People and programs 03/19/2021 “I didn’t say a word that whole class, because everyone was so excited to talk about their berry traditions.” That’s what Adara (Adi) Scott, FoodFit Facilitator at Inuvik Community Greenhouse, recalls about her favourite session. The topic that week was breakfast. The recipe they made was overnight oats. And all the conversation was around everyone’s choice topping—berries. Each participant already had berries to add to their oats; they didn’t need to buy frozen ones from the store. Adi explains: “Everyone up north is obsessed with berry picking. It’s like an inside joke within the community, where families have secret patches and guard the secret ferociously!” In FoodFit, seven years in the running, good food is paired with exercise, learning and camaraderie. People living on low incomes make lasting changes to their health within the limits of their circumstances. Though a lot has changed during the pandemic, some things have stayed the same. The sense of community and passion about food and learning is as evident as ever—even if it’s on a Zoom call. Take Inuvik Community Greenhouse. To ensure everyone could follow along and cook each recipe at home, Adi pre-packaged and shipped harder-to-find ingredients, such as unique spices, to each participant before the program began. They also decided to reach out to remote fly-in communities, and now have folks joining in from Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk, and Aklavik, in addition to the Inuvik locals. And it’s part of what made that conversation about berries so delightful. Participants each took turns sharing about the different types of berries they grew in their community. They knew all about the many health benefits, knowledge passed on to them from their ancestors. And since there were lots of folks from different communities that could only be accessed by flying in, they also got a special opportunity to learn from each other’s wisdom. Read more stories about people coming together through food.