Flour Mill Community Farm launches new fundraising efforts

Sudbury’s first urban community farm has launched a new fundraising initiative to help fund their programming next season. (Supplied)

Sudbury’s first urban community farm has launched a new fundraising initiative to help fund their programming next season.

The Flour Mill Community Farm was established in 2017 and this past year, the group marked its sixth growing season.

Just in time for the holidays, the farm is selling Canadian-made T-shirts and crewneck shirts. The shirts are available in grey or white to avoid the use of harmful dyes with a design by Caroline Cichelly. The shirts are being sourced by King Athletics and manufactured in Calgary, Alta. As the garments are 100% made-in-Canada and ethically sourced and manufactured, they come at a cost. In order to raise $10 per shirt for the farm, T-shirts will be $32 each and crewnecks $42.

Organizers said the shirts would make ideal Christmas gifts for a great cause.

To order shirts email your size and style preferences to [e-mail] or message the Flour Mill Community Farm on Facebook. A pickup location in central Sudbury will be determined closer to delivery.

The farm is also fundraising by selling pins and magnets at the Nickel Refillery on Regent Street and Carrot Ceramics on Eyre Street is donating a minimum of $5 from each of their pottery sales to the farm.

The farm was first started by the now defunct Social Planning Council of Sudbury, with the goal of improving access to fresh locally produced food. Food sovereignty advocates managed to bring this unique farm to the heart of the Greater Sudbury community, cultivating 2,500 square feet of fertile ground near Ryan Heights Park.

The farm has no permanent funding at this time but is applying for a variety of funding sources.

“As a consequence of global warming, our region will realize a growth in farming and agriculture opportunities,” said Ward 5 councillor Mike Parent in an email to CTV News.

Since the closure of the planning council, the farm is currently being supported by a partnership between two not-for-profits, reThink Green and The Foodshed Project.

“This is something that must be continued, but in order to do so, they will need more fundraising and some level of permanent funding from the city,” said former city councillor Robert Kirwan in an email.

“Support from the local business sector is always appreciated as well.”

Since 2017, the farm has employed more than 50 youth during the growing season through the YMCA Employment Services and the Canada Summer Jobs program.

Officials said each season for most youth hired it is their first job.

“Fionna Tough recently gave me a tour of the Flour Mill farm and shared details about the youth employment program. I was so impressed with the garden and the youth program. The YOUTH young persons that participate in the employment program not only earn money and learn life skills, but also the importance of team work and work ethic as they grow food for their community,” added Parent.

“(The) youth programs offer an alternative career path for those that enjoy being outdoors and thrive from stimulating and rewarding work.”

After a successful fundraising campaign last winter, the farm was able to employ 14 young people this summer.

The fresh, ecologically grown produce harvested at the farm each year is offered at affordable prices to those living near the farm in the Ryan Heights neighbourhood through a weekly market.

The farm also works with the local community garden to plant more wildflower and pollinator species in the area.

Fionna Tough, the farm’s urban food coordinator, told CTV News that every year they expand the farm with more garden beds.

“We will be doing more perennial agriculture to help limit the amount of water use and demand on water. It also lowers labour in some capacity,” said Tough.

“And of course, we know that perennial agriculture is less harmful to the earth overall because we don’t have to be tilling the soil every year.”

There is lots of excitement for next summer, if funding can be secured, an in-kind partnership with Ormuir Organics will allow the farm to create its own fertility without having to purchase fertilizer every year.

Tough said this additional is a step forward in closing the loop in allowing the farm to become self-sufficient.

In addition to the fertilization efforts, couple Travis Olding and Lauren Andersen in Wanup Township have given the farm free use of a quarter acre of land to grow more food at that location to supplement the harvest at urban farm.

The farm will also plant $700 worth of fruit trees and shrubs donated by Beautiful Field Farm & Fruit Trees this spring.

“I would really encourage widespread support of the fundraisers for the Flour Mill’s urban farm,” added Kirwan.

“The impact of the farm on the neighbourhood has been tremendous. Just having this very successful project on the Ryan Heights Park raises the community image of the area and gives residents a sense of pride and accomplishment … They now have an urban farm model that can be admired and replicated by other parts of the city.”

The farm is also partnering with Knowhere Public House in downtown Sudbury to see some of its produce grown for use in the local eatery. The staff at the restaurant is often involved in not just preparing the food but harvesting it, several joined Tough a few weeks ago to plant more than 30 metres of garlic that will be harvested in the spring.

“Partnerships are kind of exploding left and right,” added Tough.

I think people who work in food in general in Sudbury are really starting to band together in a way we haven’t before because we are realizing … we have not choice anymore and we need to pool our resources, our gifts and expertise.”

More information about the farm and upcoming events and fundraisers can be found on the community farm’s Facebook page.