The North Grove marks milestone with Sobeys and Mayor Savage
Ten years ago one of Atlantic Canada’s most recognized companies gave a quiet gift to an entire community. The North Grove recently celebrated the impact of Sobeys’ generosity at their Annual Report to Community.
“Sobeys gave us the space, rent-free, to open Atlantic Canada’s first Community Food Centre and they let us transform a 20,000 square-foot field into a vibrant Community Farm. We want to celebrate them, and Mayor Mike Savage, who made the initial connection for us,” says Executive Director Wendy Fraser.
The North Grove is a bustling community hub that welcomes hundreds of community members every week for free, restaurant-style community meals, child and family programs, cooking classes, housing help, health clinics and more. It is located in a former Sobeys store on Primrose Street in the heart of one of Halifax’s most challenged communities.
Ten years after Sobeys made the space available, The North Grove has:
Served more than 200,000 meals
Logged 168,500 visits from parents, children and individuals
Tracked 54,000 volunteer hours;
Grown and shared 24,000 pounds of food on its community farm (about the weight of a school bus)
Sobeys’ gift, and the wave of generous support that followed, helped 6 Primrose become a place where individuals from all walks of life come together to share their knowledge, skills and support one another.
“We have a 30-year history working with families in Dartmouth North. Sobeys made it possible to expand our services to the entire community and start tackling food insecurity and social isolation in this neighbourhood,” says Fraser.
“Today we are a thriving community hub with more than 26 partner organizations also offering services here.”
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