The fourth weekly market at the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre offers fresh Ontario vegetables to everyone in the area
On a beautiful autumn day, with the sun shining and Thanksgiving just around the corner, it was perfect timing for a free produce market at the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre.
Potatoes, carrots, onions, and acorn squash – all essentials for many Thanksgiving meals – were available free of charge on Wednesday as the centre held its fourth consecutive weekly market.
By the time they opened at 9:30 a. m., people were already queued around the building, according to Kendall Lamb, child and family services coordinator at the centre.
“We had people here at nine o’clock.”
Later that morning, more than 190 individuals had already visited the market.
While the friendship centre has received fresh food through Feed Ontario in past years, this is their first year hosting the market for four weeks in a row.
The produce comes from Feed Ontario and is sourced locally within Ontario. This opportunity arose through collaboration with the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, which linked Midland’s centre to this program.
The market isn’t just for clients of the friendship centre or Indigenous residents. Anyone who needs food can come by.
Inevitably, its reach has grown beyond Midland; one person even traveled from Barrie to take advantage of this service.
“We’ve had someone from Barrie come all the way up,” Lamb mentions. “It’s open to anyone because anyone could use it.”
The initiative has also expanded thanks to teamwork with other community organizations.
Over recent weeks, The Salvation Army has been receiving fresh food donations from Walmart and sharing some with both the friendship centre and local shelters.
This sharing is reciprocal.
If there’s leftover food after the market at the friendship centre, staff contact other local organizations to ensure it gets distributed effectively where it’s still needed, including Guesthouse Shelter and Rosewood Shelter.
“Nothing goes to waste.”
This effort reflects a wider spirit of cooperation among organizations working hard to ensure available food reaches those who need it most.
“We work with all of the community partners here,” Lamb states.
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