Seeds of Change Surrey is a collaborative leadership team that works together to increase food security across Surrey specifically in the Guildford and Newton town centres.
Meghan Martin is a Community Health Specialist with Fraser Health. She is a firm believer in health promotion and in keeping people well rather than waiting to respond to illness. With a background in Kinesiology and Public Health, she works with communities to help make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone in our community. Meghan is currently seconded to another position within Fraser Health.
Rick Ketcheson, a Food Action Coalition member since 2012 lives in White Rock. He is an active volunteer in the community, focusing on increasing food security and self-reliance. Among his interests are Permaculture, healthy soil, gardening, food forestry and localized food systems. He is a retired engineer and an avid cyclist collaborating also in the Village Surrey Transition Initiative, the White Rock Social Justice Film Society, Growing by the Sea Society and is a “slow money” investor with the Knives and Forks Community Investment Coop. On economic justice he promotes community supported agriculture and fisheries, alternate currencies and studies the impacts of banking and finance – all guided by the principle expressed by Vandana Shiva in this quote: “In nature’s economy the currency is not money – it is life”.
Maggie Baynham is the Sustainability Planner for the City of Surrey. With a background in urban planning, Maggie has supported a variety of efforts to establish Surrey as a leader in climate action and sustainability, in areas that include food security, climate change adaptation, and corporate GHG reduction. Creating a just and sustainable food system is a particular passion for her, and Maggie sees engaging community around food issues as an incredible opportunity to build community. Maggie has been involved in the Seeds of Change Surrey initiative since it began in 2015. Maggie has moved on to work with the City of Victoria however we wanted to acknowledge the important contribution she made to our early work.
Deirdre Goudriaan is the Coordinator of the Food Action Coalition with a Masters in Leadership and Training. Deirdre is a change strategist and organizational/community development consultant interested in the health and well-being of our planet, and the people who inhabit it. She has worked extensively with citizens, local, provincial and federal governments and a variety of other groups (not for profit, businesses etc.) to help develop greater capacity for collaboration, collective impact and to creatively tap into our collective potential. She is passionate about resilience and food security. She owns her own consulting firm, Team Play Consulting Inc. and is a Co-Founder of Shift Collaborative.
Komal Shahista Shaikh is a passionate change maker focusing on the areas of community engagement, strategic planning and building resilient communities. Komal studied Architecture and Urban & Regional Planning in India where she grew up, followed by a Masters in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in leadership positions in India, US and Canada in land use and transportation, arts education and sustainability. Currently, she is the Community Engagement Lead and Leadership Team Member for Seeds of Change Surrey, a multi-stakeholder initiative advancing food security in Surrey, BC. She also serves as the President of Growing by the Sea, a program that seeks to build community through establishing community gardens in the Semiahmoo Peninsula. When not solving complex urban problems, Komal can be found teaching architecture programs to kids and teens!
Korine Deol has worked as an Environmental Health Officer at Fraser Health since 2009. She is an experienced certified public health inspector who has also been teaching food safety courses for over 7 years. Korine’s current role is in the Healthy Built Environment program, supporting communities to engage in healthy eating, active lifestyles and overall better health and well-being.
Her background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences from the University of British Columbia and a Degree in Environmental Health from Concordia University. Outside of her professional practice, she is an active volunteer in the community of Surrey and has been involved in many Health Expos across Metro Vancouver. Korine’s interests include social media marketing and event planning. Korine is excited about building partnerships and being a community partner in the promotion and creation of healthy food systems in Surrey.
Grant Rice has been involved in food security for the past decade. He was a founding Director of the Surrey Urban Farmers Market and has worked at farmers’ markets in the Tri-City area. He does contract work with Burnaby Food First, another food security organization, where he organizes educational forums and events. In 2016, he produced a report for Burnaby Food First comparing municipal food policy action plans in Metro Vancouver.
Grant has a Master of Urban Studies degree from SFU, where his research examined the role of the fruit and vegetable processing sector in the Lower Mainland’s food system. He is a local food actionist who advocates for the protection of farmland and the rights of farmers that make their living off those lands. Grant is an ardent believer that a provincial poverty reduction plan is essential in tackling food insecurity in British Columbia.
Alex Kincek is a Community Services Coordinator with the City of Surrey. She currently oversees the Early Years and Middle Years portfolio at the Fraser Heights Community Centre, and has worked in the Guildford Community for over ten years.
Denise Darrell is the Executive Director of Sources Women’s, Seniors and Community Services. Denise oversees both the South Surrey /White Rock and Langley Food Banks, all volunteer and seniors services and programs including shop by phone, driving for medical appointments, dental clinic etc. Denise provides oversight and leadership to a broad portfolio of community programs and services, which are poverty related. These include all women’s services: counselling, family law advocacy, a hot lunch program, shower, laundry and clothing facilities, and educational support groups, emergency aid etc. Her business experience and accounting education assist her with the direction of two social enterprise Sources Concierge developed to employ dis-advantaged women and the Sources Connection Café & Catering, an intergenerational enterprise, fostering positive working relationships with seniors and youth. Sources Community Resources Society is the host agency for the Food Action Coalition.
Lisa Burden was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Lisa came to Canada in 2012. She started volunteering at the Surrey Food Bank in 2012 and was hired as Administrative Assistant in 2013. She was promoted to Client Services Manager in 2014. Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and exploring all the beautiful sights in British Columbia. Married to Dennis for 30 years, 3 daughters and 1 granddaughter and is expecting another granddaughter in September.
Amber Quan is a health promotion programmer for the City of Surrey with a special interest in public health programming targeting childhood obesity. She would like to see prevention programs be made available for families with the objective to build capacity in food literacy so they can make lasting changes towards healthy behaviours. Amber is also passionate about increasing access to healthier food options, and reducing barriers to sport and physical activity in Surrey. Amber is a member of the Surrey Healthier Partnerships who have brought the Live 5210 Playboxes to Surrey, a health promotion initiative bringing free and accessible sports equipment to Surrey parks. For more information please see www.surrey.ca/playbox
Breezie Mitchell is a Community Health Specialist for Fraser Health covering for Meghan Martin. Prior to Fraser Health, Breezie worked at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a Child and School Oral Health Coordinator, and as a Public Health Coordinator with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya. With a background in Nutrition and Public Health, Breezie firmly believes the availability, affordability and accessibility to nutritious food is a human right for everyone. For Breezie, a successful career is not determined by accrued wealth or power, but by the impact she can achieve in improving our communities health and well-being.
An immigrant from Scotland, Fiona Stevenson is the Manager of Volunteer and Community Programs at DIVERSEcity overseeing a diverse portfolio of community based programs, including DIVERSEcity’s successful long running food security programs. Fiona has been working in the Settlement sector for 5 years, with a passion for supporting immigrants and volunteers of all ages in integrating into the wider community. She believes strongly in volunteerism and civic engagement supporting healthy diverse communities. Fiona initially came to Canada to work as an ESL instructor after living in Chile before switching to the settlement sector while completing an M.Ed in Adult Education. She also loves running, trying new foods, and keeping active in beautiful BC and meeting people from all walks of life!
