Coquitlam’s Food Link Society opens doors to new community kitchen
Director Igor Bjelac says “10 years ago they called us garbage people. Now 10 years later they are calling us food rescue heroes”
By LYDIA OCHIENG
The Food Link Society is not new to food recovery.
Igor Bjelac, the charity’s director, said over the Food Link Society’s 10 years he saw that 20 per cent of the rescued food was slightly damaged. The birth of their community kitchen came from an understanding that there is “no dignity” in putting something like a crushed tomato in a basket for a client, but that there is still value in that damaged food. He said that they created the community kitchen because they knew they had a source of food to turn into meals for people who do not have access to a kitchen.
“We were just wanting to open our door and to show that our community kitchen is not belonging only to us, it’s belonging to everyone,” Bjelac said.
The charity held the grand opening for its community kitchen on Feb. 18 with guests that included Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart and MP Ron McKinnon as well as several city counsellors including Teri Towner, Matt Djonlic, and Brent Asmundson. The charity’s community and business partners were also in attendance.
Bjelac said money was the charity’s biggest challenge in achieving the grand opening of its kitchen. He said that it was “super expensive” to meet the necessary requirements and that the charity is “drained.” However, the charity does have plans for activities, like workshops, that can make revenue.
“In this moment, we are not thinking about the money. We are thinking about how to make the whole system work. And after that, we will see what will happen,” Bjelac said.
The Food Link Society fed over 107,000 individuals in 11 cities with the help of over 450 volunteers last year. It rescued one million kilograms of food from the landfill with a value of $8 million, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Zero food waste ambitions
Bjelac said the Food Link Society is working with the City of Coquitlam on a pilot project with goals of becoming the “first zero food waste city” and creating a model that can be applied anywhere in Canada.
Bjelac said zero food waste is an achievable goal for Coquitlam, and choosing businesses to frequent based on the way they treat food can help.
“It’s up to ordinary people to make that movement,” said Bjelac.
Eric Li, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan in the faculty of management who performs research in food security and social enterprise, said zero food waste is a wonderful target.
“I would say that it’s nice to have that target, but I also would question that. Can we really achieve zero waste in reality,” Li said.
Li said that progress may happen in small percentages, such as five per cent or 10 per cent every year, for a start.
Li said the rising cost of food is a key issue that causes food insecurity. He said that prices for staple foods like potatoes, eggs, milk, proteins, and vegetables should be accessible and affordable for most citizens, including low-income families. He said that grocery stores constantly defend themselves, and say they are victims of inflation.
“The grocery store, instead of thinking about maximising the profit, they have to be responsible,” said Li.
An experience for volunteers
Food Link Society recovers unsold food from grocery stores with the help of a third-party app. Volunteers ride in a truck and make entries in the app as they collect food and divide it into departments.
Elham Zamani Seyghalani has volunteered at the Food Link Society since 2019, shortly after her 2018 arrival in Canada.
Although she now volunteers as an assistant driver, she previously sorted food. A truck from a grocery store would bring food for rescue to a school, which served as a drop-off location. She sorted food into a box for each client with attention to allergies or food restrictions and household size.
Zamani Seyghalani, who lives in Coquitlam, said her volunteer work helps her to be part of her community, but she does not limit her reach to the city’s boundaries.
“If there is need for the other location, absolutely I’m going there,” said Zamani Seyghalani.
Zamani Seyghalani met her best friend in Canada while volunteering for the charity. Zamani Seyghalani said the volunteers socialize outside of their work. She balances volunteering with full-time work.
“I love my team. I love my volunteer job,” said Zamani Seyghalani.