Searching for Grow / Pick Your Own Food

Neighbourhood-run community garden on municipal lands

• roughly 40-50 plots available

Gardening plots available on city-owned land facing Elmwood Street at Bowling Green Apartments

• gardeners maintain large composter
• two accessible garden beds

Community centre

• gymnasium
• program and meeting rooms
• community kitchen
• community office space
• sound room
• Rideau Heights Library Branch (see separate record for details)
• skate park
• Ontario Works drop in
• various recreation programs, see Program Guide for details

Administrative services:

• Kingston Transit pass sales (multi-ride cards only)
• blue bin and grey bin pickup
• garbage bag tag sales
• recreation services
• pet licensing

Housing and social services:

• walk-in inquiries about Housing & Social Services programs
• apply for the Municipal Fee Assistance Program (MFAP)
• drop-off for forms, income statements and documents

See City of Kingston website for latest updates

Public library

• offers books, magazines and other publications, CDs, DVDs
• provides programs for preschools
• Book Club
• Internet access
• photocopying, fax and printing services available at cost
• rental of snow shoes, basketballs, outdoor play equipment, etc.
• seed library

Program to encourage donation of fresh food to local food banks

Program offers garden plots to anyone who can benefit by growing their own fresh fruits and vegetables.

Good Food Bank: 3-5 day supply of fresh food and pantry staples for individuals and families, available once a month. Food bank accepts food donations.

Community Meals: Dine-in Meals: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 4:30 pm-6 pm. Transportation support is available to attend meals and take-out meals may be available at 5:45 pm, depending on food quantities. Call with any questions.

Peer Advocacy: Support, referrals and resources to community members seeking help with housing, income support, etc. Offer help process applications for low-income supports for energy bills including the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) and Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP). No appointment necessary.

After-School Program: Free after-school program which provides hands-on fun in the garden and kitchen where children 8-11 years old learn to grow and cook healthy food. Activities also include physical activity, games and art. Pre-registration is required.

Community Kitchen: Offers a range of cooking, nutrition and health programs. Some programs are drop-in, others by registration. Call or visit website for current program schedule.

Community Garden: Participants take home vegetables and learn how to grow healthy food, connect with others in a welcoming space and enjoy the outdoor setting. Hosts a series of monthly gardening workshops throughout the winter as well as work parties in early spring and fall.

Community Action Network: Discussions of current events, community issues and how to create change in the community, organize local actions to address poverty and food access. Lunch is provided.

Volunteers: Volunteer opportunities available that are open to everyone. Offer an array of shifts to fit any schedule.

Emergency food hampers to those in need

• hampers are about five days worth of food
• deliveries available for those without access to transportation

Community Gardens:

• support and access to community gardens in Carleton Place, Pakenham and Blakeney

Complementary Cooking Classes:

• suspended until further notice

Addresses issues facing children and youth

• remove barriers to learning
• prepare local students for post-secondary success
• organizes events

Social housing community with around 130 family units and approximately 500 people. Many are children and youth, single parents and new immigrants.

Offers a wide range of services to the community

• Homework club
• Art program
• United Sisters
• March Break/summer day camps
• Leadership programs
• Youth drop-in
• ESL/conversation classes
• Collective Kitchen
• Community computer access
• Free printing/photocopying/scanning
• Food cupboard for after-school program
• Community garden
• Good Food Box
• Parenting workshops

Zero waste mini gardens for individuals without access to a food bank

• Volunteer opportunities available

The Cobourg Ecology Gardeners are a group of volunteers dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the Cobourg Ecology Garden - a public garden that is grounded in ecological principles.

Lease of garden plots

• plots are on Viewmount between Merivale Rd and Fisher Ave

Plots:

• full annual 20 ft x 30 ft
• half annual 15 ft x 20 ft
• perennial 15 ft x 20 ft
• raised boxes 4 ft x 12 ft

St. Joseph's Community Garden offers plots of land to individuals, families, and groups who want to grow their own organic vegetables, fruit, flowers and herbs

• The plots are rented for a small user fee
• Upkeep of the garden site is a shared responsibility of all participants

Personalized home and health care services. Care is provided by experienced and mature individuals 50 years and older

• personal support
• meal planning and preparation
• companion care
• dementia care
• hospital discharge
• palliative care
• assistance recovering from an accident
• light housekeeping
• errands
• transportation
• grocery shopping
• gardening
• yard work
• home maintenance and repairs

Supports and aims to improve the lives of individuals and families of African and Caribbean descent

Programs include:

• Greatness is Within Me Summer Camp
• Kuumba March Break Camp
• Black Star Tutoring
• Mentorship
• Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker Program
• Call Me! Let's Chat
• Black Seniors Virtual Network
• Domestic Pioneers
• African History Classes
• GreenStar Community Garden

Club for gardeners and plant growers

• promotes horticultural activities

Activities

• plant sales
• garden tours
• plant shows with judges and prizes
• photography competitions
• community beautification projects
• speakers and discussions
• newsletter

Group of trained volunteers who offer free garden advice year round

• telephone help line
• e-mail help
• advice clinics
• speakers
• special events and newsletters

Garden plots to lease

• plots are located near Blackburn Hamlet on Anderson Road and in Blackburn Hamlet off Orient Park Drive

Plots:

• Full annual 25' x 50', Half annual 25' x 25', Perennial 25' x 25'

Organizes free trips for low income people to pick farm produce that is offered by participating farmers/growers.

• Farmers/growers donate their extra produce that would otherwise go unused
• Registered participants ride a school bus from one of over 20 pick-up locations to a local farm and pick seasonal fruits and vegetables at no cost
• Because produce ripens quickly, gleaning trips are usually organized on short notice
• Local faith communities pay for buses, some gleaning trips are organized with cars driven by gleaners to smaller farms
• Also holds educational workshops

A Tree for the Picking - urban gleaning program involving private property owners in the city that have offered the produce from their fruit trees and gardens

Community volunteers are welcome to help coordinate a bus pick up location, monitor bus loads and/or pick for other community members or food banks. Student volunteers are welcome to complete their OSSD hours. Contact the coordinator

Works to create community gardening plots. Collaborative members include Peterborough Public Health, YWCA Food Action Program, and Peterborough Green-Up.

• Advocates for community gardens as a means of food security, community building and environmental awareness
• Accepts donations of land, seeds and gardening tools
• Assists individuals who are interested in having a community garden plot

Research-informed peer support and mental health programming to Canadian veterans

Programming

• art therapy
• beekeeping
• organic gardening
• chicken keeping
• donkey walking

The City rents plots for summer gardening

• supplies water, cuts grass and removes garbage
• standard plot is approximately 25 feet by 75 feet

Seed and Soil Project, with financial support from the City of Ottawa will continue in 2024.

Focused on working in partnering with community organizations who work with individuals and families who are living with low incomes

• no cost
• offers soil for 3500 families (3 blue bins full per family) and attendant seeds
• each organization can one or two loads of soil, enough for 180 families, along with seed packets for distribution

Each seed package comes with:

• 6-7 different types of seed (swiss chard, kale, turnip, cabbage, beets, peas, yellow and green beans)
• basic growing instructions

Potential Partner Organizations can access detailed information from this link

COVID-19 (16 April 2020): Providing a website with information on food access in Ottawa: https://goodfoodottawa.ca/

Supports the local food and farming systems

• workshops
• start-up farm program
• visit the website for more information