Wolfville Farmers' Market viewed as ‘a lifeline'
“Faces of food” is a chance to get to know people all across the food industry.
Whether it's farmers, chefs, food photographers, grocers, dishwashers or others, every role is important.
“Local food and gratitude.” This was how I think of Lindsay Clowes, manager of the WFM2GO program.
WFM2GO is the Wolfville Farmers' Market's online ordering and weekly delivery service. In operation since 2017, the program was born out of a desire to create a more connected and sustainable food community and to allow for vendors' growth. They have pickup hubs from Halifax Regional Municipality to Kings County. Clowes beams with support for local farmers, effuses her gratitude for the local producers and volunteers that make WFM2GO successful.
“As it turns out, (WFM2GO) is also a resource and even a lifeline, in the face of (the recent) pandemic for both farmers/producers and customers,” Clowes says.
“It's been a lot of work behind the scenes to keep everything going, but also to ramp it up. We have an amazing team of staff and vendors who have made it possible. I even have a team of vendors helping add new vendors who want to join WFM2GO to the system. It really has been a group effort all around!”
Clowes said WFM2GO is also a nice reminder about buying local.
“I have spent a lot of time thinking about ways to explain to people the importance of food security and how that links to supporting your local farmers. I think today, more than ever, we see that link and the importance of buying local. It's our farmers who fed us before, and our farmers who will continue to feed us now.
“I wish that people knew that even ordering just once from us or buying from a local farmer/producer makes you a part of a bigger picture.
When you support local you are contributing to a better food system, one that supports the land, contributes to the local economy, and has a greater impact.”
Clowes is also grateful for the tremendous community support.
“The outpouring of support from our community has been amazing! We have had so many people offer to help, sent us kind messages, shared our story, and so on. Our team of staff, volunteers and vendors have been working incredibly hard, we have an amazing community behind us, and I can feel them cheering us on — which makes all the difference!”
DID YOU KNOW?
Lindsay Clowes also helps run an organization called FOUND Forgotten Food that helps reduce food waste by organizing gleaning of farms after harvest and donating the food to food banks and community groups. Jennifer Crawford is from Nova Scotia and is the reigning winner of Masterchef Canada. If you have suggestions of who you would like to see featured in Faces of Food, please email Jennifer Crawford.