* Gulf Islands FOOD CO-OP – Summary & Services
serving Producers, Eaters, and Local Food Sustainability! (in the Southern Gulf Islands, BC, Canada)
The GULF ISLANDS FOOD CO-OP (GIFC) is a non-profit community service co-op, focused on supporting the food producers, food groups, eaters, and local food resilience of the islands of Pender, Mayne, Galiano, and Saturna. This is within the beautiful Coast Salish W̱SÁNEĆ traditional territories where we are grateful to be.
Since 2019, we’ve offered free or low-cost services to island food producers of all types and sizes (e.g. commercial and non-commercial, gardeners, livestock producers, non-Indigenous and Indigenous, value-added sellers and more). We currently have 85 voting Members from all four Southern Gulf Islands (including 67 Producers), 600+ island contacts who support food security, and a Gulf Islands Food Registry of 80 SGI Commercial Food Producers and SGI Food Groups.
The CO-OP’s MAIN GOALS are: to help sustainably increase island food production, food security and resilience; to encourage and support the buying of local food; and to follow up on key practical recommendations of the 2017 Southern Gulf Islands Food & Agriculture Strategy. and now the updated SGI Food System Assets and Priority Actions REPORT.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS! The inspiring Co-op activities below (socially distanced or online during covid) have only been possible with essential financial support from Vancity Credit Union, the Capital Regional District, Community Works Funding, and partnerships with the Southern Gulf Islands Community Resource Centre Society and others to whom we are so grateful!
CO-OP RECENT ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS (see also EDUCATION page):
* March 18, 2023: Co-op supported Seedy Saturday and Seed Library events and seed sharing activities on all 4 Southern Gulf Islands
* June, 2023 onwards: Thanks to 2023 CRD funding, Co-op Tables back to help Pender and Galiano producers sell, plus Mayne and Saturna “Grower to Food Bank” initiatives, and ongoing Co-op support for four Seed Libraries and Seed Saving Education
* July to September, 2023: four new Grower-2-Grower Educational Farm/Garden Tours, with potlucks after
* October 14, 15 & 16, 2023: Galiano and Pender Island Hands-On Seed Cleaning & Learning Days with FarmFolk/CityFolk equipment available
* FEBRUARY, 2024: Now with great thanks for confirmed CRD funding in 2024, all kinds of continuing projects (Co-op Sales Tables, Seed Libraries support) and new ones (e.g. Indigenous traditional plant support, Winter StockUp Market, Grower2FoodBank) will be happening! See HERE for more details, also to be discussed at the Gulf Islands Food Co-op AGM on Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 3:00 pm (zoom invitation HERE), new Members and guests welcome)
See also our Gulf Islands Food Registry with 68 commercial Food Producers and 12 Island Food Groups.
To support non-profit Co-op activities like the above, you can easily MAKE A DONATION, and/or BECOME A CO-OP MEMBER ONLINE, for Southern Gulf Islands food producers of any type, plus keen Co-op supporters. Then you can have input into FUTURE LOCAL FOOD PROJECTS that we’re also developing.
Our islands are stronger together… when we remember old ways of cooperating, and create new ones too!
CONTACT: Roz Kempe, Gulf Islands Food Co-op President (rk@gulfislandsfoodco-op.org)
Logo design: Mae Moore