RFDA Summer Days program teaches Thunder Bay, Ontario kids about food

The Regional Food Distribution Association in Thunder Bay, Ont.,  wants to help kids understand and appreciate the journey that food takes before it ends up on their plate, and so they started the Summer Days program.

The aim of the program is for children to create happy memories associated with food, "whether it's in the kitchen, whether it's outside growing it, or if it's just sitting down and sharing a meal together," says Kelsey Agnew, the kitchen manager for the RFDA.

Each week the kids learn about food through a unique theme such as "garden tea party", "farm-to-table" and "fairies and forest magic", she said.

For the "bees and butterflies" theme day, Agnew invited a bee-keeper to come in and teach the kids about the role these pollinators play in food production.

"It's important to educate people about their food sources, the fact that one out of three mouthfuls of food today come from the pollination of the honeybees—they're very important," said bee-keeper Don Kamula.

Agnew wants the kids to understand the connection between the ecosystem and the food on their dinner table.

"Without the honeybees we wouldn't have our food," said Agnew, adding it's important to make "those links from the garden, from the weather, and the insects that are required to grow our food."

She hopes that some of that knowledge will trickle into the kids' daily lives "to hopefully give them an appreciation for food and where it comes from, and how it gets to their table."

On top of exploring where food comes from, the kids are also introduced to practical skills such as gardening and cooking, with the goal of helping young peoeple build a healthy relationship with food.

The RFDA Summer Days program runs every Thursday through July and August.

For more information visit www.foodbanksnorthwest.ca.