Red River Co-op is thrilled to announce that Harvest Manitoba is one of 14 organizations across Western Canada to receive a portion of $1 million as a 2024 recipient of Co-op Community Spaces.

The organization received $25,000 to support creating a community gathering space to address food insecurity and food education.

Harvest Manitoba (formerly Winnipeg Harvest) was one of the first recipients for Community Spaces, receiving funding back in 2015. The organization recently built a community garden to address food insecurity and to support surrounding residents who reside in a “food desert.”

The group is now working towards creating a community gathering space for residents to come together and build connections while they receive food and food education. Recognizing that many of their clients identify as Indigenous, the group will be improving and expanding the gathering space by building a medicine wheel, flat stone benches, and painting an Indigenous mural in the surrounding space.

Community Spaces funding will be put towards the materials needed for the stone benches and the mural.

“Harvest Manitoba is a significant community partner of Red River Co-op. We are proud to be a part of bringing their gathering space to reality and help address food insecurity and food education for community members who need it,” said Craig Gilpin, CEO of Red River Co-op.

About Co-op Community Spaces:

Co-op Community Spaces is designed to help protect, beautify, and improve spaces across Western Canada. Celebrating its 10th year, Community Spaces has invested a total of $13.5 million in 189 projects in three categories: recreation, environmental conservation and urban agriculture. FCL administers Community Spaces on behalf of more than 160 local Co-ops operating in 600 communities. Learn more about this year’s the 14 projects here.