How a local farmers' market is getting healthy meals on the tables of Abegweit First Nation

A partnership between the Charlottetown Farmers' Market and Abegweit First Nation is helping get more local, fresh foods into the hands of community members.

Every two weeks, the market provides ingredients from local farmers for meal boxes that are then handed out to the Indigenous community, along with recipes.

The program is funded by a federal grant through the Good Food Access Fund, a $20-million initiative aimed at delivering good food to vulnerable populations across the country.

Rachel Decourcey, who lives in the Abegweit community with her partner and four kids, says the meal boxes have been a big hit.

"It's a lovely thing that they do for all of us every month … it's new recipes for at home, learning new things, cooking with different foods," she said.

"I find that it's more healthier foods, it's introducing healthy meals for families, which is really good. I have six people in my home so I love introducing new things to them."

Decourcey says she tries to buy local as much as she can, but feeding a family of six is challenging with rising food costs.

"It's an extra meal on the table for us, and most times it's leftovers for us," she said.

"Every month it's very exciting. It's like Christmas when we get home, opening up the box to see what's in it … and it's kind of a surprise of what we're going to get … so it helps out a lot."

Melody Swan, a registered dietitian and the health promotion co-ordinator at the Abegweit Mi'kmaq Wellness Centre in Scotchfort, says the program reaches 55 families every two weeks.

"Sometimes local food isn't the most accessible, especially out here in Scotchfort, it can be somewhat of a food desert," she said.

"So it's incorporating local healthy food in a way that people wouldn't be buying on a regular basis. Lots of people have big families so buying new foods isn't often a top priority. So it's just helping people have healthy, balanced foods."

She said the program aims to provide more fruits and vegetables to community members while supporting local farmers as well.

"Really, we just began this to increase food literacy within the community, to get people making food again," she said.