For the 4th year in a row, volunteers from Foresters teamed up with Sun Youth’s for the opening of the Foresters Garden.
With food security being an important issue over the last few years, Sun Youth has undergone a slow but steady move towards increasing the amount and variety of fresh produce for its food bank clientele. One of its major partners in doing so is the Foresters Financial. For the 4th year in a row, on May 27th, volunteers from Foresters teamed up with Sun Youth’s for the grand opening of the Foresters Garden on the Sun Youth warehouse grounds, planting the seeds that will produce fresh vegetables for the many families who benefit from Sun Youth’s food bank.
Sun Youth implemented its urban agriculture project with the financial support of Foresters Financial, an international financial services company whose reach extends far beyond simply being a life insurance and investment service provider. Indeed, Foresters Financial also promotes the well-being of families and communities through inspiring community activities. Since 2014, Foresters Financial has provided supplies for assembling gardening beds, an irrigation system, as well as seeds and plants for this garden. Through this initiative, Sun Youth’s main goal is to allow the families in need of its food bank to enjoy a healthier selection of food in their food hampers. So far, close to 2,000 pounds of fresh food has been harvested since the creation of this garden.
Supported by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and Sentier Urbain, other initiatives have been aimed towards showing children in the Sun Youth camps the joys of gardening and learning about urban agriculture. The garden at Sun Youth’s main building is tended by the children attending its day camp and animated by someone from Sentier Urbain. The food grown by the children goes towards the preparation of their meals and the rest goes to the organization’s collective kitchen and its food bank.
Sun Youth is truly grateful to its partners for allowing it to grow even further and for their care of future generations.