Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations Launches Fundraising Campaign to Provide Meals for Community Members in Need
Indigenous chefs to create Feast Boxes for GoFundMe Canada campaign launching November 27
Treaty One Territory. Traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Metis Nation (Winnipeg, MB) - November 27, 2020- Executive Chef Christa Bruneau-Guenther, owner ofFeast CafeBistrofrom Peguis First Nation and Board member of Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations (ICAN), is pleased to officially launchIndigenous Feast Boxes,a fundraising campaign designed to support Indigenous chefs across Canada and their teams by providing precious meal kits to Indigenous families and community members in need this holiday season.
"Giving back to our communities includes supporting staff and securing overall future success. This fundraising campaign is a way to secure jobs but also support families, elders, people with health risks and the larger community as a whole. It's a win-win all around,"said Bruneau-Guenther."The holidays can be hard financially, but they are also a time of warmth and giving. We have set a $60,000 goal to ensure Indigenous families across Canada get a healthy warm meal over the holiday season. The chefs will share ingredients and recipes for all to enjoy."
This campaign will be shared viaGoFundMe, an online crowd-funding platform that fundraises across social media platforms to easily receive donations from anywhere in the world. The campaign will run until December 18, 2020.
To bring the campaign to life, ICAN enlisted the support of a roster of talented Indigenous chefs and restaurants from across Canada. Using local ingredients and inspiring the box's contents by their Indigenous heritage and contemporary flair, each chef will create Indigenous Feast Boxes valued at a minimum of $50.00 each for a family or group of four to six people. Families will receive boxes partially or fully prepared with recipes and cooking instructions detailing the significance of the ingredients chosen that reflect their unique culture and personality. The chefs handpicked local Indigenous community groups to distribute the Feast Boxes to those most in need.
"These are truly unprecedented times for our Indigenous brothers and sisters and ICAN is very pleased to be in a position to lead such an important campaign to provide much needed assistance,"said Joseph Shawana, ICAN Board Chair."When COVID-19 hit and all our Taste of the Nations events got cancelled, we decided to redirect those efforts by funding $25,000 for the creation and distribution of Indigenous Feast Boxes. We are very proud that we can continue to share our stories and meals through this campaign. People can visit IndiginousCuisine.ca where we profile blogs, recipes and a map of Indigenous restaurants, food trucks, caterers and culinary experiences across Canada."
"The impacts of COVID-19 on our Indigenous tourism sector cannot be understated,"said Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) President and CEO."This culinary fundraising campaign is an excellent example of the ingenuity and resiliency of Indigenous People and our continued effort to provide much needed support and relief to Indigenous communities who have been especially affected."
"At a time when getting groceries is difficult, having all the necessary ingredients within one package made cooking a healthy meal so much easier. The portions were generous! The stew was supposed to make six servings, but it was so rich and hearty that it served six for supper and there were leftovers for the next day. The ingredients that were chosen were mostly local and the recipe was simple and well explained which made the meal easy to reproduce at a later date,"said Michele Visser, co-directorIndigenous Family Centre."Most of all people felt special. Someone had taken the time to assemble the ingredients and tell them how to turn them into a delicious meal for themselves and their families. For people who don't know a lot about cooking, or who don't have a large pantry of available items, these meal kits made cooking healthy, simple and delicious.We would be thrilled to continue to partner with Feast to ensure their delicious recipes get to more families and we think it's a brilliant idea. It affirms people by saying, "you can make this! We'll help you! Just follow these steps," and lets them know that they are not alone."
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Participating chefs and community organizations:
Winnipeg
Feast Cafe Bistro team led by owner/chef Christa Bruneau-Guenther
Distributed by:
North Point Douglas Women's Centre
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Toronto
Distributed by:
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
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Quebec
Wawatay Catering led by chef Marie-Cecile (Cezin) Nottaway
Distributed by:
Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation in Rapid Lake
Wigwam Catering led by chef Maxime Lizotte
Distributed by:
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Edmonton
Pei Pei Chei Ow Catering led by chef Scott Iserhoff
Distributed by:
Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre
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Vancouver
Mr. Bannock Catering led by chef Paul Natrall
Distributed by:
Salmon n Bannock Restaurant team led by owner Inez Cook
Distributed by:
Saskatoon
Wanuskewin Heritage Park culinary team under the direction of chef Jenni Lessard
Distributed by:
Saskatoon Public School Foundation Cheer Crates Program
Iqaluit
sijjakkut led by chef Sheila Flaherty and will distribute early in the new year to her Iqaluit community
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Accountability Transparency
- GoFundMe charges 2.9% per transaction plus $0.30 per donation
- Funds will be disbursed from a central pool on a proportional basis across the country, after evaluation by an adjudication team
- Administration fees will be covered separately by ICAN so that all funds raised go directly to food, labour and distribution costs to feed as many families as possible
- A full report will be released once the campaign is finished
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About Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations
Launched with a vision for a world where Indigenous food is not a dish served for one but a cultural feast and celebration of Nations, ICAN is dedicated to sharing Indigenous food, culinary and cultural experiences from across Canada with the world. In November 2019, an MOU between the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and ICAN was signed to support a strategic framework to develop and market the countrys many Indigenous culinary experiences, and in turn, foster the growth of Indigenous culinary tourism on a national level.For more information visitwww.Indigenousculinary.caandwww.IndigenousCuisine.ca
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About Feast Cafe Bistro
Feast CafeBistro is the first of its kind in Manitoba: serving modern dishes rooted in Indigenous history. In its first five years in operation, Feast has become a pillar in the West End of Winnipeg through its community initiatives and critically acclaimed menu options. Owner Christa Bruneau-Guenther is a homecook turned restaurateur whose passion and creativity are woven into the fabric of Feast. Christa's recipes have been featured in publications such as Canadian Living and Chatelaine, as well as on Food Network Canada. For more information, visitwww.feastcafebistro.com.
