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By Nikita Ganovicheff

Healthy Food at Low Cost

Food Box program launching in Green Lake this fall

Aug 15, 2019 | 11:25 AM

A new program is coming to Green Lake to help provide healthy food for those who aren’t able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables every month.

The Good Food Box program is a non-profit community initiative between KidsFirst and Gaylynn Ray, the Community Outreach Education Worker at the Green Lake Health Centre. Those who sign up for the program will receive fruits, vegetables, and grains once a month.

“We know there is a big need for it, not only for our elders but also for low income and those in between,” Ray said. “In the middle of the month we find that everybody is either out of money or out of food. It gets difficult and times are tough at the end of the month and sometimes you can’t get everything you want.”

Ray decided to bring the Good Food Box to Green Lake after seeing the program at work in Buffalo Narrows.

“It’s excellent and they’ve found great reviews on it for them within the community,” Ray said. “We thought this would be a great idea for our community considering the amount of elders we have are low income. We thought it would be a great idea to have something where even if they are out of food or out of money at the end of the month they will receive this Good Food Box.”

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Ray said the growing cost of food is making people choose cheaper less healthy options and with the program they will be able to provide people with better options at an affordable price.

“Food is expensive, especially fruits and vegetables,” Ray said. “As our elders live on limited income every month, it could be difficult to get a bag of fruit or a bag of potatoes when they can get something that’s bulk and fast. And it’s the same with families. This will allow them to have those fruits, vegetables and grains for not only the children but adults and elders as well.”

The first food boxes can be picked up in the middle of October. Ray said participants don’t have to live in Green Lake if they want to sign up and pick up a box. The boxes can be delivered to elders and people with mobility issues that live near Green Lake.

Good Food Box costs $25 a month and to sign up for the program contact Gaylynn Ray at 306-832-6255. She said there’s no hard deadline for the first box but expects people to pay by the end of September or within the first week of October.

“Anybody can sign up for this and you’re not taking away from anybody else whether you have a low income or a high income it doesn’t matter,” Ray said.

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov