Bike-a-thon to raise funds for food co-op

Bike-a-thon to raise funds for food co-op. Sliced vegetables in form of a bicycle Ekaterina Krasnikova

Now with a location secured and fundraising underway, the WEFC is about to start construction on a food hub and store to connect people with their food.

This co-operatively owned store, which will be one of the first multi-stakeholder co-ops in Ontario with consumer, employee and producer/supplier members, will be in the lower level of the Parkdale Community Health Centre on Queen Street just west of Dufferin Street.

With just three months until the store and food hub are expected to open, the WEFC is looking to add to their fundraising with the Ride for Real Food Bike-A-Thon.

"A bike-a-thon is a great way for us to raise awareness about local food, about the bike-delivery service we will have when our store opens and to build support for local farmers," said Sally Miller, West End Food Co-op's financial coordinator. "The bike-a-thon will support the new community kitchen, which is essential to our ongoing food security programming."

The West End Food Co-op is looking for riders to join them in raising funds and awareness about WEFC and its local food and food security projects.

The Ride for Real Food will be held Sunday, Sept. 25 starting at 10 a.m. at Magwood Park near the Old Mill subway and travels 30 kilometres mostly through scenic parkland to Matchbox Garden, one of WEFC's producer members at the Sorauren Farmers Market.

Matchbox Garden farms is located at the Living City Farm at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, north west of Toronto. Once there, riders will enjoy fresh hot food, local music, farm tours if they want and they can even get a ride back to the city for themselves and their bikes.

Information on the bike-a-thon can be found at www.westendfood.coop/bike-a-thon.