We live in the heart of the Glenbrooke North neighbourhood in New Westminster. Our vision was to link vegetable gardening with a community shared meal and to bring people into the street to meet new neighbours and become re-aquainted with old ones.
In early spring we approached neighbours with non-GMO vegetable seeds from West Coast Seeds to be planted in their gardens and be harvested at the end of the summer for a community salad. We encouraged people to share the seeds and spread the word. We decided to expand the menu and sourced local, sustainably-raised pulled pork from Urban Digs Farms and fresh buns from Cobs Bakery. We welcomed people to contribute whatever they could to the salad (it didn’t have to be from their garden!).
Then, on the labour day weekend, we closed the street, set-up bouncy castles, a buffet table, and set a long table with eighty chairs. Soon, people emerged from their homes, added their contributions to the buffet and took their seat with over one hundred neighbours to enjoy the Glenbrooke Salad. Old and new neighbours connected, children played, long-time residents shared stories of the neighbourhood. As dusk neared, folks eagerly helped clean-up and pack-up.
We all need to eat…from the youngest to the oldest. And in our urban setting, we took the table to the street. Glenbrooke Salad connected people to our food system, to our earth and to each other as we shared a simple meal around common table.
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