Ottawa Mission launches vertical gardens to help feed people

Ottawa’s oldest and largest homeless shelter is spearheading a new way to help feed people in the nation’s capital.

Last week, the Ottawa Missions showcased a new initiative aimed at giving people the tools to grow fresh, locally produced greens that will be used in the organization’s programs to serve vulnerable communities. The vertical gardens are from Growcer‘s, an Ottawa-based business, focused on bringing a new way for people to grow food year-round with hydroponic gardens.

The $1.5 million project was completed with a donation from RBC to the Ottawa Community Foundation. A part of this will also help the Mission teach people how to grow their own food.

“A greater number of people than ever before can’t afford to eat healthy food, which leaves them at higher risk of diet-related illness. We’re delighted that this initiative ensures access to nutritious local produce year-round, which will help keep our clients healthy,” Peter Tilley, Ottawa Mission CEO, said.

The two Growcer farms can produce up to 20,000 pounds of fresh greens each year, allowing the Mission to source food locally for meal programs. There are more than 125 hydroponic farms across North America, a fast-growing initiative to help communities grow food through sustainable farming.

“Not only will this bring more local food, but we also hope to see Ottawa serve as an example for what other cities can accomplish to increase local food resilience with indoor agriculture,” Corey Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Growcer, said. “This is just the beginning of what passionate organizations across the country can do to make local food part of their daily lives.”

The greens will help the Mission continue providing food for shelter guests, community members and its food truck program. It will also give training opportunities to students of the shelter’s Food Services Training Program, which helps people gain work experience to get them out of poverty.

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