Harvest for the world’s poorest
Canada has a quiet Thanksgiving tradition that few city folks know about. Every year, farmers in hundreds of communities across the country donate a few acres of their land to grow crops for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a Winnipegbased partnership of 15 churches working to end global hunger.
Local suppliers donate the seeds. Volunteers harvest the crops. Fuel dealers, agricultural equipment retailers and grain elevator workers all pitch in.
In the early years, the Foodgrains Bank shipped hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food overseas. That changed in 2008 when the Canadian government untied foreign aid (meaning it no longer had to be made or grown in Canada). Today, farmers sell their grain and donate the proceeds to the charity, whose overseas partners buy what people need in the markets close to them.
Last year, there were 140 growing projects in Ontario. They raised $2.4 million. (Nationwide, these small-town efforts raised $6 million.)
The Toronto region isn’t an ideal place to see a community harvest. Urban sprawl has gobbled up much of its agricultural hinterland. But drive 150 kilometres or so and they’re a seasonal ritual.
One of the best-organized is in Listowel, a two-hour drive from the city. Farmers there have set aside 225 acres this year to share the bounty of the land with the world’s poorest people.
It’s been going on for as long as Peter Rastorfer, one of the organizers, can remember. He is more comfortable working in the fields than speaking to a journalist, but he believes in the cause and wants more people to know about it.
Three crops were planted this year: soybeans, spring wheat and corn. The spring wheat and most of the soybeans have now been harvested. The final push is now on to finish the soybeans and bring in the corn. Hundreds of volunteers have been involved. Nearly all of the local churches participated.
Compared to last year, Rastofer says, this is low-key. In 2011, five guys (including him) decided to organize a bit of a show. Calling it Harvest for Hunger, they set a goal of harvesting 160 acres of soybeans in 10 minutes to raise $200,000 for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
On Oct. 5, thousands of people flocked to the John Tollenaar’s farm to see the event. At 1:30 p.m. 120 combines roared into action, stirring up clouds of dust and excitement. Eleven minutes and 43 second later, the job was done — not quite as fast as organizations hoped, but quick enough to set a world record.
“My Dad said we’d never see anything like it again — not in our lifetimes,” said Ann Voskamp, one of the onlookers.
Three hundred volunteers served food, took pictures, held an auction, supervised parking and collected donations. All told, the event raised $255,000 — surpassing its goal by almost 27 per cent.
“It was a celebration of all the great things we’ve been given and a chance to do something to help all those who don’t have what we have,” said farmer Randy Drenth, speaking for organizers. Rastofer, who was happy to let his friend do the talking, remembers how he felt that day. “It was amazing to see the community pull together with one goal.” John Longhurst of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank called it “a tremendous illustration of what people can do when they work together to help others.” For Canadians with no farmland, there are other ways to get involved. Some urban churches link up with rural churches. Some communities hold auctions and bonspiels and concerts to raise money for the hungry. This year’s CFL Grey Cup Train will feature teams from Dow Agrosciences raising money for the Foodgrains Bank. And there are always personal donations. Canada is no longer a rural nation. But those who plow the fields can still teach their urban neighbours a lot about being thankful. Carol Goar’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.