Our goal is to provide fresh vegetables, fruit, and other food items weekly through a Free Fresh Food Market.

The Market

Our project will be a community-focused, FREE farmer-style market providing fresh groceries to families, single parents, seniors or any others in Esquimalt on a weekly basis. We will be a volunteer-based distribution site that consists of sorting food and running the market. Currently, no such markets exist in the Esquimalt, Victoria West, or View Royal areas.

Based on the experience of the other markets, we would expect to be giving away free fresh groceries to about 100 low-income working families, single parents, seniors and any others in Esquimalt.

Esquimalt Neighbourhood House will host the market in their parking lot on Saturdays.

Living Edge NGO

This project is in cooperation with the Living Edge Markets. Living Edge gathers supplies from a number of grocery stores and food distribution companies to obtain food that is overstocked or heading for the dumpster.  Living Edge delivers food to their partner market sites weekly and returns to pick up any waste or leftover food.

We are committed to a green approach.  We chose a venue close to a bus route, will be filling only reusable bags, and fruit and vegetables not recoverable will be collected and composted.

Instructions on how to best prepare and use the food given at the market will be available to the market patrons.

Become a Financial Partner

If we are a volunteer-run project what are the funds for?

After the initial cost of setup, funds will be used to contribute to the cost of transporting food items, the personnel from Living Edge that travels around the city picking up and later disposing of waste at the market sites.

We would like to be able to contribute $1,000.00 a month to build a sustainable service to our community. This service is unique in that it provides the items that are the hardest to afford for families – fresh fruit and vegetables.  Your partnership would help us to make this a reality here in our community.

Whether it is $5 a month or possibly a one-time donation of any amount – it all helps. Anything you can contribute will go towards making this project a reality here in Esquimalt.

To donate online using the PayPal link for a secure transaction click below on the donate button. To donate by cheque you can mail to Harbourview Church 102 – 527 Constance Ave Victoria, BC, V9A 6N5. You can make arrangements with our office if you desire to use Pre Authorized Debit.

To receive a tax receipt please include your address when you place your donation.

The Mission and Milestones for the Free Market Project

MISSIONAL MANDATE

To distribute fresh food and vegetables in a free farmer style market in Esquimalt

MISSIONAL MOTIVES

To create a culture of caring and service in all that we do and to create a sense of community around the market

To create and maintain an opportunity for active volunteerism to assist in the set-up, food receiving and sorting, food distribution, and take down

To organically create additional needs-based support activities to assist the individuals attending the market

MISSIONAL MAP

By creating a free fruit and vegetable market intended to support families and individuals to meet their healthy food needs

By creating a culture of caring and service through the creation and maintenance of a fresh food distribution market in Esquimalt

By creating a culture of fun and joy in serving

By creating four core service teams to organize the setup, food, and clean up after each market

MISSIONAL MARKS

To see the market utilized by the local community

To see relationships develop with market patrons

To see working relationships with like-minded organizations

To patrons engaged with programs that will enrich their lives

Milestones

By the End of Year 1  April 2020

To build working relationships with like-minded churches and service organizations in the Esquimalt Community for mutual support and to initiate referrals for services as the need arises

To develop and maintain financial sponsorship in order to keep the market sustainable