“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” ~–Jimmy Neil Smith, Director of the International Storytelling Center
And this week, we continue with stories: the stories of the people like Deirdre, who has been the coordinator for the Surrey & White Rock Food Action Coalition for more than five years and has mobilized and inspired the start of so many projects, from community gardens to community kitchens.
Deirdre is also a passionate of the sports and outdoors and fiercely works for a future of healthy and resilient communities.
Here is her interview:
Tell us a bit how you became involved in SOCS and/or the FAC
I initially became involved in The Food Action Coalition because of my passion for healthy communities. Healthy food is a critical part of healthy communities.
Healthy communities are about creating community conditions that support all of us to thrive and achieve our
potential. During the course of my involvement Barb Seed, a local dietician was involved in leading the Coalition and she asked me to step forward to lead the Coalition into the future. This was a hard offer to refuse and I chose to jump in with both feet and I have enjoyed every moment of my work with the Coalition, the people involved genuinely want to make the communities of Surrey and White Rock healthier and to encourage all of us to choose good, healthy food.
The genesis of Seeds of Change Surrey has propelled us and allowed us to focus our work efforts in four particular pillars of effort and focus on two distinct geographical areas (Newton and Guildford). Digging into root causes is also one of my passions (sorry I could not help the food metaphor) as well as working towards change. Our food system and all its inter-connected parts need us to care, future generations need us to care and I think all of us at SOCS and FAC are up to the challenge!
What is your best comfort food?
I have two comfort foods, tomato and basil soup is my absolute comfort food for our wet, rainy winters. I was in San Diego once and had a tomato basil soup I will never forget from a Farmer’s Market there. Of course, this also has roots in my childhood as my grandmother used to prepare us tomato soup during the cold Alberta winters. Nothing better than the words “Soups on”! My second comfort food is apples, anything with apples is my second comfort food, I love Macintosh apples and had my best Mac right from a tree just outside Quebec City- nothing like that crunchy sweetness and apple season is just right around the corner, lucky me.
Do you have meals you like to cook from scratch?
My son is more of a chef than I am, I prefer baking anything homemade. I like a good Dutch crepe or homemade stollen (a Dutch favorite).
If you had a magic wand, what single change would you implement to make communities more food secure?
Actually, I don’t believe in magic wands nor do I think a single change can make a difference. I do believe though that passionate people can create systems change and that unifying force can create small and large change in our communities. On my wish list for the future is:
- That we get over this societal stigma about breastfeeding, it is the absolute healthiest diet for babies and it is the zero-mile diet (as my colleague Ron Plowright used to say).
- That we only grow, buy and prepare foods that we can pronounce the ingredients for, if we can’t say it chances are we should not eat it.
- That we invest in the health of this beautiful blue jewel that we live on called the planet. If we fail to take care of it, it cannot care for us.
- That we learn about our food, how it is grown and prepared and enjoy its raw yumminess.
- That we all pull together into the future to create the kind of community we want to live in, one that is connected, thriving and full of good, healthy food.
What would be a question you would ask your local representatives in relation to food security?
How can you support efforts directed at healthy food in all planning and policy directions into the future?
If you can give advice about food security to our readers, what would that be?
Get engaged, bring your desire for change to the community you live in, get involved, create health and positive connections