Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre
PO Box 119, Bldg 655 X0A 0H0 Iqaluit, NU, Canada

Tax season is upon us!!! If you have a modest tax situation, our volunteers can do your taxes for you as part of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program supported by Canada Revenue Agency

Our Inuit Women's Craft & Support Group is tonight at 5:30! To register, send us a message

The widespread uptake of CERB highlighted a need for better income supports for people living on low incomes. Its rollout was beneficial for many families, and those benefits are now set to be reversed.

This is an amazing resource for anyone looking to explore food systems through the lens of social justice.

. Inuit greatly value learning through doing and helping others. @Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre

There's many things from the past we'd like to shirk off in 2021, in his piece in today's Toronto Star FoodShare executive director Paul Taylor suggests our co...untry’s reliance on worker exploitation should be at the top of our list. "We should be pushing for bold policy that promotes equity and well-being for any company’s lowest-paid workers, and most importantly, that can’t be exploited by CEOs. I’d like to see us create targeted interventions to support low-income earners, and to penalize corporations for excessive CEO-to-worker pay ratios." Read more of Paul's take on tackling income inequality: https://bit.ly/3ohCqib

New date and time for our Inuit women's group! We will now be meeting on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:00 pm, and dinner will be served. Bring your own crafts or use something we have on site! To register, send us a message! Masks are required when social distancing is not possible.

We finished 2020 with our AGM last night - please check out the annual report tabled. And a reminder that this is the last day to donate for the 2020 tax season! Donate here: https://canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/36414/donation

Happy to be a part of a larger movement!

"Charitable handouts can’t hope to be an adequate response to the tsunami of need. This is because food insecurity is not about a lack of food. It is about a lack of income."

"... a lack of long-term impact on the issue of food insecurity is what's becoming increasingly concerning..." Great frontline and advocacy work from our friends at Roots to Harvest!

We are happy to announce that registration for our Fall 2020 session of FoodFit is now open! FoodFit is a 13-week program designed by Community Food Centres Canada that combines fun, hands-on cooking sessions and food-based activities with take-home recipes, easy-to-understand nutrition information, group exercise, shared meals, and individual and group goal-setting. The fall session days and times will be determined based on community feedback. To register please fill out t...he FoodFit Pre-Program Questionnaire: https://forms.gle/vANLHWXJkpYugg1d6 We are looking for 12 committed participants! For more information contact our Food Skills Coordinator, Thea: [email protected], 979-4863 or visit https://cfccanada.ca/en/Our-Work/Programs/FoodFit

We are presently looking for participants in our Culinary Skills Training Program! We focus on food service and safety, WHMIS, kitchen skills, and mindfulness. The program bridges the gap between employers seeking talent and Iqalummiut looking for stability in the workforce. The program runs for 12 weeks and participants earn a wage throughout. To apply, please fill out our online form: https://forms.gle/Uj9eCSLYuCXk1SgQ6 For more information, message us, call 979-4863 or email [email protected]

Its being a voice for people who dont have a voice, for various reasons.

This year youll be able to raise money for our Centre from an event held anywhere in the country - even online! For more info: http://bigsocial.ca #BigSocial

When COVID-19 hit, our governments began investing millions in emergency funding to address food insecurity. Had we invested in building our social safety net, we wouldnt have wasted millions on an emergency downstream response.

As a community organization, our direction is shaped by our membership. If you have supported or been involved in any of our programs in the past, we invite you to apply here: https://forms.gle/iR8z9ZDP3AmARaQVA Only members are eligible to vote at our AGM, so make sure your voice is heard!

Jespre aussi que nous pourrons voir les avantages long terme dun programme de soutien aux chasseurs, car cest une partie importante de la culture locale qui ne fait pas seulement partie de la souverainet alimentaire, mais aussi de la culture avec une perspective holistique.

Lunch is on us! Read this months newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/1c3551e9f157/200821

Were excited to have Trudy back, this time as our Peer Advocate!

Housing remains one of our most urgent issues.

This Civil Eats piece on community fridges is a must-read: "[While well-intended,] if you dig a little deeper, however, youll find the fridges are merely an extension of the existing emergency food system, a system never designed to solve hunger."

Thank you, Len Thompson Fishing Lures!

"I will never stop hunting as long as I can do it. Its a skill I was taught very thoroughly. Its ingrained in myself, it defines who I am. Its how I do things. It guides me, and it keeps me here. Thats how Ive survived, thats how Inuit have survived, with very little."

Come work with us! Were looking for an Indigenous Network and Knowledge Sharing Manager to join our team. See the posting and apply by August 21. https://cfccanada.humi.ca//indigenous%20network%20and/2304

"The pandemic has exposed the fragility and inequity of the restaurant industry, disproportionately affecting Black people, people of color, restaurant workers and those who keep the food chain running in the nations factories and farms."

Not only does this address food insecurity in our communities, but it also asserts our Inuit culture.

More of the wonderful bounty from Iqaluit Community Greenhouse Society!

"The patchwork of provincial and territorial income assistance programs are not effective and theyre a degrading experience for anybody that has to go through them. It would be better if we just created a floor and made sure nobody was left behind.

Summer months reminder for safe consumption of country food: Botulism: Two to four (2-4) cases of botulism (qassuniq) occur each year in Nunavik. Keeping ...sea mammal products at a cold temperature at all times is a preventive measure. Freezing products and waiting for the cooler days of fall is recommended for making igunaq safely. Trichinellosis program: Walrus hunters should continue testing ALL walrus tongues. A small number of walrus can be infected. No distribution of walrus meat should happen before results are received. Reminder: risk of wildlife contamination with COVID-19 is very low, near zero according to the current studies. _____ : : . . : . . ( ) 20 . . . : COVID-19 , . _____ Rappel estival pour une consommation sre des aliments traditionnels : Botulisme : Deux quatre (2-4) cas de botulisme (qassuniq) surviennent chaque anne au Nunavik. Gardez les produits de mammifres marins une temprature froide tout moment en mesure prventive. Il est recommand de congeler les produits et dattendre les jours les plus frais de lautomne pour prparer ligunaq en toute scurit. Programme contre la trichinellose : les chasseurs de morses devraient continuer de tester TOUTES les langues de morses. Un petit nombre de morses peuvent tre infects. Aucune distribution de viande de morse ne devrait avoir lieu avant la rception des rsultats. Rappel : le risque de contamination de la faune sauvage par COVID-19 est trs faible, proche de zro selon les tudes en cours.

Great job opportunities with Frontier College / Collge Frontire (Official)!

Today were serving up a salad made with lettuce and radishes grown here in town at the Iqaluit Community Greenhouse Society Were grateful for this partnership and look forward to growing together!

ICYMI (because we certainly did ): Listen to our staff talk about our work in tackling the UNs Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger

"I hope that even after this crisis passes, we can have some kind of system where people can ensure that their basic needs are being met, with an appropriate amount of income to allow for that.

"If we as Nunavut want to take action and make a difference, we must listen to those less fortunate than we are. We must help uplift them and ensure that we build a territory where we all have fair access to enjoy the basicsincluding a safe place to live."

What impact has the #COVID19 pandemic had on the number of Canadians living in a situation of #FoodInsecurity? According to new data from our web panel survey ...conducted in May 2020, nearly one in seven Canadians reported living in a household where there was food insecurity in the past 30 days. To learn more about food insecurity in Canada, check out our infographic: http://ow.ly/ogMt50AgyJu article: http://ow.ly/hpHo50AgyJv food insecurity data from the 2017/2018 Canadian Community Health Survey: http://ow.ly/trlp50AgyJs. #CdnHealth Healthy Canadians

, 979-4863 Free Tax Clinic... If you have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers can do your tax return for you Call 979-4863 for more information See more

Even years after a Nunavut suicide inquest was done, resources are lacking, and that is unacceptable. Nunavummiut, come out and make your voices heard tomorrow!

"In their new food policy action plan created in the context of COVID-19, the organization Food Secure Canada advocates Universal Basic Income relative to the cost of living, and indexed based on location and support for Indigenous food sovereignty to address not only the issue of food security, but also numerous Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the United Nations."

Hello all! We are currently looking for volunteers to fill the IqaluEAT food boxes this Thursday (tomorrow), from 3:30 - 6:30pm. We could also use a few more volunteer delivery drivers, from 5 - 6pm. If youre interested and available, please contact Erin, our Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected]. We are sold out of boxes this week, but please visit our website for upcoming food boxes!

Community Clean-up is tomorrow! Help keep our community tidy!

. We are now hiring for the following. More details on our website Administrative Assistant qajuqturvik.ca/administrative-assistant/... Peer Advocate qajuqturvik.ca/peer-advocate/ Executive Director qajuqturvik.ca/executive-director/

We want to be a part of systemic change here in the North and across the country.

While we are horrified by the continued police violence against people of colour, we are also inspired by the grassroots protests that have taken place throughout the world. Already, municipalities are taking steps to reform their police departments and divert funds towards proactive safety measures. On an individual level, there is a lot you can do. You can donate to a wide range of organizations working on the frontlines. (https://www.refinery29.com//black-lives-matter-how...-to-help) You can learn more about anti-Black racism and how it is just as pervasive in Canada as it is in the US. (https://www.usw.ca//anti-black-racism-and-anti-racism-reso) And you can have important conversations with friends and family - change requires us to feel uncomfortable and awkward at times. As an organization we have taken the opportunity to consider how we can work towards racial equity. Addressing systemic racism and oppression on an organizational level is an ongoing challenge, but if we want to see change on a societal level we need to first seek it from within.