-brewery.
In addition to the local potluck dinner the evening also recognized those who have contributed to the success of the local food movement in Timmins.
James Parisi the chair of the community gardens committee and Eleanor Ballega, chair of ACT were the masters of ceremony for the Harvest Moon potluck.
The winners were announced by the chair of ACT, Eleanor Ballega.
The first winner announced by Ballega was Katrena Pelchat of Together We Inspire Growth (TWIG).
Pelchat started TWIG in 2014 when she purchased 100 kale plants and planted them in one of ACT’s community garden plots. The kale was harvested and used in ACT’s Good Food Box that it makes available on a monthly basis to subscribers who are seeking affordable, healthy food.
“Today, Katrena and TWIG have two planter boxes by the Timmins Museum, three in front of the Porcupine Health Unit, six planters located in the downtown and a community garden plot,” Ballega told the potluck diners.
“Katrena’s effort is what ACT is all about,” Ballega added. “And it is with great pleasure that we recognize her effort.”
Pelchat said she was inspired to start TWIG because she has had a lifelong fascination with plants and has also been interested in the concept of growing food locally.
“I wanted to share my enthusiasm for locally grown foods with people who don’t always have access to healthy, locally grown food,” said Pelchat. “And on top of that healthy food is so expensive and people really can’t afford it.”
People in Timmins who see the TWIG sign on a planter are welcome to pick and eat what ever crop they like.
“People around Timmins are helping themselves to the food and are eating it – we really don’t have much left to disperse at this time of the year,” Pelchat added.
The other two food award winners were Rob and Joy Galloway.
“They are a package, when you see one the other is usual there too,” Ballega said. “Rob and Joy have been volunteering on food and anti-hunger issues even before ACT was created.”
“Today they volunteer generously and help plant at the community gardens, build sheds and also help out with ACT’s Good Food Box program,” Ballega added.
