(Ottawa, ON) July 10, 2020 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for generously funding our Seed project, which will engage Indigenous youth volunteers, guided by Elders, to take on leadership roles in their community. These leadership roles will be specifically aimed at developing and piloting growing systems for food crops to address food insecurity while practicing and promoting Indigenous food sovereignty in an urban environment.

The project will rely on methods of growing plants that do not require soil. By using hydroponics, we can grow during any time of the year, helping to address food shortages year round. The steps involved in developing, growing, and running this project will cultivate Indigenous participants’ leadership and planning skills. Overall, the project will address multiple areas of benefit for the local Indigenous community.

Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel said, “We hope this project lays the foundation for other Indigenous communities to engage their youth and Elders to come together to develop a sustainable indoor community food farm to address their local food needs. Through interviews, observations, and other forms of feedback, the LHF will produce resources from this project that other Indigenous communities can use as a reference to begin and launch their own Indigenous food sovereignty projects.”

This important project would not have been possible without funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The LHF gratefully accepts and acknowledge the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation in launching this project on our 20th anniversary.

The Food Security and Sovereignty Project marks another important milestone in the continued work of the LHF. The LHF supports the healing process of Survivors and their families, and works with Canadians to act to address racism and discrimination in order to promote equality and to foster Reconciliation.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca