Food Security – from a Pyramid!!

December 7, 2022

For three years, Harvest & Share Food Relief Society (founded by Allen Murr & Jorge Gonzalez) has been growing healthy produce such as lettuce, cherry tomatoes, parsley, chives, basil, Pac choi, Swiss chard, and arugula. The cool part is WHY they grow it. Harvest & Share is a Victoria Canada-based non-profit organization that combats food insecurity by growing nutritious produce for local food banks and community kitchens to be distributed to those in need.

Typically recipients rely on food delivered from California….then to a distributor….then to a grocery store….and then finally receive it from a food bank. During this time, food loses freshness and nutritional value. The Mission of Harvest & Share Food Relief Society is “all people in our communities should have access to fresh nutritious foods. Our mandate is to delivery first cut, fresh, live leafy greens to our recipients in need.” This hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Co-founder Allan received a 2021 Ecostar Awards for Societal Impact and Harvest & Share Food Relief received a 2022 Ecostar Awards for Local Food.

They use Masterblend in their aeroponic pyramids and are “confident that all the necessary elements were included in the blend and that I didn’t have to worry about the nutritional value of the grow” and that with Masterblend “…all plants grow successfully!”

Harvest & Share is dedicated to research and implementation of new grow technologies to provide the best food, sustainably. The last grow seasons have been outdoor productions. Most produce is grown using water-efficient aeroponic pyramids developed by co-founder Allen Murr. Each of these pyramid shaped planters can accommodate 136 grow ports. With 28 planters installed, they can cultivate 3,800 plants within 1,100 sq ft of space. The organization supplies multiple food banks and harvests up 600 plants on a weekly basis by dedicated volunteers. In order to expand production and be able to supply fresh produce year-round, in Fall 2022, they are planning a new indoor grow operation.

Murr shares, “The first couple of years were a bit of a learning curve playing around with various nutrients. I knew about Masterblend for quite some time but it was never available in Canada. When I found out that Gecko Grow was distributing your product, I was very excited to purchase for our farm operation. Having watched many videos on Masterblend, I became confident that all the necessary elements were included in the blend that I didn’t have to worry about the nutritional value of the grow. I can confidently say that regardless of EC values of my reservoir water, all plants grew successfully.”

Harvest & Share Food Relief Society works in collaboration with government and city entities that allows them to further achieve the goals to provide locally produced food for communities in need.  Murr notes “These sustainable methods of urban farming allow us to make quick harvests and deliveries. Fresh and nutritious food to recipients is the priority. This way recipients will always receive first choice, and the most nutritious food.”

Visit the website:  www.harvestandshare.ca