Local groups step up to feed Hamilton’s homeless through farm projects
With visitors restricted from attending places of worship during lockdowns in Ontario this past year, Rev. Tony O'Dell said many of his peers have found themselves with more free time to catch up on reading or dive into personal projects.
He can't relate.
In fact, it is probably the exact, extreme opposite" at St. Patrick Parish in downtown Hamilton, O'Dell said. The church has been serving breakfast and lunch to several hundred marginalized and homeless people a day, seven days a week, offering daytime respite and access to hygiene stations since the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring.
That was the beginning of what we wanted to start to do to help alleviate some of the hunger and poverty we're seeing in the inner city," he said.
Though it's not quite a pandemic hobby, O'Dell has taken up farming again thanks to a new initiative led by the church, in partnership with De Mazenod Door Outreach Program, which he co-founded in 2012, to feed vulnerable populations.
Since the De Mazenod Farm program was announced last week, O'Dell said he has been inundated with calls from volunteers who would like to work the 19-acre land in Ancaster, owned by the Diocese of Hamilton.
I think these days, where there's so much doom and gloom, this gives people a reason to see the sun and to be in the sun and to make a difference, a concrete difference," he said.
Locals have generously donated time with farming machinery. The land was formerly leased to a horse farmer who passed away a few years ago, O'Dell said.
The team ordered their seeds last fall, and have many young plants that are ready to be put into the earth to kick off the season once shutdown orders lift. On Friday, the province announced it would be extending the stay-at-home order another two weeks, until May 20.
O'Dell said the farm would raise chickens for eggs, and grow dozens of vegetable and fruit types - everything from carrots, cabbage and tomato to watermelon, pumpkin and strawberries. The garden professionals advising the project have told O'Dell to expect a surplus of produce, which will be donated to organizations including Good Shepherd and Hamilton Food Share.
In downtown Hamilton, Wesley Urban Ministries has a similar goal, but is farming indoors through a vertical, hydroponic setup that will allow the non-profit to grow its organic produce year-round.
Andrea Buttars, director of resource development and social enterprise at Wesley, said the First Start Farm was set up in a container unit in July for testing. The plants are mounted on two three-metre-high walls, and are most successful when growing various types of lettuce, kale and herbs. The unit is managed by a staffer. Additional produce is supplied to The Mustard Seed Co-Op and Dundurn Market.
The produce will also be supplied to tenants of the Vanier Towers and through its meal program at the First Start Cafe and Catering. The latter program has provided 20,000 meals per month to those in need during the pandemic, compared to 8,000 before, Buttars said.
I'm really excited about the farm being a way that local businesses can become involved ... and meet the needs of the community and help to decrease food insecurity," she said.
Vjosa Isai is a reporter at The Spectator covering Hamilton-based business. Reach her via email: visai@thespec.com.