Ariana Finn from Humber Polytechnic did her placement with our Urban Harvest program from March to April this year. During her time at BCCF she supported and facilitated preservation workshops at parenting centres. She engaged with kids and parents teaching them about food nutrition, storing and preserving food properly and sharing delicious recipes. Below is a reflection about her experience:

I valued my time here at Black Creek Community Farms for many reasons. I got to see first hand how they work with those in their community and bridge that gap that I feel many communities lack in modern times. It’s nice to see the farm bring people together and uplift them. At the workshops I attended and facilitated during my placement, I got to see the joy and curiosity that was sparked in the community members for both children and adults. To be able to see people get excited about making pickles at home. I think what the farm is doing is very important work especially in a big city where we don’t have a lot of access to these types of facilities. I am so glad I was able to be a part of that even for a short period of time. To be able to put my nutrition background into use and help people understand the role of food safety and getting the most out of their food is very rewarding especially nowadays when everything is so expensive because at the end of the day everyone eats.

I also appreciate that the farm really does practice what they preach. I feel like a lot of businesses throw out the term sustainability especially in current times. It’s like a buzzword now but BCCF really is sustainable. Not only do they compost but they have worms and feed them!To see the staff save food scraps and then use them to feed their worms which then get used to help grow their crops is amazing. I value the confidence I gained with public speaking while facilitating some of the workshops.

Public speaking was very low on my list of things I enjoyed and while it still isn’t my favourite thing to do, I don’t feel as nervous now as I did when starting my program. Interacting with families and being able to speak on nutritional topics made me feel more confident in the

subjects I have learned as well as speaking in front of an audience in general. It’s such an important skill to have so I’m grateful for that because I know I will be doing more public speaking in the future.

I am sad my time here has come to an end. I cannot wait to come back and visit especially in the warmer months to see the farm in full swing! 

Thank you to everyone I met and worked with, especially Mildred! It’s been a pleasure working with you.