Westside Neighbourhood Food Network

WNFN is very active, engaging in approximately 150 activities a year.

Our COMMUNITY FOOD RESILIENCE core program revolve around 6 key projects: Westside Food Festival, Westside Permaculture Corridor, Workshops, Collaborative Community Gardens, DIY Planter Boxes, and Community Seed Libraries. Other projects include a recycling centre, community meals, Permaculture Vancouver meetups, and plant and bee house giveaways.

During the pandemic, we've pivoted to ensure that our programs have continued to remain accessible, including hosting zoom workshops, seed-libraries-by mail, and continuing to garden collaboratively. In response to combatting social isolation and offering more opportunities to folks who may be immunocompromised during the pandemic, we've started a DIY Planter Box Kits program,  are offering more work from home volunteer activities, and offer zoom workshops over the winter holidays.

New this year (2021): Seed Libraries at Kerrisdale, Dunbar, and W. Pt. Grey Vancouver Public Library branches, Community Planter Box Garden at MLA David Eby's office, planter boxes at Bayswater Plaza, expanded vertical garden at McBride Fieldhouse, Kits Community Centre Collaborative Garden (now managed by us) expanded plant and planter box giveaways.

WESTSIDE FOOD FESTIVAL                                                   

The 1st festival took place July 18-31, 2017, and featured over 40 activities (all free) at a dozen westside locations, now the festival has grown to having over 100 activities! Keep scrolling to the bottom of the page to see a list of our past events hosted during the 2021 Westside Food Festival.

WORKSHOPS                                                                           

We hold several dozen food and gardening related workshops a year - many hand-on - at McBride Fieldhouse, our gardens, Kits Library, Aberthau, Kits Community Centre, and elsewhere. Typical topics include growing, preserving, fermenting, seed saving, permaculture, bees, cooking, native edibles, improving your soil, vertical gardening, and gardening and climate change.                                                       

Recycling Depot Monthly depots on the Thursday before the 3rd Friday of the month at Kits CC. Free from Apr-Nov; by donation Dec-Mar. Volunteers welcome.

WESTSIDE PERMACULTURE CORRIDOR

The goal of this 3-year Greenest City project is to create a corridor of several Permaculture gardens in Kitsilano and adjoining westside communities. Currently, 11 gardens/gardening spaces are involved. Features of the project include self-guided walking tours in English, Cantonese and Mandarin as well as extensive plant and topical signage. We're completing the 1st 3 years of the project this year, and will be extending the project for at least another year.

COLLABORATION                                                                                                            We've collaborated w/many local community groups, organizations, businesses, universities and other institutions over the years, including Kits, Dunbar, Kerrisdale, and W. Pt. Grey VPL branches, Aberthau Mansion (West Point Grey Community Centre), Kits Community Centre, Kits Neighbourhood House, W. Broadway BIA, SPEC, Billy Bishop Legion Hall, KCC Collaborative Garden, Society Le Village, LocoMotoArt, Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks, Westside Food Collaborative, Marpole Oakridge Neighbourhood Food Network, South False Creek NFN, UBC, Emily Carr UAD, Langara College, Kerrisdale Community Centre, West Point Grey Preschool, Kits Car Free Day block parties, Car Free Day Vancouver, Green Streets, Frisch Farms, Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society, West Coast Seeds,  Invivo Desigh, Fermentoring, E.A.R.T.H. and Co., Springtail Soil Regeneration, Counter-Cultures, Pacific Mobile Depot, The Agronomy Garden (at UBC), Kits House Rooftop Garden, Hives for Humanity, Dunbar Earthquake Emergency Preparedness, Rogue Folk Club,  Banyen Books, Hunter Garden Centre, Home Hardware (on 10th), Home Hardware (on Broadway), as well as MLA David Eby's Office, MP Joyce Murray's office, Green Streets, Vancouver Park Board, and the City of Vancouver.

In the broader Westside community, we've also worked with Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre, Jewish Community Centre, and Charleson Community Garden. Other current or past collaborations include, or have included Museum of Vancouver, Marpole Place Neighbourhood House, St. Augustine's Church, Farm Folk/City Folk, False Creek Community Centre, A Rocha, Seedstock Community Currency Project, Automatic Earth, Dunbar Residents Assn., Salmonberry Days, the Sustenance Festival, PosAbilities, Lord's Grace Church, UBC Farm, NOW BC,  Grant's Gourmet Gardens, Westside Collaborative Garden, Kits House Balcony Garden, and the Vancouver Food Policy Council.

Within Village Vancouver, many groups and gardens collaborate with the network - most notably Kits Village - as well as West Pt. Grey Village and Kerrisdale Village.

If you're a Westside food group, or have a food project that you'd like us to help spread the word about, please get in touch.

COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY GARDENS/other growing projects & activities 

We have 7 Westside collaborative community gardens/gardening spaces.

Kits Village Collaborative Garden Weekly gardening, typically from Mar-Nov. Now in our uth year, we also maintain several fruit trees and a vertical garden. We sometimes have openings for new members.

Aberthau Collaborative Permaculture and EcoArt Garden (at West Point Grey Community Centre) The garden includes our Demonstration Permaculture Garden, the West Point Grey Preschool Garden, and (following on the heels of 2015's Sunflower Garden, 2016's year's Pumpkin Patch,2017's Heritage Bean art/garden project, other art/food projects by Aberthau/McBride Park Fieldhouse artists-in-residence LocoMotoArt: Laura Lee Coles and Rob Scharein.

We offer free and low cost workshops  several times a month. Please check here or the VV event page for updates. For info on the previous Flax –food -Fibre project go to www.Aberthauflaxfibrefood.blogspot.ca/.

Kits Community Centre Community Garden New in 2021. We helped start this garden several years ago, and have just started managing it. New gardeners welcome!

Green Streets Garden We maintain a GS Garden in Kits. We're looking for a couple more gardeners.

McBride Park Vertical Garden This year, we expanded the garden and have started addeinng drip irrigation.

Community Planter Box Garden at MLA David Eby's office New in 2021. New volunteers welcome.

Planter Boxes at Bayswater Plaza New in 2021. We maintain the planter boxes at the new new Bayswater Plaza.

McBride Park Collaborative Community Garden New VV Community Garden starting in McBride Park, with an emphasis on inclusiveness and permaculture design. Planned elements include both individual and collaborative gardening spaces, including a hugelkultur, and pollinator, native, seed saving, berry, and herb spiral gardens, and several accessible plots. Contact us if you'd like to get involved. (Project currently on hold.)

Grow Local Community Food Resiliency Project (2018-19) We offered hands on gardening and other workshops related to growing food at interested community gardens in Spring 2018.

Harvest Celebration

Organic Gardening Open House We help organize this every April at Kits Library, along with Kits branch VPL, Le Village, Kits Community Centre Collaborative Garden, and Westside Food Collaborative.

COMMUNITY MEALS                                                                                                  Potlucks We hold occasional potlucks, including sometimes potluck after garden work parties at Permaculture Vancouver Meetups, and at other times.

Thanksgiving Dinners

Slow Food/Slow Everything Days (Terra Madre Day) We've held several of these over the years.

Drop in "Spaghetti" Nights Neighbours cooking meals for other neighbours. We've done around 40 of these over the years. No nights are currently scheduled, but get in touch if you'd like to hold/see one in your neighbourhood.

Monthly Dinner Groups We've had a couple groups in the past. If there's interest, let's start a new one.

Salon d'Elan Vital Occasional discussions/potlucks.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Join VV in discussing practical responses to the climate emergency. At these gatherings, we’re particularly interested in hearing what actions you’re taking, especially ones which others can also take. (Previous project.)

PERMACULTURE PROJECTS                                                                                             

See our Westside Permaculture project. If you have space - for instance, a front lawn, that you'd like to see converted into a mini-food forest, please contact us.

SEEDS                                                                                                                             Seed Libraries We maintain 11 Westside seed libraries - at our McBride Park Fieldhouse office, at Kits, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, and W. Pt. Grey VP Library branches, at MLA David Eby's office, at KV Collaborative Garden library, a roving library in Kits for street fairs, etc., one for the Aberthau Garden Project, at Kits House (Seniors Centre) and, in Kerrisdale, a set of seed library panniers in Kerrisdale. Folks can get free seeds, or swap donate seeds.

School and community garden Seed Donation Program

Seed Savers Club

Seed Saving at our collaboartive gardens

Seed Saving Workshops

Donate Seeds to the Seed Library

SENIORS                                                                                                              ElderGreens Westside ElderGreens help organize workshops, are active in our gardens, help maintain our seed libraries, and participate in other activities. New members (50 and over, as well as all other ages) welcome!

Westside Food Collaborative We're a longtime member of WFC, which is a longstanding Neighbourhood Food Network based out of Kits House. WFC and WNFN enjoy working together and supporting each other's activities in building food security and food resilience on the Westside.

Community Based Food Art and Music

Neighbourhood Small Grants Numerous  Westside VVers have applied and been successful in receiving Neighbourhood and Green Neighbourhood Small Grants, many of which have food themes. Need info on how to apply? We can help!

FED-AP (Community Food Resiliency Plan)

Bees/Pollinators We give away native bees houses, and our gardens are all pollinators friendly.

Westside Community Food Market We have a booth (in June, July, part of Aug and Sept) at the weekly market, which is organized by SPEC and Kits House. (During the pandemic, the market is on hold.)

Sustenance Festival We participated in Sustenance for many years, offering workshops and other activities. 

Other Festivals and Street Fairs We participate in Khatsahlano, the W. Pt. Grey Fiesta Festival, and other festivals.

Seasonal Gatherings The Celebration of Light fireworks and Folk Fest in the summer, plus our Thanksgiving Potluck and Slow Food, Slow Everything Day

PAST PROJECTS

Broccoli Promenades (proposed project 2009-10)

Brown Bag Lunches (2012-13)

Curbside Fruit Orchard (proposed project 2013-14))

From Here to There (2011-14)

Green Streets Garden #2 (2014-16)

Kits Community Centre Collaborative Garden We helped start KCCCG (2013-14). 

Kits House Balcony Garden (2013)

Kits Point Car Free Day Block Parties (2008-9)

Kits Point Village (2008-9)

McBride Park Field House Programming during LocoMotoArt residency (2013-14).

Permaculture in Planters and Pots A small permaculture project at McBride Park Fieldhouse (2014-16)

We Can Do the Can Canning (2009-10)

Westside Community Garden (2009-11)

Some recent activities (Summer 2021):

This summer 2021, we were fortunate enough to host yet another Westside Food Festival.(our 5th) In collaboration with Village Vancouver and Fairview-False Creek South and Marpole Oakridge Neighbourhood Food Networks the festival consisted of over 60 free & low cost activities and workshops through the the westside. Activities included:

Week 1 June 15-21

Tues June 15 6:30-8:30pm Drip Irrigation for a Waterwise Garden (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Wed June 16 6:30-7:30pm Permaculture Vancouver - June Meetup: Plant Giveaway and Gardening Ops info session (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Thu June 17 6-7pm Kits Village Recycling Depot (Kits Community Centre) registration: recycling@villagevancouver.ca

Fri June 18 5:30-6:30pm  Plant Giveaway (McBride Park Field house) no registration required

Sat June 19 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat June 19 12:45-1:15pm Gardening (VV vertical garden in Kits)

Sat June 19 1:30-2pm Gardening (VV native plants garden in Kits)

Sun June 20 3-5:30pm Gardening (VV garden in Kits Point)

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca

Mon June 21 6:30-8:30pm Make Your Own Twined Small Basket (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Week 2 June 22-28

Tue June 22 5:30-6:30pm Plant Giveaway (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway)

Wed June 23 5:30-6:30pm DIY Planter Box Kit Giveaway (McBride Park Field House)

Thu June 24 5:30-6:30pm Plant Giveaway (McBride Park Field House)

 Fri June 25 5:30-6:30pm Plant Giveaway (McBride Park Field House)

Sat June 26 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat June 26 12:45-1:15pm Gardening (VV vertical garden in Kits)

Sat June 26 1:30-2pm Gardening (VV native garden in Kits)

Sun June 27 3-5:30pm Gardening (VV garden in Kits Point)

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca

  Mon June 28 6:30-8:30pm Grow Your Own Microgreens (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Week 3 June 29-July 5

Tues June 29 5:30-6:30pm Native Bee House Giveaway (McBride Park Field House)

Wed June 30 4:30-5:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway)

Fri July 2 4:30-5:30pm DIY Planter Box Kit Giveaway (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway)

Sat July 3 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat July 3 12:45-1:15pm Gardening (VV vertical garden in Kits)

Sat July 3 1:30-2pm Gardening (VV native garden in Kits)

 Sun July 4 3-5:30pm Gardening (VV garden in Kits Point)

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca

Mon July 5 5:30-6:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (McBride Park Field House)

Week 4 July 6-12

Tue July 6 5:30-6:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (McBride Park Field House)    

                           Wed July 7 6:30-8:30pm Hapa-Zome                 Japanese art of leaf and flower pounding on cloth using homegrown dye plants (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Thu July 8 6:30-8pm HeArt for the Soul: Lavender - The Path to Healing (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Fri July 9 2-5:00pm Building Planter Boxes/ New Garden Launch (parking area behind MLA David Eby's office)

Fri July 9 6:30-8:30pm Making Beewax Salves w/Lori Snyder (McBride Park Fieldhouse)

Sat July 10 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat July 10 12:45-1:15pm Gardening (VV vertical garden in Kits)

Sat July 10 1:30-2:00pm Gardening (VV native garden in Kits)

Sun July 11 3-5:30pm Gardening (VV garden in Kits Point)

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca

Mon July 12 1-2pm Play in the Dirt Children's Workshop (McBride Park Field House)

Mon July 12 2-3pm Seed Hunting Children's Workshop (McBride Park Field House)

Week 5 July 13-19

              Tue July 13 6:30-8:30pm Intro to Organic Gardening                      (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Wed July 14 6:30-8:30pm Seed Saving 101 (zoom)

Thu July 15 6-7pm Kits Village Recycling Depot (Kits Community Centre)  CANCELLED

Thu July 15 6:30-8:30pm Growing Superfoods (zoom)

Fri July 16 10am-noon Making Incense 101/Flower Essences (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat July 17 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Sat July 17 12:45-1:15pm Gardening (VV vertical garden in Kits)

Sat July 17 1:30-2pm Gardening (VV planter box shade garden in Kits)

Sat July 17 2:15-2:45pm  Gardening (VV native garden in Kits)

Sun July 18 3-5:30pm Gardening (VV garden in Kits Point)

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca

Mon July 19 5:30-6:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway) RESCHEDULED TO FRIDAY JULY 30

Week 6 July 20-26

Tue July 20 6:30-8:30pm Native Edibles Talk and Walk (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Wed July 21 7-9:30pm Permaculture Vancouver July Meetup - Drip Irrigation and Vertical Gardening (McBride Park Field House) RESCHEDULED TO THURSDAY JULY 29TH

Thu July 22 6:30-8:30pm Fall and Winter Gardening (zoom)

Fri July 23 4:30-5:30pm DIY Planter Box Kit Giveaway (McBride Park Field House)

Sat July 24 10am-12:30pm Gardening (Aberthau Community Garden, W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Mon Jul 26 4 5:30-6:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway) RESCHEDULED TO TUESDAY AUGUST 4

Week 7 July 27- August 2

Tue July 27 5:30-6:30pm Free Seeds for Gardening (Plaza at Bayswater and Broadway)

Tue July 27 6:30-8:30pm Wild Herbal and Mineral Vinegars (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Wed July 28 6:30-8:30pm Gardening with Lori Snyder (W. Pt. Grey Community Centre)

Thu July 29 7-9:30pm Permaculture Vancouver July Meetup - Drip Irrigation and Vertical Gardening (McBride Park Field House)

           Fri July 30 5:30-6:30 pm Free Seeds for

registration for all gardening in Kits/Kits Point: gardening@villagevancouver.ca