Seva Food Bank launches Seva Farm

Seva Food Bank
(L-R) Gurpreet S. Somal, Jaskaran S. Sandhu, Gursharn K. Gill and Kulvinder K. Gill.
Mississauga, Ontario: The Seva Food Bank has announced the launch of a new initiative with KarmaGrow. Starting with a one-acre pilot project, the Seva Farm will cultivate and harvest a farm in Caledon East to help to provide food bank clients with a sustainable source of fresh produce.

KarmaGrow’s co-founder, Jaskaran Singh Sandhu, started with a simple idea. “Food banks are often short of fresh vegetables, land is often underutilized, people are always looking for ways to give back – KarmaGrow is here to bring all these elements together in order to ‘Harvest Good’. I have been amazed at the community’s willingness to help. The team at Seva Food Bank been fantastic in providing additional logistics, capacity, volunteers and community support to get this project off the ground. We have every reason to believe our pilot year will be a great success.”

The long-term vision is to create a sustainable community farm to make fresh produce readily available to those in need through various community organizations. The collaborative project is in partnership with the World Sikh Organization, Khoobsurat Klothing, GG Fabrication, Good Food Brampton, Region of Peel, Ecosource and Knights Table.

“This farming initiative is entirely volunteer and community driven.” said Seva Board member Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill. “This summer, we hope to cultivate as many as 16 crops. Donations will go a long way in helping us achieve our vision. A $50 donation will allow us to plant a row of corn to feed thousands of clients for a week.”

The community farm will also be an intergenerational volunteer initiative. Youth will be partnered with seniors and learn from the experiences and expertise of their elders. All volunteers will attend a half-day training workshop provided by Ecosource. “No prior farming or gardening experience is required. You just need to have the passion to help. We will work to provide you with the tools and training needed to help turn your passion into positive action.” said Dr. Gill.

Launched in 2010, the Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to low-income families living in Mississauga through their Wolfedale Road and Slough Street (Malton) locations. It is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered charitable not-for-profit organization.

To support this initiative by volunteering or by making a donation, visit: www.sevafoodbank.com. To learn more about KarmaGrow, visit www.karmagrow.org.