By Jack Wilson
Local Journalism Initiative
Sunnyside Elementary School in Stanstead is expanding its garden thanks to a $100,000 grant from the federal Local Food Infrastructure Fund. Compton-Stanstead MP and Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the funding May 19 in the school’s Sunnyseed Garden. The grant will pay for a new greenhouse, allowing gardening to continue into the winter, as well as an outdoor kitchen.
“It’s all about food literacy,” Bibeau said. “It’s important that kids learn how to grow food and that food doesn’t grow in the grocery store.”
To date, the federal government has contributed $70 million to the Local Food Infrastructure Fund. The latest round of applications allows for grants between $15,000 and $120,000 and closes at the end of May. The fund will bankroll 100 per cent of the costs of approved projects. “The vision for the policy is to ensure that everyone across the country can have access to food that is healthy, nutritious and even culturally diverse,” Bibeau said.
“When I heard the news from minister Bibeau, I think she was more excited than me,” joked Stanstead mayor Jody Stone. “This assistance isn’t just for Stanstead and the area’s food security, but also to serve as a tool for our children’s food education,” he said.
