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Bringing Fresh Produce to the Underserved
Building Roots is a Canadian charity that "believes all neighborhoods need places to grow, cook, share and buy healthy food." In the summer of 2016, Lisa Kates and Darcy Higgins of Building Roots created the Moss Park Market, a double-wide shipping container in the Moss Park area of Toronto, in order to bring fresh produce to what they consider to be a "largely ignored" neighborhood. Mr. Higgins, who came to be interested in food through his time focusing on environmental studies at the University of Waterloo, says that while there are other options for buying groceries nearby, the area is comprised of "seniors and people with disabilities and health issues" who "can't walk down that far; or in the winter, when sidewalks are full of snow, getting scooters and wheelchairs [through] is too difficult." Building Roots is also involved in other projects, such as a finding a Syrian farmer a plot to grow crops for his new neighborhood and setting up a community kitchen to allow residents to cook together.