PECFresh expands

Good Food Market to have trial run in Sophiasburgh

Every Wednesday afternoon, the main space at the Prince Edward Learning Centre (PELC) is transformed into a European-style fruit and vegetable market. Customers are greeted at the door by their personal shopper who will then take them through the market and pick out the produce they have selected. The PECFresh Good Food Market provides fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices as a way of addressing food insecurity in the County. The idea for this market came when former instructor Jonah Schein was discussing how lack of access to basic healthy foods affected a person’s ability to learn, and the class explored the systematic barriers to nutrition and wellbeing. Learners in the class formed a food security advocacy group and made a deputation to council two years ago. That resulted in a grant to set up a good food market, which opened in September, 2020. Robyn Cakebread is the program coordinator, and it was her idea to set up the European-style market as a way to be COVID-safe—maintaining proper physical distancing and minimal handling of the produce—as well as providing a welcoming environment and an attractive way to display the food.

The market is open for shopping every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and online orders are accepted from noon to 3:30 p.m. A produce list is sent out by email on Monday, with availability and anticipated prices so that customers can make choices to suit their budget. Occasionally the price for certain items will change, but that usually does not make a significant difference. Since the market began, the customer base has doubled, and is now averaging 75 transactions per week. A vast majority of shoppers have said that the market helps them make ends meet at the end of the month, and more than three-quarters have said they are now eating more fruits and vegetables. One of the projects taking place at PECFresh is the Market Greens Prescription. This is a Canada-wide research project to determine how a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables can mitigate the health effects of certain illnesses or conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. “Diet is not always the cause of these illnesses,” stressed Cakebread “This makes it easier for people to have fresh fruits and vegetables as part of their regular diet. They often don’t have enough money to spend on quality food to meet the Food Guide recommendations.” In the initial phase of the project, participants were referred by health professionals, but this year those taking part were encouraged to self-identify. These people are then assessed to check they are suitable applicants and are given a voucher to offset part of their food cost in exchange for their participation in the program. This is a long-term study, and data will be used to develop approaches to increase access to healthy foods for people living on low incomes, and reduce the negative health outcomes of poverty and food insecurity.

L-R): PELC Executive Director Kathy Kennedy and PECFresh program coordinator Robyn Cakebread stand in front of PELC prior to market opening in September 2020.

The market is mostly run by volunteers, but there are some paid positions that provide work experience and an income to PELC learners or former learners. “It is really important to be able to offer people the ability to gain work experience and train and also to feel engaged in the community, so that they feel like they are making a difference,” said Cakebread. One of the initial members of the advocacy group was Scott Whitelock. He began as a volunteer when the market first opened, but now is a vital assistant to Cakebread in the position of fulfillment manager. He handles the inventory and takes online orders, ensuring they are accurately packed and ready for pick-up.

“I believe this is an important program. When you go to a store, for single people like myself, it’s hard to buy individual portions at a reasonable cost, and if you buy it in bulk and don’t use it up fast enough, you’re wasting some food and money as well,” he said. “At the market you’re able to buy enough stuff to get you through for a week at affordable cost.” The Picton food bank has an agreement with PECFresh and will purchase any leftover produce at cost. The market’s net expenses are just the cost of the paid workers. PECFresh also accepts produce donated from local farms, with the example of Fiddlehead Farms being a great supporter.

There is a vision to expand the market to other areas and groups, for example the HUB Child and Family Centre, and Community Care for Seniors. The County Food Hub approached PELC for a PECFresh market to be set up in Sophiasburgh as a pilot project and a way to develop a business plan to make the market a sustainable entity. With a collaboration grant from the United Way, the market will run on two Saturdays, June 5 and June 26, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. This will be an outdoor market, and online orders will be taken on the previous Friday from noon to 3:30. “It will cover that end of the County quite well, and I hope it will be really successful,” said Whitelock. “I’m sure in that area there will be lots of people who will really benefit from it and who will really enjoy being able to go to the market and go shopping and maybe run into people they know and be able to say hi.” His last comment speaks to the community nature of the market. Word of the market has been passed from one friend to another, and it has become a little bit of a community event in these COVID times. “I’ve spoken to some of the customers and they feel the market has made a difference for them to get all the stuff they need. They enjoy the atmosphere of having that personal shopper taking them around and to have that little one-on-one for even just a few moments.” He adds that PELC is an underappreciated resource in the community. “Not only does Prince Edward Learning Centre support PECFresh, they also offer a lot of online learning and so many other things, helping people with their careers or getting ready for a job. It’s just a good all-round place.”

The market is open to all County residents. For more information about PELC, please visit pelc.ca. Information about PECFresh can be found at prince-edwardlearning- centre.square.site/.