A Victoria not-for-profit which provides free, healthy and accessible meals to those in need is holding its first fundraiser next month in an effort to expand their services and to further fight food insecurity in the region.

Red Cedar Cafe, in partnership with Merridale Cidery, will hold Harvest for Hope on Nov. 2. The event will offer a farm-to-table dining experience, live music, and a silent auction that includes vacation stays, restaurant gift cards, locally made art and more, all donated from local businesses. The farm-to-table dining, catered by Merridale, will feature dishes using locally and sustainably sourced ingredients from Vancouver Island farmers.

The charity was founded in 2020 and operates from its Douglas Street location, where volunteer chefs cook healthy meals for community members and provide around 65,000 free meals per year.

"Something that makes us different from any other food charity or food bank, is that we provide that element of being accessible. A lot of food banks require you to come to the food bank to get the food that you need. But unfortunately, a lot of people, especially people that are disabled or elderly, can't get around so easily. So we provide a delivery service," said Kayla Fournier, a Red Cedar board member.

Fournier said a great number of their customers are seniors and those living with disabilities, as well as new immigrants. They also have a "free food store" on Mondays and Fridays between 10 a.m. to noon which offers produce, bread, baked goods and other groceries to community members. 

Their goal is to raise $15,000, which could allow the organization to start offering as much as 100,000 meals annually.

Tickets for Harvest for Hope are available at redcedarcafe.ca. Early bird tickets start at $120.