Gulf Islands Food Co-op

* 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.

***FOR OUR LATEST SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES: see POSTS including our Sept, 2024 NEWSLETTER

This includes our shared Co-op Sales Tables on 3 islands this past summer/fall, supporting Indigenous Plant Restoration (“Hands-on Reconciliation”, Oct 18 on S,DAYES), and our Grower-to-Food Bank and Winter Stock-Up Market projects (connecting local growers and hungry islanders, Market Oct 12 on Pender).  The Co-op has also supported the 4 quickly growing Island Seed Libraries (for local seed saving and sharing).

In addition, this year the Co-op has been very grateful to receive a United Way infrastructure grant, to buy a very expensive but hugely time-saving NEW seed cleaning machine plus specialized hand screens (to be shared among the 4 islands).  Finally, the Co-op has an upcoming Mobile Seed Cleaning Tour to make seed equipment available on Galiano (Oct 4-5) and then Mayne (Oct 6-7), plus we’re collaborating on an Oct 10 Meadow Makers Workshop on Pender.

***FOR PAST SERVICES, EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS & VIDEOS: see POSTS plus our EDUCATION page

We also invite you to search our GULF ISLANDS FOOD REGISTRY, listing an amazing hardworking, 68 commercial Food Producers and 12 Island Food Groups, on the four beautiful Southern Gulf Islands (Pender, Mayne, Galiano, and Saturna)

HISTORY:  Since 2019, the Gulf Islands Food Co-op has 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 89 voting Members from all four Southern Gulf Islands (including 69 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!  Our five years of Co-op activities to support food producers, eaters, and local food resilience have only been possible with essential financial support.  This has been from Vancity Credit Union, the Capital Regional District, Community Works Funding, partnerships with the Southern Gulf Islands Community Resource Centre Society, and now in 2024 also new United Way seed equipment funding.  We are so grateful for what these funders have allowed the Co-op to share with Islanders!

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