Published March 20th, 2024

Cooking Up Change in Spryfield

Chebucto Connections is a bustling neighbourhood hub in Spryfield. People of all ages visit the hub, coming for food support, help with filling out forms, connections to other neighbourhood organizations and more. One of their largest programs, Pathways to Educations, sees students from J.L. Ilsley High School attending regularly. They’re working on homework, applying for jobs, pursuing their passions or just hanging out in a positive space. They also come for the great food – which has gotten even better, thanks to a grant from the Neighbourhood Kitchen Fund.

United Way’s long-standing partners, BMO and Medavie, co-created the Neighbourhood Kitchen Fund in 2019 to meet a growing community need. They understood that to improve access to food at a neighbourhood level, organizations needed support to update kitchens and gathering spaces. With over 200,000 Nova Scotians living in food insecure households in 2022, neighbourhood kitchens are becoming more and more important. Many community organizations rely on limited funding and may be under-resourced to deliver their programming. Government grants are often aimed at establishing or improving programs, rather than infrastructure upgrades or core funding. The Neighbourhood Kitchen Fund was designed for local organizations to apply for up to $70,000 worth of kitchen renovations and equipment. In total, the fund has improved kitchens and gathering spaces in 16 organizations across HRM.

[Description: CEO of United Way Halifax is on the left of the image. She is with 2 more people. The man stand next to her and the woman is next to a sign. The turquoise with white text is in between them. They text say " $300,000 + $300,000 = $600,000, there are logos of United Way Halifax, BMO, and Medavie at the bottom of the sign. They are making change to the community]

Expanded access to food programming

Prior to the renovation, the kitchen space at Chebucto Connections was too small to meet the needs of their community. It could only hold 1-2 staff members and a few key appliances. Program participants dined off disposable plates and containers. They didn’t have a dedicated staff for food programming.

Now that the renovations are complete, food programming at Chebucto Connections has taken on a new life. They’ve expanded the kitchen and eating area, allowing for space for bigger crowds and the opportunity to prepare halal foods in separate areas. They’ve purchased new equipment, like additional fridges and freezers and new dishes. They can now store more produce and prepare and store frozen meals for community members in need.

Thanks to the investment from the Neighbourhood Kitchen Fund, Chebucto Connections has seen many more opportunities to grow programming with an improved kitchen — like building cooking skills, enhanced food safety training for staff, and welcoming students studying nutrition for a workplace placement. They also hired Zubida, a newcomer, to take on in-program food preparation. In addition to providing culturally appropriate food, Zubida is developing her English language skills, and helping community members work through cultural and linguistic challenges in a safe and supportive space.

The changes made possible by the Neighbourhood Kitchen Fund are visible within the organization and beyond. The students rave about the food, and everyone is enjoying learning new skills and sharing meals together. Healthy food is helping to build community and well-being, and that’s a recipe for success.

Thank you to BMO and Medavie for leading this project with compassion. We look forward to seeing the continued impact enabled by this leadership and action.