Mission Statement
The Bells Corners Community Garden (BCCG) is dedicated to fostering food security, sustainability, and community engagement through urban gardening. We grow fresh, nutritious vegetables to support local food banks and ultimately neighbours who need access to healthy food.
By cultivating a shared space for learning, collaboration, and environmental stewardship, we empower our community to connect, grow, and give back.
Food insecurity
The Ottawa Food Bank says food insecurity isn’t just about running out of food—“it ranges in severity from being worried about running out of food, to not being able to afford a balanced diet, to going hungry.”
The food bank says this crisis disproportionately impacts lone parents, single individuals, persons with disabilities, and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. And as food prices continue to rise, more families are turning to food banks for support.
This growing need is not sustainable, which is why Team BCCG is stepping up to champion food security in our community. By growing and donating fresh vegetables, we are doing our part to provide nutritious food to those who need it most.
We believe that access to healthy food is a right, not a privilege. Together, through community gardening, partnerships, and volunteer support, we can make a difference—one harvest at a time.
FAMSAC Food Cupboard
The FAMSAC Food Bank serves Bells Corners and the surrounding communities at Bayshore, Crystal Beach, Craig Henry, Manordale, and Trend Village. Our Team BCCG is inspired to support FAMSAC again this year by growing and donating fresh vegetables to families in need in our community.
Throughout the season, food from our front-yard garden, Our Lady of Peace Catholic School garden and our Maple Hill Allotment garden will be harvested and delivered to the food bank weekly. This is a wonderful example of working together to fulfill FAMSAC’s motto, “Neighbours helping neighbours!”
Learn more about our BCCG garden initiatives, and if you have a thriving green thumb and the bandwidth to help, please join us to donate fresh vegetables to FAMSAC.
Locally grown, community shared
Since 2022, Team BCCG has proudly donated 1,270 pounds of fresh vegetables to the FAMSAC Food Cupboard, ensuring that families in need have access to healthy, homegrown produce. During the growing season, every week, we harvest and drop off the vegetables to the food bank’s dedicated volunteers.
In 2022, we donated 150 pounds. In 2023, we gave 250 pounds. In 2024, with three different garden locations for growing food, we managed to donate 870 pounds of vegetables to the food bank! With each passing year, our goal is to grow even more food and give back in a bigger way.
Are you growing vegetables you’re willing to donate to the FAMSAC Food Cupboard? Let’s work together to fight food insecurity! Reach out—we’d love to connect!
Donating the fruits of our labour
—Jeremy LeBlanc, FAMSAC Food Cupboard
“FAMSAC has long relied on community support to provide emergency food assistance to those within our community who are struggling. With the rising cost of food, it is great to have the ability to offer our clients fresh, local produce, on top of the non-perishables which we provide.”
