Driving ambition
Through the Good Food Access Fund, launched in response to the pandemic, CFCC supported new voices and leaders, building a stronger movement, and a vision for a more equitable society.
Edmonton-based CANAVUA (Canadian Volunteers United in Action) is an organization on a mission. The Black-led, Francophone nonprofit, which offers hot meal delivery and emergency food hampers, has seen demand increase four-fold in the largely BIPOC and Indigenous communities it serves.
“With our food truck, we’re bringing food and resources where people need it,” explains founder and Executive Director Dicky Dikamba (pictured above). “Mobility is key. Instead of people going to the service, we’re going to the community.”
“We’ve done education webinars with CFCC, joined the Good Food Organization network, and refined our vision. Being partners with CFCC makes us stronger.”
A 2020 grant from CFCC’s Good Food Access Fund came at a key moment for the organization. “We had just bought the truck, and the grant helped us run our meals program and offer culturally appropriate food,” Dicky explains. “Since then, we’ve done education webinars with CFCC, joined the Good Food Organization network, and refined our vision. Being partners with CFCC makes us stronger.”
Next stop: a new refrigerated truck to deliver fresh fruit and veggies. And Dicky’s vision doesn’t end there: “We think this could be everywhere in big cities.”
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Edmonton-based CANAVUA (Canadian Volunteers United in Action) is an organization on a mission. The Black-led Francophone nonprofit, which offers hot meal delivery and emergency food hampers, has recently seen demand increase four-fold in the largely BIPOC and Indigenous communities it serves.
“With our food truck, we’re bringing food and resources where people need it,” explains founder and Executive Director Dicky Dikamba. “Mobility is key. Instead of people going to the service, we’re going to the community.”
A 2020 Good Food Grant from CFCC came at a key moment for the organization. “We had just bought the truck, and the grant helped us run our meals program and offer culturally appropriate food,” Dicky explains. “Since then, we’ve done education webinars with CFCC, joined the Good Food Organization network and refined our vision. Being part of CFCC makes us stronger.”
Next stop: a new refrigerated truck to deliver fresh fruit and veggies. And Dicky’s vision doesn’t end there: “We think this could be everywhere in big cities.”
During the pandemic, The Local closed to in-person meals, but Susan was one of hundreds of community members who received hot food delivered by volunteers three times a week. She missed her friends, but these healthy meals, dropped off at her door, were a lifesaver after a 2020 stroke left her in hospital and rehab for months, then unable to drive or use her stove afterward. Sometimes the volunteers would even help clear the snow from her walk. “They always had a kind word—they really went above and beyond,” says Susan.
Some of her old crowd have passed away, but she’s found new people to sit with during community meals. And she’s also accessing supports, like referrals for mental health services and a nurse practitioner who can test her blood sugar. “I feel so welcome there,” Susan says. “People are wonderful. They make me feel supported. I truly feel part of this place.”
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