Recently, I posted an article that I wrote for Dandyhorse Magazine on the “Ride for Real Food” – a fundraiser to build a kitchen for the soon-to-open West End Food Co-op in Toronto. Now, it’s time for me to shamelessly plug my own fundraising efforts for this cause! (This makes my bias in the Dandyhorse article pretty obvious.)

Please help me reach my target of $500 and support my participation in the bike-a-thon this coming weekend. Read on to hear about why I think the co-op is worth your donation! …or just CLICK HERE to be magically transported to my dreamy fundraising page.

One last climb on a very hilly day in Cuba. For the bike-a-thon, I'll probably pack lighter.

The West End Food Coop is hosting a Bike-a-Thon to raise money to build a real-life food coop. This coop represents SO much of what I believe in for a local, sustainable food system.

Want to make a REAL, TANGIBLE IMPACT on the world, and the food system in particular? Then help turn the coop’s DREAM into REALITY by helping fund the construction of a community kitchen at their new home in Parkdale, Toronto (my neighbourhood!). Sponsor me as I ride from downtown Toronto to the Kortright Centre in Woodbridge on September 25th.

As many of you know, I have been actively involved in “food issues” for a number of years. For me, food is an essential solution to many of the challenges we face in today’s world. Our health, our environment, and our communities all hinge so intimately on food.

In my own life, food has been central in my quest to live a more healthy, sustainable, and connected lifestyle. Having food coops, I have learned, are an incredible way to meld these three pillars together. A food coop, which is member-run, has the capacity to selectively choose to support small farmers, food processors, and local and sustainable agriculture. A food coop is more nimble amidst a complex food system and can source according to its members’ needs and values – unlike large chain grocery stores.

The West End Food Coop will also be home to many educational community workshops and will have a full-sized industrial teaching kitchen. The kitchen is one of many ways people of all income levels will be able to connect with one another and become empowered around food in their own lives. Money raised in this bike-a-thon will go towards building this kitchen space.

While you may not personally live in Toronto or Toronto’s west end, I do believe that a donation to the coop will have a real and immediate impact in the socio-economically diverse communities that use it. It will also inspire and support the replication of its model and programs far and wide.

I could go on and on about why the Coop is so great and why I’d love it if you sponsored me as I ride in the Bike-A-Thon this fall. Please get in touch if you’d like to hear me gush more!

Thanks for your generosity!

Emily

Please donate to my fundraising efforts! Click here to visit my fundraising page and track my progress.