Part 1: The Forest That Almost Never Grew
When Jennifer proposed planting a food forest in her community, many said it would never work.
Today the forest is growing — and with time it will last for generations.
On a stretch of Treaty 6 land an hour north of Saskatoon, the idea sounded improbable.
A food forest?
Not a community garden, exactly. Not a farm. Not rows of carrots obediently lined up in the dark prairie soil. A forest — but one designed to feed and nourish people. Fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, flowers, vegetables, medicines growing side by side. A place where children could learn, where Elders could teach, where food could be harvested, preserved, cooked, and eaten. A place that can keep growing for generations to come.
Jennifer, member of Beardy’s & Okemasis' Cree Nation and Food Security Coordinator*, had started small but was dreaming big. She had been taking permaculture and horticulture courses and she had planted a food forest in her own backyard. But “it wasn’t enough for me,” she said. So, she proposed something much bigger for Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation.
Washing away the seeds of doubt
Many people, she recalled, said it would never happen.
And yet here, three years later, the space tells a different story. More than a hundred people have helped plant. Six people helped build a pavilion. Jennifer herself shingled the roof. “My hands hurt,” she said, laughing. “But yeah, we’ve done quite a bit of different things here.”
That statement — quite a bit of different things here — is one way of describing what is happening in many Indigenous communities across Canada right now. In other words, Indigenous Peoples and communities are on the path to taking back control of their food systems, on their own terms, and Kinvia is walking alongside them.
Not food in the abstract, not food as a policy term, or a line item in a grant application, but food as connection. – to land, to memory, to health, and to one another.
In some communities, this work takes many forms: like year-round greenhouse, school meal programs, land-based learning, berry-picking groups, canning workshops, medicine gardens, fishing, hunting, snaring, and gardening. In its totality, it adds up to sourcing food locally, sustainably, and traditionally.
Generational knowledge interrupted
For a long time in Canada, Indigenous food systems were not merely neglected; they were interrupted. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation describes residential schools and settler colonialism as producing far-reaching “ripple effects” across nearly all parts of Indigenous life and culture.
Statistics Canada reported in 2024 that more than two in five Indigenous children aged 1 to 14 were living in food-insecure households, excluding those living on reserve; among Inuit children, the figure was even higher.
“Learning from the Elders on how they ate when they were kids versus how we eat now is completely different,” Jennifer says.
Eighty years ago, she noted, there were no fast-food chains crowding a child’s imagination. Now, they are everywhere. “Healthy eating is not easy when expensive. Inconsistent fresh food is up against the convenient, reliability and relative affordability of fast food,” Jennifer adds.
Trading quick bites for lasting food security
Food forests are designed to mimic natural ecosystems.
They stack growth vertically and seasonally. Taller fruit trees, lower shrubs, groundcover, pollinator-friendly plants, medicinal species, and edible flowers. Once established, they are meant to be comparatively self-sustaining.
Four food forests now span 27.75 acres in the Indigenous communities Kinvia partners with. Thousands of trees and shrubs planted and hundreds of community members — many of them students — engaged in stewardship. And two more food forests are planned for 2026, including one of the first urban food forests Kinvia is supporting in Canada!
What began in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, expanded to Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation, Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, and Atikameg (Whitefish Lake First Nation). They all started with funding from Kinvia and the hope is to have 10 such food forests in varying states of maturity by 2030.
From consumers to producers
Shalean, a Lands and Agricultural Development Manager, understands the importance of recapturing lost traditions. "In the past, First Nations people were people of the land. Over time, some of those connections have been lost. We’re bringing back that traditional knowledge so we can go back to being producers and not consumers."
“We’re on our way to break this cycle of intergenerational trauma. And it’s a good place to do this, out in nature,” says Audrey, an Elder and Knowledge-keeper at Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation.
That can sound like a large claim for something as simple as planting trees — until you see what begins to grow around them.
Agreements between communities. Apples from Muskeg Lake for berries from Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation. Tinctures, salves, and teas from the medicine wheel soothing community ailments. Turning excess berries into jams during community workshops. Bison lasagna shared on a cold night in February.
Little by little, a food forest becomes something larger than a garden. It becomes part of the community’s foundation.
The long-term goal is to grow enough food to support a school lunch program and, eventually, a community grocery store.
But planting trees is only the beginning. A harvest is only useful if it lasts beyond the season. In many Indigenous communities, the next question quickly becomes: how do you make local food last through winter?
“When we started with just a few sticks coming out of the ground, people didn’t really fully grasp what it was going to become,” says Steve, the Food Security and Climate Change Manager at Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.
But then things persisted. Apples were processed into chips. Fruit leather was made from berries. Food was preserved so it could be shared not just in summer, but later, when it was needed the most.
“We had corn on the cob at the end of winter that we’d preserved,” he said, “which people were pretty excited and happy about.”
There is a quiet genius in preservation that rarely gets the attention it deserves. In major cities, preservation is artisanal, a hobby, and a mason-jar performance.
In places where groceries are expensive, uneven in quality, or simply too far away to access economically, preservation is critical if you want an alternative to processed food out of season. Preservation has the potential to stretch a harvest into the following growing season.
It means healthy school meals can continue. It means a community feast can include something grown and stored with care rather than purchased late and costly.
Andrew, Principal of a school in O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi, emphasizes that learning how to grow, harvest, prepare, and preserve food gives students important life skills, teaches them healthy habits, and gives them pride in their identity. “The goal is to teach students about healthy, traditional Anishinaabe foods and how to live sustainably,” he says.
Growing food all year round with greenhouses
But what if fresh food could be grown all year round, even in Northern climates?
With funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in partnership with Impact Canada, Kinvia is working alongside six First Nations as they tackle the high incidence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in their communities using 365-day greenhouses. This project will continue to expand in more communities in 2026, building on learning and experiences.
Greenhouses are being custom-built and integrated into each community’s food and health programs. These spaces are not only places to grow vegetables. They are classrooms, gathering places, and health interventions.
In Waywayseecappo First Nation, a greenhouse now stands just steps from the local schools. Educators plan to use it for seed-starting programs, nutrition education, and land-based learning. Students will take seedlings home to their families. Elders will teach alongside teachers. Food grown inside will supplement school meals outside.
The greenhouse becomes part of daily life — woven into learning, health, and community connection.
For Terri-Anne, Director of Education at Natoaganeg School, the motivations for building their now established greenhouse were clear. "Prices have risen significantly and even when we do get our produce, a lot of time it's not fresh or not what we ordered or not enough. We decided we would focus our greenhouse on having fresh fruit and vegetables all year."
This sentiment is echoed across communities participating in the Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Challenge. Greenhouses are being designed to ensure fresh produce is available not just occasionally, but reliably.
Growing food year-round changes what communities can eat. But even more importantly, it changes what children can learn.
Being on the land reconnects young people to their Indigenous identity and ancestral traditions. Through hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, and ceremony, they rediscover not only survival skills but also the sense of belonging that colonization sought to erase.
“In my generation we weren’t taught off the land the way our parents were. For twenty years there was a big gap. Now our teachers are learning land-based teaching [...] Our kids will have the attachment to their heritage,” says Helen Joe, Coordinator, Healthy Future, Esgenoôpetitj.
And that return to land-based learning is already growing in visible ways across communities Kinvia partners with.
At Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation, the food forest sits beside the community garden and is just a short walk from the elementary school.
There are apples and pears, plums and pin cherries, haskaps and grapes, clover and sunchokes, wildflowers and lavender, asparagus and strawberries. There are native species that were already there — Saskatoons, chokecherries, wild rose, rosehips, sage, sweetgrass, willow.
Nearby is a forty-foot medicine wheel planted as a first-aid herb garden. Students each have planting areas so they can watch the progress of the trees they helped plant. In the fall, they pick potatoes.
In other seasons, they start seedlings in the classroom and transplant them outdoors in spring. Gardening becomes part of math, science, and writing lessons. It is hard to say where the curriculum stops and every day life begins.
Connecting traditional knowledge to contemporary education
In Atikameg (Whitefish Lake First Nation) land-based learning programs, students hunt, trap, fish, prepare food, and study habitats and anatomy in ways that connect traditional knowledge to today’s education.
“We cook everything we harvest,” said Daryl, Knowledge-keeper and Land-Based Learning Lead. “I’ll ask [students], ‘Do you want to taste the medicine that’s in it?’ and talk about how healthy the traditional foods are.”
Darrell organizes fishing and hunting trips for students, teaching traditional food gathering while strengthening relationships among youth and Elders. “These are important opportunities where [youth] can actually have hands-on experiences,” he says.
In Waywayseecappo First Nation, where a new greenhouse sits steps from local schools, teachers envision Elders and students working side by side, seedlings going home to households, and lessons in nutrition, growing, and cultural knowledge happening in the same space.
When knowledge returns communities change
“Re-introducing Indigenous youth to a land-based educational system [is] a means of re-attaching the severed familial and communal ties,” says Patrick, Teacher, Waywayseecappo Off-Campus School. "Traditional land-based education practices such as hunting and gathering form strong bonds between participants and nature, and lay the foundation for interpersonal community relationships.”
At Birch Narrows Dene Nation in Treaty 10 territory (Saskatchewan), youth like Jada find joy and pride in these experiences. “I like seeing everyone getting involved. Being out in the bush just makes me so happy,” she says. Participating in the hunt with her community has become part of how she understands her identity: “Getting the meat and fish … makes me feel more involved and more connected to my Elders. We get the meat for them and [I like] seeing their smiles on their faces and seeing everyone connected and involved in their culture.”
A community that can grow, preserve, share, and teach is not immune to disruption — but it is far less impacted by it.
And when children take part in the experiences themselves, something else begins to change too.
They begin to understand where food comes from. They begin to understand what it takes to produce it. And increasingly, how important it is for nourishment: body, mind, and spirit.
Which raises an important question: What happens when a child arrives at school hungry today while these food systems are still growing?
Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared how communities are rebuilding local food systems — planting food forests, growing food year-round in greenhouses, and reconnecting children with traditional knowledge through land-based learning.
But while those systems take root, there is another question communities are working to answer right now:
What happens when a child arrives at school hungry today?
In many partner communities, school nutrition programs are where the effects of local food systems become visible first.
Meals prepared at school reduce pressure on families already facing some of the highest food costs in Canada. They also change how children experience learning themselves. Teachers describe improvements in attendance, concentration, and behaviour when students arrive in classrooms nourished.
In some schools, those meals also create a direct connection to culture and tradition.
At O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation, principal Andrew looks forward to the days when traditional foods are served.
“Those are the days that feel special,” he said. “Students get to enjoy meals that connect to our culture. It’s not just about eating but also about learning — seeing students excited to try traditional food and remembering that it’s part of who we are.”
At Natoaganeg School in New Brunswick, moose, fish, and other traditional foods appear regularly on the menu. “Traditional foods are healthier for our DNA even,” says Terri-Anne, Education Director.. “We have high rates of diabetes, obesity, a lot of food-related illness — so it makes sense to incorporate more traditional foods.”
Meals like these are not only nutritious. They reconnect students with food traditions that were interrupted for generations.
In other schools, students are learning something just as important: how to cook.
At Esgenoôpetitj School, cooking classes are part of the nutrition program itself.
“If they know how to cook, then they don’t have to worry about being hungry,”says Beverly, cooking teacher. . “They come here, they make their meal, they eat their meal, then they learn to do the dishes, and then they get ready to go home.”
Programs like this build confidence as much as they build skills. Food becomes something they can understand, create, and take pride in.
Programs like this also fill gaps.
Christina, a Registered Dietitian, plays a pivotal role at the school in Elsipogtog First Nation.
The school’s breakfast and lunch program addresses the community’s significant food insecurity, which has grown more concerning as inflation and food costs continue to rise.
Many students rely on the food they get at school, so Christina makes sure that meals are diverse and nutritious, including fruits and vegetables, and incorporating Indigenous traditional foods whenever possible.
The menu includes moose meat sourced from a staff member who is a hunter, providing a connection to Indigenous traditions and a unique culinary experience.
“I really like the food here because my dad works on a boat, and my mom works at home. I don’t need to make my parents make it for me,” says Scarlette, student in Elsipogtog First Nation.
In communities where many families face food insecurity, meals like these are not extras. They are essential.
It is important to build long-term solutions like food forests, greenhouses, and community gardens. But they take time.
That is why school nutrition programs remain such an important part of Kinvia’s work . While new food systems are growing, school meals make sure children are supported right now — this morning, this week, this school year.
Communities are rebuilding their food systems step by step. And over time, the goal is not simply to provide meals.
It is to provide meals grown closer to home.
Meals connected to culture.
Meals supported by community knowledge.
Meals shaped by the communities themselves.
Because what communities are building now is something bigger than a school meal program.
It is lasting, food security.
Food is culture. Culture is food.
Over the last four weeks, we’ve divided this story into parts — food forests, food processing & greenhouses, land-based education, and school meals.
But in the communities themselves, these are not separate efforts. They are parts of the same system creating lasting, food security.
A greenhouse in Elsipogtog First Nation can be a source of fresh produce for school meals, a site for diabetes awareness, a classroom for learning, a space for storytelling, and a practical response to the fact that residents may need to drive an hour to Moncton for better groceries.
A school nutrition program in O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi can be immediate support for families and a lesson in identity at the same time as students eat traditional foods for the first time.
Food is never just food. It is memory. It is knowledge. It is belonging.
For forty years, Kinvia previously Canadian Feed the Children has walked alongside communities in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda. Since 1992, Kinvia has partnered with Indigenous Peoples, supporting community-led programming.
Today, we work in partnership with 19 Indigenous communities across the country — deepening impact, supporting long-term food security, and providing resources for projects designed and led by the communities themselves.
And for these reasons and more, it became clear that our new name, Kinvia, inspired by the voices of the community, described our relationship more accurately. Communities were not simply receiving support. They were building their own paths forward.
Our new name Kinvia reflects that shift.
Kin — family, community, relationship.
Via — path, direction, journey forward.
The mission itself has not changed. What has changed is how clearly the name now reflects the work and the path we walk alongside together.
Children digging in the soil. Elders sharing knowledge about plants and medicines. Fruit leather made from apples that were once only little sticks coming out of the ground. A principal remembering that years ago it began with something as modest as a school garden and wondering, perhaps, how it all grew this large.
Many reading this now chose to support this work long before the results were visible. That generosity helped turn early plans into planted trees, school meals into daily routines, and small beginnings into systems strong enough for communities to build on for generations.
As Elder and Knowledge-keeper Tim said when visiting one of the food forests: “I thank you all for doing this. We have lost many things, but we still have our teachings, and we are grateful for what is still here. All of these things will help us. This food forest is a great thing, and it will help our young people.”
This progress grows season by season. It continues because people across the country choose to stand alongside Indigenous Peoples to ensure this progress keeps growing forward.
“We’re not just growing food. We’re growing a future where our children know how to care for themselves, their families, and the land,” says Jennifer, member of Beardy’s & Okemasis' Cree Nation, Food Security Coordinator.
That is a sentence about agriculture, but it is also a sentence about solidarity, humility, opportunity, and hope. It is about what can happen when we keep growing forward — not perfectly, not all at once, but enough to get the first trees in the ground.
Enough to continue on a path forward.
Together.
And so, we invite you to be part of the community that's growing - in every sense of the word — a better today, and with your help, a self-sustaining future for generations to come.
Join the Growing community
Across the Indigenous communities where we work, each of our core programs is at a different point in its journey. Some are steadily supported, while others are still facing critical funding gaps.
With your support, we can help close those gaps and ensure these programs continue to grow where they’re needed most.
Food Forests
Establishing permanent food-producing ecosystems in indigenous communities — orchards, berry patches, and wild gardens that feed families for generations.$600,000 still needed
40% funded - every dollar closes the gapFood Processing & Greenhouses
Year-round growing capacity and preservation facilities so communities can store harvests through our long winters.$350,00 still needed
30% funded - every dollar closes the gapLand-Based Education
Reconnecting youth with traditional ecological knowledge through on-the-land learning programs led by Elders and knowledge keepers.$50,000 still needed
50% funded - every dollar closes the gapSchool Meals
Nourishing children with healthy, culturally appropriate meals so they can focus on learning, not hunger.$150,000 still needed
70% funded - every dollar closes the gap
Matched Donations!
Kinvia is a registered Canadian charity. Charitable Registration # 118830983 RR0001. All donations include a tax receipt.
*Jennifer is a member of Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation, however, is not currently employed as the Food Security Coordinator. Jennifer is still involved in the project and other initiatives in the community.
* Shalean continues to work in Indigenous wellbeing and culture initiatives, however, is not currently employed as the Lands and Agricultural Development Manager in Ahtahkakoop.
3X Matched Symbolic Gifts
All Canadian Gifts Matched until June 30.
Greatest Need
Give a gift where the need is greatest! This gift will go towards helping children with what they need the most right now. Your life-changing support will make a world of difference to a child.
School Meals
A nutritious meal fuels better learning! Your gift provides one month of school meals, helping improve educational outcomes and nutrition, for an Indigenous child in Canada.
Community Gardens
This gift provides seeds, equipment, fencing and other supplies for one community or school garden.
Indigenous Knowledge Education
This gift supports land-based classes led by Elders and Knowledge Holders that teach about traditional food harvesting, language, and culture.
Greenhouse
Your gift will contribute toward building greenhouses to help grow seedlings for gardens.
Food Forest Fund
Contribute to creating self-sustaining food forests in four Indigenous communities, providing families with a lasting source of food for generations to come.
Food Box
Provide a family with a fresh food box, that could consist of wild game, locally harvested and preserved food and supplemented with other fresh food as needed.
Land-based Meals
Land-based harvesting like hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering plants and berries provides Indigenous communities with healthy, affordable and sustainable food. Your gift supports these practices, ensuring meals for families and community members.
Food Preservation
Your gift will supply equipment and materials to preserve local food through canning and smoking to be distributed to community members.
Indigenous Seeds
Seeds grow a garden of fresh food that will help families have access to healthy, nutritious food all year long.
Greenhouse Heater
Your gift will furnish a greenhouse with a much needed heater to help grow seedlings for gardens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are my payment options?
You can make an online donation to Kinvia using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or Direct Debit (see more information below). Donations can be made with either a credit or debit card. You can also donate by calling 1-800-387-1221 between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday.
Can I pay for my donation using Direct Debit?
Yes! Kinvia now accepts Direct Debit payments. After entering your donation amount, select Direct Debit as your payment method. You'll then see a secure screen to enter your account name, institution number, transit number, and account number.
Before completing your donation, you’ll review and authorize a Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement (PAD), allowing Kinvia to withdraw your donation directly from your bank account.
Once your donation is finalized, you’ll receive two confirmation emails:
- A copy of your PAD Agreement, outlining the details of your authorization.
- A confirmation of your donation to Kinvia.
Direct Debit is available for both one-time and monthly recurring donations.
Will I receive a tax receipt for my charity donation?
Yes. All Canadian donations to Kinvia are tax-receipted. When you donate online, you’ll receive a charitable tax receipt (PDF) by email within a few days of your donation. If you donate by phone, you can choose to receive an electronic receipt or a mailed copy (usually within two weeks). Kinvia’s charitable registration number is 11883 0983 RR0001. See the Government of Canada’s policy statement for charitable tax receipts for more details.
Are Kinvia’s finances independently audited?
Yes. Each year Kinvia’s financial statements are audited by an external accounting firm. For 2024, our auditor was Deloitte. You can review our latest audited statements here: 2024 Financial Statements (PDF).
How much of my donation goes to children, families, and communities?
76 ¢ of every dollar goes directly to programs helping children and families thrive. The remaining 24 ¢ funds essential program support — like safeguarding children, training local partners, and ensuring lasting results.
Many charities spend 35% or more on overhead; Kinvia keeps it lean at 24%. Every dollar counts, and we treat it that way.
Is Kinvia affiliated with a specific religion?
No. Kinvia has no religious affiliation. While we may collaborate with local partners who are faith-based, our mission is to help children regardless of race, religion, or gender.
Does Kinvia belong to a parent organization?
Kinvia was founded in Canada in 1986 as an independent international development agency and remains fully independent today. Our main office is located in Toronto.
What does Kinvia mean?
Great question. As a top-trusted Canadian charity, our work is rooted in relationships. In listening first. In walking together. In building pathways that allow children, youth, and families to thrive with dignity. And in impact. Our name reflects this journey.
Kin speaks to family, community, and the people you care about. Via means pathway, collective power, and the journey forward. Together, Kinvia means creating pathways for children, youth, families, and communities to build their own lasting solutions.
Why did you change your name from Canadian Feed The Children?
After nearly 40 years as Canadian Feed The Children, we've grown beyond just providing meals to children. Don't get us wrong – food security is still at the heart of everything we do. But we've learned something important: a meal today helps a child survive. Supporting a community to grow its own food? That helps children thrive for generations. That's why we're now Kinvia.
How can I stay up to date on the impact of my donation?
Donors receive our monthly e-newsletter featuring success stories from the field. You can also visit Kinvia.ca anytime to read our blog or download donor publications.