The Highland Health Home and Learning Centre in New Glasgow is about halfway through a 12-week pilot program aiming to provide access to food for local patients.
Charlotte Green, health services lead with the Pictou County Network, said Brittany Currie, a social worker at the clinic, was in touch with Summer Street, a local social enterprise operating a hydroponic greenhouse growing vegetables like kale and spinach year-round. Currie then came to Green looking to provide vegetables to families at the clinic.
Currie collects 20 parcels of fresh vegetables once a week and brings them back to the clinic to be handed out to families they see with dependent children. Green said along with the food, they offer also recipe ideas. Six weeks into the program they served over 50 families, which amounts to over 180 people.
Green said they are collecting data over the 12 weeks, to see the number of families they served, and will reach out to the families who signed up to be contacted after the program to see what they liked and what improvements can be made. She said the hope is the program will continue.