Community Engagement

Local Food Manitoulin has developed an outreach model in the form of a Mobile Community Food Hub and is looking for feedback and input from community members. We are asking people to review the proposed design on this page. Every participant who engages via the survey (link below) or a consultation session, is eligible to enter a draw to win (1 of 5) $100 Gift Cards to local food businesses, including:

Three Forks Farms
Har-Cor Greenhouse
Burt Farm Country Meats
Purvis Fisheries
Pike Lake Farms

Mobile Food Hub model

Conceptual exterior design of LFM facility

The district of Mnidoo Mnis includes seven (7) First Nation communities, multiple off-reserve communities and rural residential areas that are spread out over a large geographic space. The landscape is unique and community needs are diverse. Therefore, it is essential that our team adapts and provides flexibility when engaging in program designs.

The LFM team requires community input and feedback as we move through the planning phase of a mobile food hub for the community of Mnidoo Mnis. The model is designed to improve logistics for staff, increase reach and enhance the experience of our current food and knowledge sharing programs.

In November 2020, we hired a consultant to facilitate strategic and operational planning for Local Food Manitoulin. Members of staff and the Advisory Committee participated. The idea for the mobile food hub model was developed from these roundtable sessions. During the month of March 2021, the LFM team is presenting the conceptual project plans to the public and requesting feedback via a survey tool and one-on-one consultations with Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

The proposed design includes a "home-base" facility featuring a commercial four (4) bay garage, work and training space, equipment and food storage areas and a semi-attached greenhouse. The garage will store a company pick-up truck and three (3) enclosed cargo trailers (mobile food units).

The food hub model has three (3) mobile branches:

Mobile Local Food Market
Mobile Community Kitchen/ Food Processing Trailer
Mobile Butcher Shop

Mobile Branches

Mobile Local Food Market

In spring 2020, Local Food Manitoulin launched the first mobile food market in Mnidoo Mnis. Our team cultivated and harvested 2,400 pounds of food at Myengenuk Gizhkeking Endaat Farm and procured additional foods from local growers and farmers. In total, over 4,000 pounds of fresh food was distributed to communities.

The markets provide an experience for community members to access local food on a donation basis, with sliding scale recommendations. The funds raised supported the program by covering costs of supplies and materials for increased food production, food packaging and general market supplies. The funds also supported LFM food literacy components, including cooking demonstrations at the markets.

Leading up to the 2021 season, the team plans to ramp up production at the farm and distribution through the mobile market model. We have purchased an enclosed cargo trailer, POS system, roto-tiller, seeders, etc. to achieve our goals to scale-up reach.

Mobile Community Kitchen

A mobile community kitchen/food processing trailer will improve logistics and enhance knowledge sharing program components currently offered by Local Food Manitoulin within communities across the island district. In addition, this equipment will increase our scope by:

launching a new community feast program to provide hot meals featuring traditional foods within communities
allowing LFM organizational partners use of the unit for community-led events and workshops
providing an inspected space for LFM team to safely process food products for food access programs (Good Food Box, Harvest to Share, Mobile Market)
providing an inspected space for Network Members to process and package food for retail and/or food sharing purposes

Mobile Butchery

As referrals increase to our Harvest to Share program, we recognize the need for temporary storage and processing of wild game, specifically white-tailed deer and moose. With limited resources and high demand for large game processing within the district, LFM was unable to secure consistent butchery services for the 2020 season and relied on off-island facilities. Mnidoo Mnis has an unlimited number of skilled individuals capable of processing large game, including members of the LFM team. With a certified mobile facility, we will have the capacity to store/hang, process and package forest meats for our growing Indigenous food access program - Harvest to Share.

In addition, Local Food Manitoulin coordinates with communities and schools to offer knowledge sharing and hands-on workshops to demonstrate and teach processing. The mobile butchery will improve logistics for staff and facilitators and enhance the experience for participants learning the skills. Organizational Partners and Network Members will have access to the mobile butchery for community-led hunt camps, workshops or other approved uses.