Golden Carrot Awards

 

 

Congrats to all our 2011 Distinctive Honourees!

 

Thanks to everyone who attended this great event! Also, a special thank you to all our funders, sponsors and distinguished guests for their contribution. And finally to all our nominees: you are all winners! Keep up the amazing work...and click here to download a form to nominate someone for next year!

All our Nominees are doing amazing work...Check it out!

 Rural Community Food Champions

The Brandon Community Garden Network strives to create a healthy and sustainable food system and all members take great pride in their seven local Community Gardens. This year over five hundred gardeners were able to take part in various activities. Along with being a venue for community events such as neighbourhood potlucks and workshops, the Network’s gardens partner with schools and daycares to provide young children the opportunity to learn first-hand about food production. Driven completely by volunteers the Network Gardens empower those involved to take ownership and it acts as a catalyst to share experiences, culture and perspectives on both gardening and life. This nomination was submitted by Amy Lees.

The Swan Valley Food Bank in Swan River was founded by Ursula Taylor after she perceived a great need to help people living with hunger. Along with her husband, she serves hundreds of people from both the area and surrounding communities. Truly dedicated to investing all that she can, Ursula happily gives up her home phone to book appointments and her car to deliver goods to those who would be unable to access the Food Bank otherwise. Ursula is a true Food Champion and contributes to the Swan Valley Star & Times, using local media to raise consciousness about poverty in the area. She was nominated by Donald Benham.

Since returning to Manitoba in 2010 Wes Huyghe has been a one-man local food machine. After completing the “Explore Your Small Farm Dream” course through the Manitoba Farm Mentorship Program, Wes knew he wanted to be part of the small-farming community. After selling produce, chickens and turkeys from his farm in the Minnedosa area, he is now concentrating on building a new retail space in the community for local food. In less than two years, Wes truly has achieved great things and has already started giving back; passing on his skills and passion to the next crop of small farmers. Wes was nominated by Sheri Blaylock.

Jean Gardiner has practiced sustainable living including food and water stewardship, land management, local food production and the care of the environment, long before it was fashionable to do so. A Clearwater farmer with her husband for forty three years, Jean has also been an active gardener. For the past number of years she has been involved in the Harvest Moon Society and is passing her knowledge on to both rural and urban students. Jean still gardens more than enough for herself and is always willing to share with anyone and everyone who comes by for a snack! Jean was nominated by one of her greatest supporters, her son Jim Gardiner.

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Urban Community Food Champions

As President and Co-Founder of the South Osborne Urban Community Cooperative, Evan Bowness works hard to encourage those in his area to consider local, carbon-neutral, fair-trade and other various food options. SOUCC is a non-profit organization that, through Evan’s leadership, has helped to launch many new programs in the area, Intergenerational Gardening, Fruit Share and an Urban Market among them. It has become a model for other organizations and Evan works tirelessly on everything from proposal writing to picking rubarb. His dedication to local and sustainable food systems is truly an inspiration. Evan was nominated by Getty Stewart.

MLA for Wolseley, Rob Altemeyer, has been a committed supporter of the food movement in Winnipeg for many years. He has been a constant advocate for the development of policies at a provincial level that promote healthy and environmentally sustainable foods in Manitoba. Whether getting his hands dirty and weeding garden plots in his neighbourhood, meeting with community groups, or advancing policy change, Rob has demonstrated his commitment of a food secure Manitoba. Rob was nominated by an anonymous Wolseley constituent.

Just Growing was established in 2010 as a project of A Rocha Canada for the purposes of community outreach, education and gardening. Under the guidance of Jennifer Kornelson and Bethany Paetkau, Just Growing uses day camps and community celebrations to encourage Winnipeg inner-city families to share cooking experiences and lean to grow and cook nutritious and fresh vegetables. Just Growing also enriches the life of the neighbourhood with beautiful garden spaces that all can enjoy. It is indeed a project where everyone involved benefits in unique, and collective, ways. Just Growing was nominated by Evelyn Labun.

By promoting local food and access to healthy fresh food for low income Manitobans, Molly McCracken has been nominated as another fantastic Urban Champion. Through her work with the Harvest Moon Society, she has planned and sourced a local food menu for many Harvest Moon Festivals. As Executive Director for West Broadway Development Corporation, she has supported the Good Food Club and was also instrumental in launching the Soup Bee. These projects not only support local foods, but the broader community and their successes are great examples of the work Molly has put in both voluntarily and professionally. Molly was nominated by Robyn Webb and Colin Anderson.

Shawn Sullivan has been a driving volunteer in establishing the community garden at Turtle Island. Shawn has created the plans for the garden site and been the lead in planting and nurturing the herbs, vegetables and flowers. He has also passed on these skills, teaching the children in the community to care for the plants. Shawn has also helped at the bi-weekly “Vibrant Veggies Crew” childrens’ gardening events and learn about food, health and culture. Through all his efforts he has ensured the Turtle Island garden site will be a lasting place for everyone to enjoy. Shawn was nominated by the North End Food Security Network.

Ron and Eunice O’Donovan have been strong and steady supporters of Winnipeg Harvest from the earliest years. Together, Ron and Eunice have initiated two programs that have had a lasting and positive impact on our community. ‘Grow a Row’ encourages gardeners to set aside one row of their produce to donate to Winnipeg Harvest. Since 1986, the program has yielded millions of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables. ‘Kids Who Care’ is a program also set up by the couple to recognize the many wonderful ways that local young people contribute to Winnipeg Harvest. Ron and Eunice were nominated by Donald Benham. 

In Winnipeg there are many organizations working toward the goal of a more just and sustainable food system. Agape Table stands out as they strive toward the vision of building healthy communities. The staff, board and volunteers of this organization work to meet emergency needs and ensure community members have access to the nutritious foods they need. They are innovative in their programming, and aren’t afraid to say “no” to donations of junk food. For upholding their four pillars of Nutrition, Empowerment, Dignity and Community, Agape Table has been recognized as an Urban Champion. Agape Table was nominated by Laura Husak.

Tyson Cormack is the volunteer Chairperson of the Environment Committee for the Point Douglas Resident’s Committee, and has been active in this role for the past three years. He has helped plant and build twenty-four community garden boxes and twenty-one youth boxes for his neighbourhood. Tyson has also helped start the Farmers Market in North Point Douglas. He worked to set up a greenhouse for the local Women’s Centre and his enthusiasm has encouraged many youth to work with the Urban Green Team. Tyson is simply an amazing community volunteer and an inspiration to neighbourhood development work in general. Tyson was nominated by Linda Williams.

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Northern Community Food Champions
  

Jessie Lavallee has been helping to organize the annual Goose Camp in Fox Lake for the last five years. This event takes months of planning and provides youth and community members to fully participate in all levels of the tradition; goose hunting, preparation and cooking. Knowledge is passed on, and the five-day event includes overnight camping and community story-telling. For all her hard work in organizing and coordinating Goose Camp, Jessie is recognized as a Northern Food Champion. She was nominated by Shawna Henderson.

Billy Beardy is a man of many skills and full of knowledge. He is a leader in his community of Fox Lake and is always looking to help. Billy helps teach local youth how to trap animals and prepare the fur for selling. He also devotes a lot of energy and time to teaching kids how to fish and hunt properly. This year Billy volunteered to clear the garden site so that potatoes could be planted and also cleared a site for a greenhouse to be built. There is no doubt that he devotes a lot of his time to helping Fox Lake become healthier, and a more food-secure community. Billy was also nominated by Shawna Henderson.

Naosap Harvest is a certified organic wild rice producer based in Cranberry-Portage. Owner Tracy Anderson has ensured that the product is being grown and harvested in a sustainable manner, preserving the environment of the North. Naosap is also very community-involved and have donated to and sponsored many events in the Cranberry-Portage area. They have significantly raised the profile of Manitoba wild rice, educating people on its impressive nutritional content, its health benefits and its versatility as a delicious food. For being seen on the menu of many high-profile restaurants in the province and on the dinner tables of families everywhere and in granola bars at school lunches, Naosap is recognized as a great Northern Champion. They were nominated by Lori Wheeler. Tracy is with us here today. Please come join us and receive your certificate.

Sherry Ferland is very active in her community of Barrows and goes above and beyond to ensure community members are active as well. She is focused on providing all the essential tools to those in the area and has been instrumental in trying to establish a greenhouse as well. She is involved with the Northern Healthy Foods Initiative in her community and is a leader in creating change. In her spare time, Sherry is an avid gardener and has also started planting fruit trees. Sherry was nominated by the Northern Association of Community Councils.

Princess Harbour is a small and isolated community on the East shore of Lake Winnipeg with no year-round roads. Because of this, food security is a major issue and requires strong community involvement to help ensure fresh and nutritious food can be made available. Barry Magnusson is very active in his community and has built a greenhouse to help improve food access. Through this he gardens and grows produce, and also is involved in selling bedding plants to local residents to allow them ‘grow their own’. In his spare time, Barry saves seed and produces fruit trees for the community. Barry was also nominated by the Northern Association of Community Councils.

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 Education Community Food Champions

Livia Gloux’s students describe her best.  She made cooking and theory fun, one said.  Another said that Ms. Gloux is a great teacher and easy to get along with.  And to cap it off another student said:  I believe Ms. Gloux should be chosen for this award because she came into our school and changed everything.  She brought cooking to a whole new level and we all became much closer and worked together.  She even brought the community into the school and includes us all in Home Grown, to raise awareness of local foods.  Enough said.  Livia Gloux, not only do your students “love you to pieces,” as they put it, thirteen of them have also nominated you for a Golden Carrot award.  Congratulations!

Joe Kaufert and Gladys Stewart at the University of Manitoba have been instrumental in connecting the Faculty of Medicine with Winnipeg Harvest.  All students spend half a day at Harvest, where they learn about Harvest’s mission, volunteer on the warehouse floor, and learn about how to best serve people with low incomes when they become doctors.  Winnipeg Harvest values the relationship and opportunity it provides for respectful dialogue with future professionals who are likely to interact with Winnipeg Harvest clients and other people living with hunger and poverty.  Thank you to Joe and Gladys for all your hard work on this program. You were recognized for your efforts by Donald Benham.

When Cam Cross returned from an educators’ conference in the United States, he had a great idea for Winnipeg Harvest:  Empty Bowls in the Schools.  He has since worked with Winnipeg Harvest to get the idea into the Pembina Trails School Division and elsewhere.  As a result, thousands of students have learned about hunger, designed and created ceramic bowls, and then served soup and bread to parents and community members – who buy the bowl and take it home.  Thank you to Cam for your idea and enthusiasm.  You were also nominated by Donald Benham.

Blake Hamilton is a teaching assistant and garden coordinator at the New Era School, an inner-city school in Brandon.  He has been organizing a community garden for the neighbourhood, spending much of his free time there to help new gardeners and teaching gardening skills to students. He’s hoping to use some of the harvest for breakfast and lunch programs at the school.  Not only that but he has been instrumental in organizing Brandon’s Seedy Sunday event and is now working on a Yard Share program for Brandon.  Thank you to Blake for your great work bringing fresh, local food to the students of New Era School and the city centre of Brandon. Congrats on the nomination submitted by Aagaard Farms.

Imagine teaching cooking to over 130 high school students and managing a cafeteria that feeds 1,500 students every day. Joe Lindhorst not only does that, he also partnered with Food Matters Manitoba in the very successful premiere edition of Localvore Iron Chef Cook-Off.  His enthusiasm for environmental sustainability has led Joe to add more local sources to his ordering system and has led to plans to create a composting site for food waste, Manitoba’s first Farm to Cafeteria pilot project, and letting the students of Sturgeon Heights Collegiate learn more about the food they eat in the cafeteria.  Joe, thank you for bringing your charm, determined mind, and caring soul to support local food in our schools. Your student who nominated you, Bryce White, couldn’t agree more.

The farm mentors of the Manitoba Farm Mentorship program not only manage their own farms, they are also passionate about teaching new and aspiring farmers how to farm.  It’s a long list – but we think it is worth congratulating all of them. Nominated by their program coordinators, some of these farmers have hosted interns on their farms, others have shared their knowledge at farm mentorship events.  Thanks to these dedicated farm mentors for inspiring the next generation of Manitoba farmers.

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Media Community Food Champions

  Is there anything that Shel Zolkewich can’t do?  Not only is she a fantastic cook, she is also a great food photographer, and her food writing has appeared in many national and local publications.  Not to mention that she has a true love for all things food.  She has recently started the Manitoba Food Bloggers Facebook page that brings together the chef and restaurant community and creates discussion.  Always one to try something new and tell the world about it, Shel is a worthy Media Community Food Champion. You were nominated by John Heim.

Adrienne Percy’s communications expertise has come in handy in the food world over the last year.  Adrienne was an important factor in the People’s Food Policy Project’s media success during the last federal election – the first time that food policy made its way into federal election discussion.   Her volunteer work has also helped develop materials with the Food Label Movement.  Recently she has also been a tremendous contributor to Dig In Manitoba.  Her passion for connecting with the community and media to promote consumer awareness is emphasized in the variety of ventures she engages in.  Nominated by Sagan Morrow and Amanda Sheedy, Adrienne’s work is truly an inspiration.

In 2008, Corus Radio Winnipeg and Winnipeg Harvest began a province-wide fundraising initiative called “Hunger for Hope” dedicated to ending child hunger in Manitoba so that no child goes to bed hungry.  Over the years, Corus Radio has hosted many ‘Hunger for Hope’ events that raise awareness, collect baby food and infant formula, and generate much needed funds to keep Harvest’s programs operating.  To date, Corus Radio has raised over $600,000, an incredible contribution to the work of Winnipeg Harvest. Donald Benham submitted this nomination in recognition of all the great work you have done.

Kris Antonius’s beautiful design work can be found on websites like Dig In Manitoba as well as for organizations such as the Organic Food Council of Manitoba.  Her background as a teacher, mother, and designer come together for the benefit of all Manitoba families through her work with Dig In Manitoba, where she has been a volunteer since almost the beginning of the project.  Her experience as a foodie who just also happens to be a time strapped mother has helped her create websites and tools that are both stunning and practical.  Ironically, it was your fellow nominee Adrienne Percy who submitted this nomination to recognize your talents and effort.

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Business Community Food Champions

Nature’s Farm is operated by Hermann Grauer, his wife Sheryl, and their three children.  They run an innovative 17,000 laying hen free-run facility just outside of Steinbach.  In 1993, they developed Nature’s Pasta, which can now be found across Manitoba as well as on the menus of some of North America’s finest eating establishments.  The Grauers attribute their successful egg and pasta business to a solid work ethic and stringent adherence to best practices and are committed to ecological sustainability and stewardship.  Congratulations to Nature’s Farm for your Golden Carrot nomination submitted by Brenda Bazylewski of Manitoba Eggs.

Organic Planet Worker Co-op has become a Wolseley institution, home to excellent organic produce, vitamins, and grocery items.  Organic Planet – or OP, as its regulars refer to it – is known for its beautiful selection of fresh, organic produce.  The pricing is reasonable and the variety is abundant.  On a typical visit to Organic Planet, you can find your grocery basics – including local, Manitoba products – as well as something new to try for the first time.  Well done OP! Organic Planet was nominated by Melanie Rushton.

Dave and Evelyn at Sage Garden Herbs have been pioneers in promoting access to sustainable, healthy, and fair food for the past fifteen years as Winnipeg’s only 100% natural, non-toxic garden centre.  Sage Gardens not only operates a successful greenhouse business, they also provide over thirty workshops a year and Dave is a popular mainstay on CBC Radio, where he shares his gardening tips.  Sage Garden has also been a supporter of inner city gardening programs and First Nations through plant donations and contributions of their time and expertise.  Thank you Sage Garden Herbs for helping our gardens grow. You were nominated by Anne Lindsay.

Chisick Metal is owned by Dan and Josh Chisick, brothers who saw the connection between their business of reclaiming metal and Winnipeg Harvest’s mission of helping people who live in hunger.  Recently, Chisick Metal donated a truck worth $70,000 to Harvest.  Not only that, but the company included Harvest’s logo in all its advertising – a half a million dollars’ worth.  Dan has helped organize the annual Empty Bowls Gala and Josh is using Winnipeg Harvest as a case study for his MBA degree, looking at Harvest’s triple bottom line.  Congratulations to the Chisick brothers and Chisick Metal on the nomination put forth by Donald Benham.

Bistro 7¼ has become a fixture in Winnipeg culinary circles and source many of the ingredients for their renowned dishes from local farmers.  Alex and Danielle from the Bistro also spend a lot of their own time supporting Manitoba’s local food scene.  They are the volunteer coordinators of the stellar La Cuisine of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, feeding over 3500 volunteers, performers, and backstage guests with a minimum of 20% food procured locally.  In addition they are also involved with a training program for Winnipeg Harvest clients.  Alex and Danielle, thank you to all your hard work.  How do you ever have time for it all? You have been recognized by Katarina Kupca.

The Notre Dame Creamery is a small, family owned creamery in Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba.  Notre Dame processes its own butter as well as Manitoba Organic Meadow milk and kefir.  Owner Guy Roche and his wife Diane are champions or organic and local food.  Not only did the Notre Dame Creamery get a Golden Carrots nomination this year, its kefir also won the award for best new product from the Manitoba Food Processors Association.  Congrats to Guy and Diane for your tasty contributions to Manitoba local food. This nomination was submitted by Pauline Nadlersmith.

This year's Awards were designed and created by Laurie Green.

 

Save the Date!

You are cordially invited to attending this year’s Golden Carrot Awards and World Food Day Breakfast! The awards are once again taking place at The Rotunda at the Manitoba Legislative Building from 9:30am to 11:30am on Friday, October 14th, 2011.

This event will celebrate all the nominees in each of the 6 categories (Urban, Rural, Northern, Business, Media, and Education) and all their hard work over the past year. Come down for a mini muffin and some local cheese, and join us as we recognize Community Food Champions and all across our province!

For questions, further information, or to RSVP, please call us at 943-0822 or 1-800-731-2638 or email info@foodmattersmanitoba.ca

Nominations Annouced!

The Golden Carrot Awards are Food Matters Manitoba's annual awards recognizing the tremendous work Manitobans are doing to create a healthy, sustainable food system. Awards will be presented and all nominees will be acknowledged on October 14, 2011 in celebration of World Food Day. In addition, six nominees will also receive the Golden Carrot Award and recognition in our newsletter and website.

Golden Carrot Award categories:

For more information, please contact us. View all previous individuals, organizations and businesses that were nominated from 2007-2010.

Download a copy of the 2011 Golden Carrot Awards nomination form in English ou en français.

You can also view pictures of last year's event and see all those recognized below or on our Flickr page.

 

2010 Golden Carrot Awards

2009 Golden Carrot Awards

 

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