October 10, 2023 - Food Security Structures Canada is thrilled to announce that we will be working in partnership with Prof. Joshua Pearce and Western University as part of the HomeGrown Innovation Challenge. As one of 11 teams selected from across Canada, the team from FSSC and UWO will be focusing on systems that will support year-round berry production in Canada.

President & CEO Kim Parker shared that "our Moveable Agrotunnel, Better Grow Lights, and aeroponic growing system, combined with Dr. Pearce's unique agrivoltaics system, creates an energy efficient, climate controlled growing space that can handle severe climate and Canadian weather.  We're excited to work together with Dr. Pearce and his team to refine our combined technologies to address production of strawberries, blueberries, and other berries, but our work will also extend to other crops.  Our mission at FSSC is to meaningfully address food insecurity by empowering individuals and communities to grow their own food locally, year-round, regardless of climate or location.  This grant will help support our work, and develop new technology to help stabilize food production here in Canada, and around the world."

For more information on the HomeGrown Innovation Challenge, visit https://homegrownchallenge.ca/

February 8, 2023 - We are so thrilled to share that Food Security Structures Canada received the People’s Choice Award at the TechAlliance Limitless Celebration of Innovation. We are truly honoured to receive this recognition, especially considering the amazing tech businesses who were also finalists. We are humbled to stand with such impactful and innovative people and businesses.

Thank you to everyone who voted for us, and thank you to our many supporters who help us on our mission to empower people to grow their own food locally year-round to address food insecurity. We are committed to being a force for change, and we are grateful to TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, Start.ca, and all of the event sponsors for supporting us in this mission.

As part of her acceptance speech, our President & CEO, Kim Parker, shared the following:

“Tonight I want to take the position of privilege that this award has provided to me and use my few remaining moments at the microphone to uplift an amazing indigenous artist. In the spirit of allyship, I give my time and space to Metis Artist Leah Marie Dorion who created the beautiful shawl that I chose to wear tonight. This shawl features her painting, Breath of Life. Leah shared the following thoughts about this painting:

"Our breath gives us life and is the sacred vessel which carries our voice. When words are shared with loving positive energy our world is greatly impacted."

“I encourage you to find opportunities to use your voice, your words, and your energy to lift up others around you in every aspect of your life. Diversity, equity, and inclusion must be part of the very fabric of our lives if we are to reach our fullest potential as a society. Thank you again to TechAlliance and to Start.ca for this award. We are truly honoured and are so grateful for your support.” 

We are thrilled to share that we have been selected as a finalist for TechAlliance’s Limitless 2023 Gamechanger Award, sponsored by Lenovo Canada.  We are honoured to be acknowledged for our commitment to supporting equity, diversity and inclusion both on our team as well as through our work empowering individuals and communities to grow their own food locally all year round regardless of location or climate.  Food Security Structures Canada is dedicated to being a force for change by benefiting people, communities, and the planet, and we are grateful to TechAlliance and Lenovo Canada for supporting us in this mission.

For more information about TechAlliance and Limitless 2023 visit https://techalliance.ca/limitless/

April 28, 2022 - Food Security Structures Canada's President & CEO Kim Parker was recognized today by receiving the Mooka'am Kwe: She Rises Indigenous Women Leader Award at the PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise annual Women Leaders in Sustainable Future event.  This award celebrates successful, accomplished and committed Indigenous women.

Although Kim was unable to connect to the cyber conference due to technical challenges, FSSC Senior Project Consultant Lizette Lacoursiere accepted on her behalf and shared the following message of gratitude from Kim - "I am so honoured to receive this award. Over the past 20 years I have spent many hours digging into my family’s Metis heritage and understanding my place in history. Learning my families history and legacy has helped me to know who I am and has guided me in the work that I am doing to help address food insecurity in Canada and around the world."

"There are many people who have supported me in this work, but most of all I want to extend my deepest thanks and love to 3 amazing women who have inspired and uplifted me so often during this journey – my Mom, my Grandma Parker, and my Grandma Wailes.  Throughout my life I worked along side these woman as they grew their gardens to feed our families.  I watched them nurture tiny seeds into baby plants that became the abundant harvest that we reaped.  I watched them turn that beautiful produce into delicious foods that fed our families for many months.  They taught me that we can always feed ourselves and our families if we have a garden.  They also taught me that growing good food requires a reciprocal relationship of love with the soil, the plants, and the creatures around us.  Without love and harmony in the garden, the harvest will never be as nourishing for the body or the soul.  My goal is to bring the teachings that they shared with me to communities around the world to empower women and communities to grow fresh, nutritious, delicious food for their families regardless of climate or location. I am so grateful to these women, and every day I offer my prayers of thanks to them for the gifts they gave me.  Thank you again for this award. Your recognition means so much to me and is very appreciated."

For more information about the awards and PARO, visit https://paro.ca/

March 10, 2022 - We are so honoured to have been selected to receive the UPS Global Impact Grant from the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation.  The UPS Global Impact Grant aims to recognize entrepreneurs and innovators in marginalized communities making a social/environmental impact that transcends national borders through innovative products. 

"The work we do at Food Security Structures Canada is driven by our team's care, passion and advocacy for food security.  We are honoured to receive this grant and will use this support to reach out to more communities and entrepreneurs who would like to grow their own fresh food locally year-round from any location."

For more information visit https://www.ief-fie.ca/2022/03/10/announcing-the-2021-22-micro-grant-recipients/