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Summerland Sharing Stand distributed fruits and vegetables

Stand distributed roughly 2,000 kilograms of food at no cost during the summer and fall
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The Sharing Stand, an initiative to give surplus fruits and vegetables to those who need them, has concluded for the season.

The stand operated each Tuesday afternoon from June 12 to Oct. 23 at Summerland United Church and during that time, it distributed nearly 2,000 kilograms of food.

The initiative started following a conversation between Linda Van Alphen and Alex Kondor, then of the municipality’s planning department.

It is modelled after the Enderby Harvest House, a produce stand which has been operating successfully in that community over several years.

Van Alphen used the Sharing Stand as a project for a community economic development course she was taking through Simon Fraser University.

The seed money for the stand came from the Summerland Rotary Club and the Summerland Kinsmen Club.

Van Alphen also had support from the Summerland Food Bank and Resource Centre and Summerland United Church. She said the food bank took in and stored produce for the stand during the week, while the church allowed the stand to use space in the parking lot during the five-month season.

When the program began, Van Alphen wondered if it would gain momentum.

Initially, the stand had kale and chard, and in the first week, distributed only 30 kilograms of the vegetables.

“At the very beginning, I thought it was not going to fly,” she said.

By the end of the season, the stand was distributing around 250 kilograms of food each day.

The stand also collected around $150 in donations. The money was passed on to the food bank.

The most memorable part of operating the stand was meeting the people who stopped in to pick up fruits and vegetables, Van Alphen said.

“We got to know so many good people,” she said. “Some of their stories are just heart-wrenching.”

Some of the people who stopped at the stand were in need of food; others simply needed to add more fresh fruit and vegetables to their diets.

For next year, she would like to extend the season, possibly to some time in November. She is also considering a a community canning kitchen to enable people to preserve fruits and vegetables for the winter months.

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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