North Battleford council at Monday's meeting. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Community gardens

City approves Midwest Food Resources extended lease

Jan 10, 2023 | 6:25 AM

Midwest Food Resources was granted a new 10-year lease from the City of North Battleford during Monday’s council meeting for its three community garden plots on Gagne Ave.

Executive director Vesna Fa and board vice president Yvette Miedema made a presentation about the non- profit’s needs.

Midwest Food Resources’ Vesna Fa, left, and Yvette Miedema at city council’s meeting. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

City council heard the organization saw continued growth in its garden yield, as well as the Fresh Food Box program that enables people to purchase fresh vegetables and fruit over the winter.

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In 2019-2020, about 1,600 Fresh Food Boxes were sold. By 2021-2022, about 7,000 of these boxes were purchased. Midwest Food Resources also donated a great deal of food this past year to the homeless shelter, the local food bank and other charity initiatives.

The current lease for the non-profit’s use of the city’s land on Gagne Ave. is going to expire in May of 2023.

The organization hoped to extend the lease beyond the usual five years to 10 years, which would help it in obtaining grants.

Council approved city administration’s recommendation to authorize a new 10-year lease with Midwest Food Resources for use of the land for the community gardens, and to allow the organization to construct a 24 x 24 foot storage building. Council also approved the proposal to allow the non profit to potentially dig a water well at the location in the future, if all required approvals and inspections are obtained.

Midwest Food Resources’ representatives said the organization does not have any immediate plans to dig a well, because it doesn’t have the funding yet to take on the project. But the organization wanted to look at whether it was feasible to embark on this project in the future.

If the water well proposal were to go ahead it would allow Midwest Food Resources the opportunity to have water on-site to be used for irrigation purposes only, rather than always needing to haul water in as it does now.

Mayor David Gillan said he is glad the city can accommodate the organization with its requests.

“They provide a great service in the community,” he said. “They have been here for a long time. We’re very happy to support this type of partnership.”

Gillan added it’s good to see the positive response to the Fresh Food Box program in particular.

“The Food Boxes that they are providing the community every year, it keeps growing,” Gillan said. “It’s a great program for people that love fresh vegetables and growing fresh vegetables. It’s an alternative for people during these tough times when inflation is very high. Finding fresh vegetables at a reasonable price is important.”

Coun. Greg Lightfoot took the opportunity to thank all those involved in Midwest Food Resources’ community gardens.

“I tip my hat to what they have done out there, with volunteers,” he said. “I will certainly be supporting this.”

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW