Introduction

Community food security is a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.
--Mike Hamm and Anne Bellows

November 14, 2007

The Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage Food Security Network (TLCCFSN) is a growing & evolving network of community members, agencies, service providers and organizations working together to enhance the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage neighborhoods by supporting and coordinating local food security initiatives and improving access to community health, social services and community based programs.

The purpose of this document is to catalogue the existing food security assets and gaps within the community. The projects and programming surveyed will be framed within a continuum that stretches from short-term hunger relief to food system redesign. Most aspects of community food system redesign are at the municipal, provincial and federal level and are beyond the scope if this document. The focus for the TLCCFSN is community-based initiatives. Projects that are created and run by local residents create long-term sustainable food security.

The amalgamated community of Trout Lake and Cedar Cottage sits in the centre of East Vancouver. The geographical boundaries extend East Broadway to the North, 41st Avenue to the South, Nanaimo Street to the East and Fraser Street to the West. (map) The area has a has an ethnically diverse population of approximately 45,000. Native Chinese (38%) speakers are the largest percentage of the population followed closely by English (33%). Vietnamese (5.5%), Tagalog (5%) and Punjabi (4%) all having a strong presence. There is also a significant Aboriginal population. Most of the residents (>75%) live in single family homes or duplexes with the remaining population (18%) living in apartment buildings under 5 stories. Close to 20% of the families are headed by a single-parent. Because the average family income is 70% of the average for Vancouver, there is an increased need for food security initatives.

A note on access to food

Within the community boundaries there are only two supermarkets and a few fringe areas with smaller produce markets. Famous Foods is located at Kingsway and Perry Street and Safeway is at Commercial Drive and East Broadway. Both of these stores are near the NW corner of the community boundary. Most of the residents in the community need to travel outside of the neighbourhood boundaries to purchase food. next...