Warren’s Local Food and Farm Co-Operative Inc (LFFC) has received a financial boost from the Federal Government.
Project Manager at the not-for-profit coop, Shylah Wolf, says the $356,576 will allow them to focus on the distribution plan and to liaise with the North Eastern Regional Coordinator with Northern Food Distribution Network (NFDN) Steering Committee. She also says that it enabled them to recruit an Indigenous Relations Coordinator to cultivate and bolster engagement with northern and remote communities.
The money will also support the implementation of a Pan-Northern Food Distribution Cluster which enables access to local food for rural areas and provides value-chain coordination, training, and advisory support to communities and food co-operatives across Northern Ontario.
MP Nickel Belt Marc G. SerrĂ© says that “Our local farmers, agri-food businesses and other industry partners play a critical role in our local economies. They’ve worked so hard through this pandemic. This investment will ensure that they can continue to offer our communities with a network of agri-food commodities that will help grow the local economy, integrate markets with rural areas, and showcase the delicious goods that Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury and all of Northern Ontario has to offer.
LFFC is a co-operative that specializes in organizing and development support for food and farming co-ops in Ontario. They provide training, online and in-person capacity-building, and coordinate peer-to-peer support among our 30+ member co-ops across the province.
Due to the pandemic, LFFC has had to modify its methods of operation and adapt to the circumstances. Presently they are providing online training webinars, working with neighbouring communities, and varied stakeholders in an effort to collaborate and ensure that regional needs are met. These initiatives will improve market access and enterprise start-up and scale-up for food and farm producers, processors, social enterprises, and co-operatives.