Over this past year, the Municipal Food Team has been steadily growing and getting its feet under it. Last summer, the Community Food Distribution Coordinator was hired to coordinate and drive the Municipal Refrigerated Truck. Through partnership with Second Harvest, the Coordinator distributes surplus food to organizations, supporting food access and reducing food waste. So far, the Truck has distributed over 18,000 pounds of rescued food thanks to this partnership! Learn more about Second Harvest here.

Later in the Summer, the Urban Agriculture Specialist joined the team. This role provides direct support and expertise to community gardens on municipal land in HRM. The Specialist has been busy distributing much-needed water infrastructure to gardens, launching the community garden grant program, and collaborating with other Municipal teams to support food-growing on municipal land. Learn more about HRM Community Gardens here.

In the Fall, the team grew again with the addition of the Community Food Specialist. This position is dedicated to bringing a food lens to municipal policies and programs, developing food and climate programs, and supporting community food access. So far, this Specialist has been working to share learnings from the Stormkit Project (check out the report here) and connecting with other Municipal teams and community food actors to better understand needs.

With these 3 new positions joining the Food Policy Strategist, it’s very exciting to have a fully formed Municipal Food Team. Together, the team is working hard to continue implementing the JustFOOD Action Plan and maximizing food action within HRM. Stay tuned for more updates on municipal food work here!