News
The farms nobody asks
One question, asked of every farm on the list.
A chapter asks every farm on its list the same question.
Canada has 189,874 farms, according to Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture 2021. Some growers already have somewhere to send produce they cannot sell. Others do not, and a short, clear question is a simple place to start. An estimated 13% of the fruits and vegetables grown in Canada go unharvested or are discarded after harvest, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
So the work starts with a list. Students at each chapter build it farm by farm, within the area HQ assigns. Pairs draft each email from the template, and the Outreach Editor reads every one before it is sent. Asking is most of the job.
One question, then one follow-up.
The list
Every chapter keeps a record of the farms in its assigned area, who has been contacted, who has replied and the outcome. The list is the asset, and it is built by hand from published sources.
How the list is built
The ask
Pairs draft each email from the template, and the Outreach Editor reads every one before it is sent. A Follow-up Clerk sends the single follow-up on day 14 and closes the record. The roles are named and the work is steady.
How we ask
The answer
When a grower says yes, the chapter gives the farm the contact of an organization that collects, free, with its own vehicle. The farm arranges the pickup with it directly.
Where the food goes
