Folktales are full of stories that include details about magical objects – wands, amulets, combs, stones, boots, dust, mirrors, special fabrics. So when I quote one of my guests today, you may think it sounds rather fanciful. But like the most enduring of folktales, there is lots of wisdom behind it. You’ll hear it in a moment, but she said to me, “From a community development standpoint, food has been great because it’s the golden thread that connects everything.” Maybe I should just stop there, and we can sit in silence and ponder that for the next 30 minutes.
But I won’t. Because today we are back in Cannington, Ontario, for part two of my conversations with folks at the Nourish and Develop Foundation (TNDF). A place where food is what may get you in the door, but it is the thread that leads to far more.
While the production of food is the major industry in the area, there are still many inequalities in access to healthy food. Which is where TNDF comes in. They are focussed on community development, broadly understood, though often a person’s first connection with the Foundation may be through food. The Golden Thread. After that, there can education, support, life-learning, counselling, skills development, camaraderie, volunteer opportunities, social interaction and sometimes just plain fun. And it can all start by simply sitting down together, with food, and being fully present. Join us at the table.
