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Every donation of $1,000 made towards purchasing the upper suite will be reflected as an apple on the tree in honour of the donor. Volunteers who have given more than 100 hours of service within the last year will also be recognized.

Janet Fairbanks, longtime LUSH Valley volunteer, donated and dedicated her apple to the late Wayne Bradley. “I’m happy to support LUSH Valley in their expansion of programs providing healthy food to thousands of people in our communities,” says Fairbanks. “If you are able to donate, please help this amazing organization to continue their incredible work!”

“We see the acquisition of this space as vital in ensuring we are able to continue to meet the growing need for high-quality food services in our community” says Maurita Prato, Executive Director. “We are inviting you or your business to make a contribution to our Raise the Roof campaign, and become a permanent part of the story with your name inscribed on an apple growing from the tree at our building’s main entrance”.

So far, we have raised nearly $20,000 of our $50,000 goal! We are taking on an additional term loan to purchase the property, and will need to temporarily rent out the space in order to service the debt. Every dollar fundraised will help move LUSH operations upstairs a little bit sooner.

We hope to acquire the remaining $30,000 of our fundraising goal by the end of July, 2024. Donations of any size can be made at lushvalley.org/donate. To inquire about larger or legacy gifts, please phone 250-331-0152 or email admin@lushvalley.org.

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Since purchasing our forever home in 2021, LUSH Valley has been rooted in Tin Town, expanding food programs across the Comox Valley and beyond. Now, instead of growing outwards, we are growing upwards!

On April 16th, LUSH obtained an approved offer to purchase 2342A Rosewall Crescent, the residential suite above the existing ground-floor unit.

Over the last 2.5 years, we have transformed our building into a community food hub with a large walk-in cooler and commercial kitchen. Though we have become experts at leveraging resources and improving systems, we are rapidly running out of office, parking, storage and food-processing space on site.

LUSH currently has a permit variance application into the City of Courtenay with plans in place to expand food processing operations on the main floor, and eventually move offices and program equipment upstairs.

In order to take possession in June, LUSH needs to secure $146,000. We are looking to the community to help raise $50,000 by June 17th, 2024.

“We have a unique opportunity to own the entire building in Tin Town, but we have to act fast,” says Executive Director, Maurita Prato. “We know the June deadline creates a tight timeline, but we also know how supportive our community has been and continues to be. Expanding operations would position us to better meet the growing needs for the high-quality food services and food-related education we’re providing locally.”

LUSH Valley works with more than two dozen Comox Valley Farms, 30 community organizations and 20 Comox Valley schools. Additional space will allow us to aggregate, process and distribute more healthy food to community members in need.

To make a contribution to the acquisition of the neighbouring unit, or to help us ‘raise the roof’, please visit lushvalley.org/donate.

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“Our trees would not be in the wonderful shape they are now if not for the Prune-Along program,” says homeowner Mary Bogue. “We are so happy to share our lovely pears with neighbours and friends, as well as LUSH Valley’s gleaning program. We look forward to seeing their volunteer crew come to pick our fruit every year.”

Prune-Along pairs tree experts with participating tree stewards to pass on the fundamentals of fruit tree care and pruning. Each Prune-Along session takes place in the homeowner’s yard and is tailored to meet their unique needs, with the aim to improve tree health and produce higher quality fruit.

Prune-Along sessions are available weekly from January through April 7, 2024.

Each session focuses on the essentials of tree care: creating an ideal shape for ease and safety of harvest, optimizing sun penetration and air flow to improve fruit quality, and pruning to promote good health and vigour.

“I look forward to having the Prune-Along program session every year because I always learn something new.” says tree steward Jen Mac. “The consistency of the informative team assists in monitoring and promoting both the health and growth of my fruit trees, shrubs and vines. These folks are highly knowledgeable and friendly; it’s always a pleasure to venture out in the yard and swap gardening stories, ideas and goals as we prune along together.”

When the trees yield abundant fruit in harvest season, LUSH Valley encourages tree stewards to join the ever-growing list of homeowners who allow their trees to be picked by the organization’s keen volunteers.

“2024 will be the fifth year that we have offered Prune-Along, and the twenty-fifth year of the Fruit Tree Program,” says Griffin Wright, Food Access Coordinator. “These programs really complement one another, with regular pruning promoting higher-quality harvests, and well-maintained trees being so much safer and easier for our volunteers to pick. We see both of these efforts as ways to help keep our ‘Community Orchard’ resilient and abundant for years to come.”

Each two-hour Prune-Along session costs $180 and aims to leave homeowners equipped with the skills and knowledge required to care for their trees and yield abundant fruit for years to come. All equipment and ladders are supplied and transported by LUSH Valley.

For more information or to register, visit lushvalley.org/events

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From Union Bay to Black Creek, 140 properties were visited, and a diverse selection of apples, pears, plums, figs, grapes, cherries and peaches were gleaned.

In spite of a host of environmental challenges, the high quality and sheer abundance of fruit this season was exceptional! A large percentage of what we harvested was large and unblemished fruit, great for distribution through our Good Food Boxes and community programs such as Comox Valley Family Services’s Healthy Families group and the Bread of Life Food Bank in Black Creek.

LUSH Valley would like to express our gratitude to the many tree stewards and volunteers who collectively dedicated over 570 hours of their time this season, as it was with their generosity and hard work that we were able to pick, transport, sort and donate all of the fruit that we did.

This was the 24th year of the Fruit Tree program. The program was created formally in 2000 to share the yield of backyard fruit trees with community members in need. In 2023, the program:

• Increases access to local food
• Decreases food waste
• Removes pest attractants
• Engages hundreds of volunteers
• Utilizes less-than-perfect fruit in the Hot Meal kitchen, at catering events and the juice press

The in-cider information? LUSH Valley Apple Juice is now available for sale!

Juice contains 100% locally-grown fruit from trees and orchards across the Comox Valley. All proceeds from juice sales are reintegrated into our food access programs, working to further nourish and empower our community. How do you like them apples?

5L boxes of pasteurized juice are $20 each. Purchase is available at the LUSH Valley warehouse while supplies last. Please visit us at 2342 Rosewall Crescent in Courtenay at one of the following times:

• Tuesdays: 10:00 – 4:00
• Wednesdays: 10:00 – 4:00
• Thursdays: 10:00 – 6:00

When you purchase a box of LUSH Valley Apple Juice, you’ll be supporting community food security and unlocking a new core memory—yes, it’s that good.

Please note that we will be closed for the holidays from December 18th to January 1st, and will resume juice sales on January 2nd, 2024.

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Fall in love with the flavours of our valley—the fond, the familiar and the farmers’ favourites.

LUSH Valley’s third annual fundraising event at Amara Farm will take place in two seatings. Both lunch and dinner will start off with a farm tour and canapés, followed by a family-style service for tables of eight. The meals will be primarily plant-forward, highlighting the late-summer abundance of our Valley.

The Farm to Table menu will feature local ingredients playing with global street food influence. Guests will enjoy the rich, abundant flavours of the Comox Valley through a series of dishes prepared by LUSH Valley in partnership with the Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck. 

We will be serving handcrafted cocktails and mocktails incorporating seasonal influences, along with beer from Cumberland Brewing Company and cider from Raven’s Moon.

Also available throughout the evening will be our 50/50 raffle and silent auction.

Take in the serenity of Amara Farm, celebrate local food, drink and music while supporting food security programs and advocacy in the Comox Valley. Join us for our 2023 Farm to Table Fundraiser!

To purchase your tickets, click here.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS

The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck draws inspiration from a variety of global street vendors and puts a vibrant twist on dishes by highlighting local, in-season ingredients. For over two years, the Farmer’s Kitchen has been collaborating with LUSH Valley on fundraising events, catering and the Hot Meal program.

Amara Farm was established in 2012 by Arzeena Hamir and Neil Turner who shared a dream to grow healthy food for their community. The Farm received its certified organic status in 2015 and has since earned awards such as the Land of Plenty Award (2018) and the Comox Valley Record’s Best Market Vendor (2019).

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Kosma Busheikin started taking guitar lessons at the age of 16 with singer-songwriter Kevin Mitchell when his passion for performance was born. After graduating from Vancouver Island University with degree in Jazz Performance as encouraged by Marc Atkinson, Kosma is now based out of Nanaimo. Kosma has played at Hermann’s Jazz Club, Frankie’s Jazz Club, The Port Theater, Tofino Jazz Festival and the Hornby Island Music Festival, among other venues. He currently plays in the John Lee Trio, Graham Villette’s “Organized Crime”, Tasha Adam’s Quartet and the NMA big band. He always brings his love of blues and swing to the bandstand.

Nick Peck is an award winning composer, pianist and organist from London, UK. After graduating from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Nick was increasingly active as a sideman, gaining valuable hands-on experience accompanying UK Jazz heros including Peter King, Derek Nash and Paul Booth in and around London and the South of England. After moving to Canada, he established a new presence on the west coast, appearing in clubs and festivals across the country. Nick has performed with Peter Bernstein, Joe Magnarelli, Nick Hempton, Terell Stafford, Oliver Gannon, John Lee and Cory Weeds, among others, and has also recorded for the Cellar Live Label.

Please note: There are a maximum of 64 tickets available per seating. Tickets must be purchased at least one day prior to the event.

This event menu includes options for guests who are gluten-intolerant, vegan, and/or dairy-free. Meal modifications are respectfully declined; please notify us of any severe allergies before purchasing a ticket.

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The brand new Food Prep and Mobile Kitchen Training program includes 180 hours of hands-on training that focuses on the basics of cooking, baking and food prep, and how to operate a mobile kitchen, ‘food truck’, for various types of events. The program starts on July 24th, 2023.

LUSH Valley works with 25 Comox Valley farms and is encouraged by a program that utilizes an abundance of local flavours to prepare a variety of dishes and menus.

“Students will ‘extend the season’ of produce by creating value-added products such as dehydrated mixes and sauces,” says Maurita Prato, Executive Director. “By working in the Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck and other settings, students will gain the skills and confidence needed to master food preparation and service while supporting our local food economy, improving food security and ‘sharing the harvest’ with our community.”

The program emerged as a result of conversations between North Island College, the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association and LUSH Valley about food security and economic development.

The training is fully funded for students who are either unemployed or are working less than 30 hours per week, so it is an excellent opportunity for students looking for practical training or a change in career.

“North Island College’s Continuing Education and Training has really been prioritizing developing partnerships between community organizations and knowledge specialists in order to meet the needs of students in an accessible way,” said Bob Haugen, NIC Director, Continuing Education and Contract Training. “The partnership offered NIC the opportunity to coordinate a program we have wanted to develop for a long time–helping meet the needs of so many different employers in the Comox Valley, from grocery stores, delis, restaurants, food trucks and food processing.”

“There is a growing demand in the Comox Valley for people to prepare food and build the dynamic skills needed to run a successful food truck business” says Lesley Stav, President, North Vancouver Island Chefs Association.

Funding for the Food Prep and Mobile Kitchen Training program is provided by the Province of British Columbia and Government of Canada through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement.

Students interested in the program can sign up online to be contacted directly.

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LUSH’s Little Seed Libraries provide access to a variety of seeds including heirloom, open-pollinated, and locally-adapted varieties. Folks are encouraged to borrow seeds for free, then return some of theirs at the end of the growing season to replenish inventory and support future growers.

The first of our Little Seed Libraries is located at the Tsolum Educational Garden on Headquarters Road across from G.P. Vanier Secondary School. We’ve recently stocked a second Library at our warehouse in Tin Town at 2342 Rosewall Crescent.

These community lending libraries aim to promote seed saving, increase agricultural biodiversity and encourage community growing and resilience. We encourage you to pay one a visit or join the conversation in our Grow Food Everywhere group on Facebook.

LUSH Valley would like to thank our partners and community members who have generously donated materials, seeds and time to this project.

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With more extreme temperatures and increased moisture, our regions’ fruit trees require more care and direction to be resilient. LUSH Valley is pleased to be launching a new branch of the Prune-Along program to help: Summer Pruning and Integrated Pest Management.

Starting this June, LUSH Valley will be offering a series of 1-on-1 workshops where fruit tree experts will work with participating tree stewards to pass on the essentials of fruit tree care, summer pruning, and pest management. Sessions are available on Sundays and Mondays from June through July. Each ninety minute session costs $150 and takes place on a homeowner’s property, tailored to meet their individual needs and goals. All equipment and ladders are supplied and transported by LUSH.

Pruning in the summer reduces growth and vigour, helping to maintain the size of dwarfing and espalier-style trees, and to stay on top of water shoots after a hard winter prune. Employing pest management techniques can help reduce the impact of common diseases and pests such as aphids, scab, and coddling moth.

If you’re interested in taking proactive steps to improve the health of your fruit trees and produce higher quality fruit, this program is for you. LUSH Valley’s coaching and guidance address a range of challenges that can affect the fruit trees in our region.

The Prune-Along program is in line with LUSH Valley’s mission to “support the Comox Valley community to gain food systems tools, engage in just and resilient local food systems, and receive equitable access to nourishing food”. The hope is that by empowering community members to care for existing fruit trees, LUSH Valley can improve fruit quality, increase safety and ease of harvest, and continue to share the harvest with our community. LUSH Valley has a high standard for the fruit being distributed through programs, and recognizes that higher fruit quality starts with improved tree care.

For more information or to register, visit lushvalley.org/events or phone 250-331-0152.

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Prune-Along pairs tree care experts with participating tree stewards to pass on the fundamentals of fruit tree care and pruning. Each Prune-Along session takes place in the homeowner’s yard and is tailored to meet their individual needs and goals.

Prune-Along sessions will be available four times a week from January 16 to March 27. For those tree stewards who don’t have the interest or capacity to participate in a Prune-Along session, pruning services are also available.

Sessions focus on the three essentials of tree care:

• Creating an ideal tree shape for ease of harvest
• Optimizing sun penetration and air flow to improve fruit quality
• Pruning to promote good health

“Each year when LUSH Valley comes, our trees are treated with the utmost respect” says homeowner Mary Bogue. “The team thoughtfully decides which areas to prune, takes care with every cut, and is always willing to educate us in regards to the trees.”

When the harvest season approaches, LUSH Valley hopes participants will consider having their trees picked by the organization’s keen volunteers.

“We are heading into our 4th year of Prune-Along, followed by our 21st year of the Fruit Tree Program. We see these programs as a way to keep our ‘community orchard’ healthy, resilient and abundant for years to come, says Maurita Prato, Executive Director.

Each Prune-Along session is two hours long and costs $150.00. LUSH Valley supplies all of the equipment and ladders required.

“By placing pruning in the hands of LUSH Valley, our pear trees are able to produce more delicious pears to share with the community each year. We receive many compliments on how the trees look, and this year we will be adding more fruit trees to the program,” says Bogue.

For more information and to register, click here.

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