ARICHAT - With food security issues still plaguing many Richmond County residents, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic approaches its one-year anniversary in Canada, Richmond Municipal Council has joined forces with a local health care centre to launch a community-garden strategy to help provide fresh food for those who need it the most.

The county will provide a letter of support to the L'Ardoise-based Dr. William B. Kingston Memorial Health Centre regarding the Richmond River Roots Market Garden proposal, which will be sent to the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage in the hopes of securing one of the department's Vibrant Communities Grants to help the project come to life. 

According to Richmond County's Deputy Warden, Michael Diggdon, the letter of support would confirm that the municipality will take a leadership role in the project, set up a Food Security Coalition and Food Bank Alliance, collaborate with the county's Recreation Department on education sessions, offer to include low-cost and no-cost options on in-person and digital delivery, and designate a municipal councillor as a lead contact for the proposed project to "encourage strong communications on an ongoing basis." 

Speaking to reporters following the January 25 council meeting at the Richmond Municipal Building in Arichat, Warden Amanda Mombourquette described the request from the Kingston centre as a pitch that "hits on so many areas," given the poverty numbers in the municipality and the high percentage of seniors within the county's overall population. 

Mombourquette also suggested that there may be partnership opportunities within the Pan-Cape Breton Food Hub, an island-wide local-growing strategy that has made multiple presentations to Richmond Municipal Council meetings and has set up pick-up and drop-off locations in different parts of the county over the years.