Community projects ease food insecurity, address nutritional deficits, and bring residents together
When spending time with others—friends, family, or people in one’s support networks—food is often a prerequisite. Whether at a holiday dinner, backyard barbecue, or picnic in the park, some of the most cherished memories are not only of those whom we saw or what we talked about, but also what was on our plates. Shared meals are often a catalyst for unity and togetherness, safety and security, and education and awareness, perhaps most notably when we’re more involved with the food’s preparation and cultivation than the guest list.
Breaking (And Baking) Bread As A Community
“Cooking together in community connects us to our ancestors, to our community,” says Duncan Ebata, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Front Street Oven. “[It] helps us feel a deep connection to place, helps deepen friendships, which helps us increase our sense of belonging, reduces social isolation, which is one of the 20 Canadian indicators of health, and more.”
Based in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Front Street Oven is a community oven that has hosted weekly events since 2019. The centerpiece of each event may be delicious food—fresh bread, pizza, or s’mores, for example—but the impact is more significant than a full belly.
Front Street Oven’s vision is of a community in which every member feels they belong. This inclusive spirit is evident in the types of events hosted, which cover a broad range of interests and causes, from Jamaican Independence Day to Egyptian pita workshops. In 2022 alone, across 26 events, 767 residents cooked at the oven, and roughly three times as many people showed up to connect with their neighbors. And since the oven’s inception, the initiative has been named Best Community Project in the local newspaper, The Grapevine, for two consecutive years.
Ebata says, “The deeper work is connecting people to place and into the community, tending to our mental health, healing every day.” At recent events, some attendees have re-established connections after 30 years, further illustrating the healing and partnership facilitated by the oven.
Community members’ involvement hasn’t been limited to cooking and dining, however. More than 30 volunteers help run the oven, along with its board appointees. Additionally, several local carpenters, engineers, architects, and other skilled artisans took part in a community build of the oven. In short, Front Street Oven has been, and continues to be, a community effort through and through.
