CGC is lucky to have two great Canada World Youth (CWY) volunteers helping us out with our activities. From helping Jay at Warmland house to helping Heather at Farm To School, we have kept the guys busy. This week I asked Henry to write about the experience at CGC so far.

Duil, Henry and Alysa serving food
Farm To School, at Quamichan Middle School I have been working at CGC for about 6 weeks now and have learned a lot from this organization.  Before beginning at CGC I had heard the term “food security” but now I have an understanding of what it really means.  We have been to many different local farms and for  me, I have realized that there are many different techniques used.  I was especially surprised by the wide variety of fruits and vegetables that can be grown on the island. Growing up in Saskatchewan I have seen many large scale operations but have yet to see such a dedicated group small scale farmers dedicated to food security.  It has definitely been an eye opener for an oildfield worker, seeing how many things are different in the valley.

Duil and I have been doing many different jobs around the Cowichan Valley, from picking apples to digging potatoes. We have got to know a lot of Duncan from flyering the town multiple times for CGC events/fundraisers.

We have gone on the wild food walk and until then I had no idea of the abundance of  vegetation all around us, that we can  actually eat.  More recently we have been working on the Farm to School initiative, preparing farm fresh lunches for the students at Quamichan Middle School. I have really been enjoying cooking different meals with local ingredients and look forward to try and continue using local products when I return home.   We have also been helping out with catering for some workshops put on by the City of Duncan through CGC.  Everyday we do something different  at CGC and it’s always a great surprise on the new things we can learn from the staff at CGC.