By Alex Rawnsley

Demand for fresh produce doubles via growers co-op food box program

Jul 19, 2020 | 8:30 AM

NANAIMO – A popular produce delivery program for the mid-island has grown substantially as food security is pushed to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online registrations for the weekly produce box provided by the Farmship Growers Co-op, based in Ladysmith, skyrocketed when pandemic restrictions became a reality on Vancouver Island in March.

The spring box quickly sold out, as did the summer program which typically reaches 50 to 60 people.

Co-op manager Isabelle Morris told NanaimoNewsNOW this year they had to cut off registrations at 110.

“When the market closed, there was a sense of panic of where people were going to get their food this summer,” she said. “The (spring) box usually starts the first Thursday in May and we were sold out by the end of March.”

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Nearly 70 boxes in the spring subscription program were delivered every Thursday, compared to the 30 to 35 handed out during a normal week.

The summer program began in late June and runs through until mid-September.

A fall program continuing weekly until just before Christmas is currently 80 per cent full, Morris said.

Included in each weekly box is a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally in Yellow Point. The co-operative grows up to 70 different crops.

The rapidly changing landscape of COVID-19 meant staff went back to the drawing board on how they would distribute crops this year.

Restaurant orders plummeted and returned to just half of their normal volume after re-opening, which aren’t offset by the spike in box subscriptions.

“They are being very careful in their re-opening,” Morris said. “They’re not buying as much or stocking up as much…obviously it probably reflects the attendance we’re seeing in the restaurants as well.”

In a normal year, the co-op would service restaurants in the Nanaimo area and ship produce to Tofino.

During peak months, between 12 and 14 people run the cooperative providing fresh, locally-grown produce to restaurants and farmers markets in the region.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley