Look inside the box for good food

West Islanders from any walk of life can take advantage of a fruit and vegetable program aimed at promoting affordable healthy eating.

The Good Food Box regional program, based on the idea of sustainable development, has been run by Moisson Montréal for two years and has a few West Island order and drop-off points, including Pointe Claire-based Bread Basket Lac St. Louis, Combined Jewish Appeal West Island (CJA WI) in Dollard des Ormeaux, Volunteer West Island (VWI) in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and West Island Citizen Advocacy’s Dorval branch.

The program aims to give people more for their money and support local farmers by buying their produce. The boxes are filled with a variety of fruits and vegetables, from apples to zucchinis. The produce changes from week to week depending on the season and availability. “A fresh box is delivered every two weeks,” said Lucy Baum, who takes care of the food box program at Bread Basket Lac St. Louis, which started off as a West Island Citizen Advocacy project and gained its own charitable status in April. “Some people place orders for others, such as a senior or neighbour.”

Baum said the Good Food Box program compliments her group’s objectives of supporting families in the community. Bread Basket Lac St. Louis runs community kitchens, with food supplied by Moisson Montréal, holds nutrition information sessions and gives tips on shopping on a budget.

VWI recently signed on as a drop-off point for the food box program. “They needed a place in our area to distribute this service,” said VWI co-ordinator Yolanda Rodriguez. “We are still in the process of advertising it. We have a lot of contact with seniors who might like it. Ste. Anne also has a lot of students and people in the low-income bracket.”

However, anyone can purchase a box, with some volunteers at VWI themselves placing orders, Rodriguez mentioned. “It’s very good quality; I even bought a small one with apples, pears, potatoes and onions,” she said. “There’s quiet a savings for what you get for $7 at a store.”

The boxes come in small ($7); medium ($10) and large ($16) formats. A bilingual newsletter with preparation tips and recipes is included. “The recipes are tied into the produce that is in the box, like parsnip, which people don’t know what to do with,” Rodriguez said.

The orders arrive at the pick-up points in big plastic boxes and the food is then placed in personal re-usable shopping bags.

Moisson Montreal keeps costs down by buying in bulk, looking at Quebec producers before shopping in other parts of Canada or the United States.

People must pre-order, prepay and pick up their food orders.

To order, call Bread Basket Lac St. Louis at 514-694-5850, Volunteer West Island at 514-457-5445, ext. 227, or CJA WI at 514-624-5005.

For more information, check www.moissonmontreal.org.