Why we do what we do.
It is our passion to grow good food for our farm members and customers, but it is our mission to provide the same healthy and fresh produce to local communities in poverty. This year, Farmer Tash has dedicated 1600 sq. ft of land to grow the donation crop. Donations are harvested fresh every week so that our neighbours in need can also benefit from the nutritional value of locally and organically grown food. Sparrow Gardens' customers who have purchased farm shares for the season also have the option of donating some of their weekly shares to help us in our work to address local food insecurity issues. Volunteers young and old are welcome to join us in harvesting the donation crop.
Who are we donating to?
This year we are directing all our fresh food donations to the M.I.N.D. program (www.mindprogram.org). Here is how M.I.N.D. decribes the need in their area of service: "Several of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) buildings in southwest Scarborough are located in a “food desert”.
There are few grocery stores or permanent food banks in the immediate area. So even shopping for basic foodstuffs is a major challenge for tenants who are already living in poverty. This lack of access to food becomes even worse towards the end of the month when many tenants run out of money. It can even be life-threatening. We have found that it is very important to provide community meals on-site at low cost in order to be easily accessed by tenants. This small charge, and revenue from the sale of snack foods, covers part of the cost of the meal ingredients. The charge is low enough that even those on the lowest incomes in the buildings have been able to afford it until recently.The meals are simple, nutritious, and the food is familiar and commonly eaten by this population."
How much food does Sparrow Gardens donate every week?
The answer to this question depends on how much food is growing and how much our farmer and volunteers can pick & pack on our designated charity-harvest days. We are proud that this year we have an abundance of food to donate. In fact, the only limiting factor to giving more is how many or how few farm hands (volunteers) are able to offer their time and energy to help with the harvest.
Donations for M.I.N.D. on Monday, June 26th, 2023
Below is our first report of what and how much we donated to our local charity partner.
Vegetable Type: | Amount Donated (weight in grams) |
Spinach | 1005 |
Fun Jen | 3358 |
Sage | 2 bunches |
Spearmint | 2 bunches |
Strawberries | 1557 |
Radish | 2 bunches |
Choi | 848 |
Curly Kale | 465 |
Collard | 437 |
Lettuce | 8624 |
Dino Kale | 48 |
Garlic Scapes | 27 |
How can I get involved in Sparrow Gardens' charitable work?
1) Volunteer.
Fill out our volunteer inquiry form at www.sparrowgardens.ca (scroll down to the bottom of the webpage). Our team will contact you to find best available dates and times. We welcome singles, small groups, large groups, youth groups, church groups, community groups, both young and old. Children under 8 must be accompanied by their guardians.
2) Financial Support.
If you would like to support our charitable work, please send your support for our donation-crop via e-transfer to farm.sparrowgardens@gmail.com. Donations of any amount will go a long way to help us continue to do what we do! Be sure to make a note on your e-transfer that the funds you are sending are for donation. Please note, we do not issue tax receipts for any donations made.
3) Your home grown vegetable donations.
If you are growing vegetables in your own backyard and would like join in our donation to M.I.N.D., please contact Farmer Tash to arrange for drop off. Our M.I.N.D. representative comes to the farm once a week to pick up food for their community kitchen.
You can reach our team at farm.sparrowgardens@gmail.com with your questions or comments.
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