The 2019 growing season is off to a great start at our Share the Harvest community garden in downtown Courtenay. On March 25, 2019, Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells, Council members and leaders at LUSH Valley Food Action Society signed a five-year ‘Share the Harvest Community Garden’ partnership agreement.

After a successful pilot project, the New Farmer Mentorship and Loan Program is ready to support more Comox Valley farmers in 2019. The New Farmer Mentorship and Loan Program matches up farmers that require small loans to purchase farming equipment with mentors and lenders that are interested in supporting local agriculture.

Gerry and Chris Rozema run Rozehaven Farm in Campbell River and are avid beekeepers. They will be providing an overview of what is involved in beekeeping for anyone wishing to get into production, especially farmers. As members of the Comox Valley Beekeepers Association and the BC Honey Producers Association, they have a depth of knowledge on how to manage bees in the climate of the Comox Valley.

Today is the deadline for making a charitable donation in 2018. As per CRA regulations, only donations postmarked on or before December 31, 2018 will receive a charitable tax receipt for credit for the 2018 calendar year.

At LUSH Valley, we love good food, and see it as a transformative way to connect, empower and inspire people. By supporting people to access, grow, process, prepare, and eat good food, together we are improving lives. Please consider supporting our work with a gift this season and help us accelerate towards our vision of a food secure Comox Valley.

On September 24th, we sent all candidates across the region Food Security Briefing notes and a six question survey to find out more about where they stand on Food Security initiatives. Take a look at what candidates had to say.

In addition to running the 17th season of our Fruit Tree Project- this year LUSH Valley is running a pilot farm gleaning project.
Local farmers are at the center of this work and we value these relationships highly and do our best to provide on-farm labour when needed in exchange for excess produce. We call our approach ‘farm-centric’.

Are you concerned about issues related to community food security, poverty, health, local food, urban agriculture, and other matters related to resilient communities and food systems? At LUSH Valley Food Action Society (LUSH Valley), we know how important it is to have leaders and decision makers, across the region, that will stand up for our local communities, economies and the environment especially as it relates to healthy food production and access. On October 20th, you have an opportunity to go to the polls and vote for a Food Secure Comox Valley.