Helps nurture connection between organization, community: Caroline Dagg
Natalie Hamilton
PosAbilities has planted seeds both figuratively and literally in the community through its participation in the recent 18th annual Stone Soup Festival.
Staff and people served helped children who dropped by posAbilities’ booth at the popular Vancouver event plant seeds in decorated cups.
Seeing those connections come to life was a key highlight of the May 11 event for Caroline Dagg, acting team manager at posAbilities.
PosAbilities’ Karen Cusmano helps children plant sunflower seeds.
“Doing the crafts with the kids and having the interaction between staff and persons served and kids in the community” was the best part of the festival, she tells posAbilities Today.
PosAbilities has participated in the event celebrating food, art, environment and community for a few years now. The Vancouver-based event targets raising awareness about food security issues, the benefits of sharing resources and eating locally. It also celebrates the diversity of food in local neighbourhoods and the role of food in the culture of a community.
The event features a food market, local artists, community groups, talks and workshops, live music, tea leaf reading, children’s activities and free soup. “It’s a fun festival,” Caroline says.
PosAbilities has a natural connection with the festival through its own food and gardening initiative, Can You Dig It.
Through gardening, the initiative fosters inclusion by embracing people of various abilities, backgrounds and life experiences. The initiative promotes food production as a key way to develop a sense of belonging.
Participating in the festival helped share those concepts and promote Can You Dig It. “Through our connection with community gardens it was an opportunity to be a part of what’s going on in the neighbourhood,” Caroline says.
PosAbilities handed out gardening-related tattoos and helped youngsters plant 100 seeds.
The event typically attracts about 2,000 people to the Britannia Community Centre Site.
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