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From strength to strength

Indigenous-led Community Food Centres (CFC) are building hope and reclaiming culture by focusing on a deep knowledge of the land and rich food traditions. “Food brings people and people bring ideas and ideas bring strength to our communities,” says Rebecca Sylvestre, Manager of Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows CFC

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Deep in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan, the Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows Community Food Centre hums with activity. It might be a cranberry canning session or a mother-and-son pie-baking program, a meal shared with Elders or a moose-fixing workshop with local Cree and Dene hunters. 

“When communities gather around food and prepare it themselves, relationships are built,” says Manager Rebecca Sylvestre (pictured above). “Food brings people and people bring ideas and ideas bring strength to our communities.”

The CFC opened officially in summer 2021, but the partnership between CFCC and the community began four years earlier, with a focus on building connection through traditional Indigenous food practices and traditions. One of three CFCs in an Indigenous community, Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows joins Natoaganeg CFC in Eel Ground First Nation, New Brunswick, and Qajuqturvik CFC in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

“When communities gather around food and prepare it themselves, relationships are built… Food brings people and people bring ideas and ideas bring strength to our communities.”

Despite the challenge of high food prices as well as more than a century of colonial policies and inequities, there is deep knowledge and rich food traditions in the community. The CFC provides both a physical place to gather and share, and an opportunity to tap into the wisdom of the people and land, bringing young and old together. 

“The Community Food Centre model has everything we need to help each other learn and bring our culture back,” Sylvestre explains. “Now people have hope, they can see something is happening and it’s not going away.”

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Deep in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan, the Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows Community Food Centre hums with activity. It might be a cranberry canning session or a mother-and-son pie-baking program, a meal shared with Elders or a moose-fixing workshop with local Cree and Dene hunters.

“Food brings people and people bring ideas and ideas bring strength to our communities.”

“When communities gather around food and prepare it themselves, relationships build,” says Program Manager Rebecca Sylvestre. “Food brings people and people bring ideas and ideas bring strength to our communities.” 

The centre opened officially in summer 2021, but the partnership between CFCC and the community began four years earlier, with a focus on building connection through traditional Indigenous food practices and traditions. One of three CFCs in an Indigenous community, Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows joins Natoaganeg CFC in Eel Ground First Nation, New Brunswick and Qajuqturvik CFC in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Sylvestre and the centre take a strength-based approach to the work. Despite the challenge of high food prices as well as more than a century of colonial policies and inequities, there is deep knowledge and rich food traditions in the community. The CFC provides both a physical place to gather and share, and an opportunity to tap into the wisdom of the people and land, bringing young and old together.

Share this story