A longstanding Greater Victoria food saving and education program is pruning its budget while it looks for longevity with a funding boost.
The non-profit LifeCycles Project isnB次元官网网址檛 in peril just yet, but the board is cutting back programs as funding challenges persist. The 30-year-old organization relies on volunteers, grants and private donations as helps build a resilient food system in the region, growing, harvesting and sharing food.
B次元官网网址淲e have a runway into 2024 and weB次元官网网址檙e excited for that and at the same time itB次元官网网址檚 still quite a hard funding landscape,B次元官网网址� board chair Jess Gunnarson told the Saanich B次元官网网址.
There were notable dips during the pandemic, and an online fundraising blitz last summer raised just shy of $10,000 created a buffer heading into this year. That, and making some tough cuts.
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A cornerstone of the organization is the fruit tree program that celebrated 25 years in 2023. Volunteers pick fruit from urban orchards, then transport, sort and redistribute it throughout the community
B次元官网网址淚n 2023 despite our challenges financially and our need to scale back, we were able to harvest about 30,000 pounds of fruit and 10,000 pounds of vegetables,B次元官网网址� Gunnarson said.
Redistributing that much fresh food in a time when people are struggling with rising inflation, grocery costs and housing, B次元官网网址渢hatB次元官网网址檚 a pretty huge impact.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 suspect thereB次元官网网址檚 more out there and unless we can staff up with some more supports organizationally weB次元官网网址檙e likely going to always have to leave a degree of that fruit behind and itB次元官网网址檚 just such a lost opportunity,B次元官网网址� Gunnarson said.
LifeCyclcles also maintains Welland Orchard in View Royal and in the past decade started working with schools.
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B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 where weB次元官网网址檝e had to pull back and curb our programming for the time being,B次元官网网址� Gunnarson said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to close that door because itB次元官网网址檚 something we all see value in and weB次元官网网址檝e seen meaningful impact in the past.B次元官网网址�
Forced to take a look at scarce resources and limited time, he said the board B次元官网网址渃ame to some really hard decisions.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 a position the board hopes to avoid in the future, if it can raise funds to establish core funding to build annual grants around.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e incredibly grateful for (annual grants) but at the same time itB次元官网网址檚 hard to plan from a year-to-year perspective,B次元官网网址� Gunnarson said. The goal is to find, or build, donations to a pocket of $50,000 of core funding to develop more long term planning.
Learn more about the organization at .
