The Alex Community Food Centre (Alex CFC) is a community space within in one of Calgary’s most diverse neighbourhoods where residents gather to grow, cook, share and advocate for good food. When people come the Centre, they are greeted in a dignified and welcoming setting. They become actively involved in tackling food insecurity by sharing meals, accessing resources, participating in programs, sharing their talents, advocating for systems change and growing nutrient-dense food together.
Growing and learning in community is at the heart of the Alex CFC. The annual gift of West Coast Seeds, which arrives in February, signifies the beginning of the garden season and brings the Level Ground Gardening group out of hibernation and dreaming about the season ahead. The seeds germinate conversations about food sovereignty, local food systems; caring for land, its inhabitants and each other. The act of planting and nurturing those seeds together grows community, health, well-being and a commitment to advocate for good food for all! 
For children, the seeds begin the journey of understanding where food comes from, the need for environmentally sustainable actions and it opens up the possibility of learning skills that will last them a lifetime! For Newcomers, it’s a chance to grow roots in a new community, grounded in knowledge brought with them from their original home. It’s an opportunity for everyone to actively engage in the truth and reconciliation process by accepting teachings from the land’s original care-takers and taking steps to steward the land using regenerative processes.
In a time of increasing food insecurity, innovate responses that support the growth of food sovereignty and community within a local context are vital responses and West Coast Seeds are growing roots in neighbourhoods surrounding the Alex CFC. While they may arrive in the dark days of winter, they are destined to be shared through free garden skills classes for local kids, youth, families and adults or at our annual seed exchange. Community volunteers are growing West Coast Seeds as part of an urban agriculture pilot project and the harvest will shared with area residents through the Fresh and Fare Community Market or community meals.
The Alex CFC’s garden invites community in; it grows food, skills, health, connection and care for the land. It all starts with seeds cultivated with a mission to support locally produced foods, protect pollinators, teach people how to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity through regenerative practices.
Submitted by Darrell Howard and Leanne Cripps