George Stroumboulopoulos World Food Day Toronto Message
Channel: MapPH
Date: 2012-10-17

George Stroumboulopoulos, UN World Food Program Ambassador and host of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight sends a message to World Food Day Toronto participants on October 16, 2012. 

Films That Move and Food Forward organized World Food Day Toronto in partnership with the newly opened Daniels Spectrum, a cultural hub in Regent Park, Centre for Social Innovation and Michael Young Family Foundation to bring together Regent Park residents, food community leaders and the public to learn, share and discuss ideas on how to create a more accessible, local and sustainable food system.

Participants enjoyed a showcase of local cuisine prepared by Soupstock and Foodstock co-organizer, Chef Michael Stadtlander, and social enterprises Paintbox Bistro and Regent Park Community Health Centre. 

Welcome messages were delivered by David Reycraft on behalf of Regent Park Food Partnership; Toronto Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray, Films That Move founder Celina Agaton, Foodstock and Soupstock co-organizer, Chef Michael Stadtlander and Food Forward Executive Director Darcy Higgins. Learn more about Foodstock and Soupstock at http://www.soupstock.ca/

Opening speakers stressed the need for a cross-sector approach to addressing hunger, highlighting that in Toronto, 50% of residents live in 'Food Deserts', neighbourhoods that do not have access to healthy and affordable food, that there were one million visits to food banks in 2011 alone, and that by 2025, 60% of residents are predicted to live below the poverty line by 2025.*

Food community leaders spoke briefly about their background an sector insights, then led more in depth discussions with participants in individual workshops.

A special preview of documentary, The Fruit Hunters was screened, with the Director, Yung Chang joining the audience in a Q&A via Skype.

Proceeds from the event will support Food Forward's Food Entrepreneur Training Program http://pushfoodforward.com/goodfoodjobs

Speakers:

- Yung Chang, The Fruit Hunters Documentary 
http://www.eyesteelfilm.com/fruithunters

- Mark Cutrara, Cowbell Restaurant 
http://www.cowbellrestaurant.ca/

- Suresh Doss, Food Truck Eats 
http://foodtruckeats.ca

- Bryan Gilvesy, Y U Ranch/Sustain Ontario 
http://www.yuranch.com/ http://sustainontario.com/

- Seana Irvine, Evergreen 
http://www.evergreen.ca/

- Tzazna Miranda Leal, Justicia for Migrant Workers http://www.justicia4migrantworkers.org

- Laura Reinsborough, Not Far From the Tree 
http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/                            
                  
- David Reycraft, Regent Park Food Partnership/Dixon Hall 
http://www.dixonhall.org/

- Nick Saul, Community Food Centres Canada, The Stop Community Food Centre http://www.cfccanada.ca/ http://www.thestop.org/
                  

To learn more about World Food Day and George Stroumboulopoulos' campaign for World Food Day, visit http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/social-issues/world-food-day-hunger-is-the-worlds-greatest-solvable-problem-heres-how-we-can-do-it.html

Learn more about 
Films That Move http://filmsthatmove.org
Food Forward http://pushfoodforward.com/
Daniels Spectrum http://regentparkarts.ca/
Centre for Social Innovation http://socialinnovation.ca/

* Food Deserts and Priority Neighbourhoods in Toronto, Martin Prosperity Institute
http://martinprosperity.org/2010/06/15/food-deserts-and-priority-neighbourhoods-in-toronto/

Who's Hungry? Faces of Hunger 2012 Report, Daily Bread Food Bank 
http://www.dailybread.ca/learning-centre/whos-hungry-2012/

2012 Vital Signs Report, Toronto Community Foundation
http://www.tcf.ca/torontos-vital-signs