Campaign Overview
This growing season, up to 5,000bs of excess fresh regional produce is expected to be available through Kootenay Farms Food Hub in Creston. But in a rural region like ours, having food available is only part of the story. The real challenge is often transportation.
Move the Harvest raises funds to help cover the direct costs of moving excess produce from Creston to food access organizations across the Kootenay-Boundary region.
Funds raised through this campaign will support transportation, warehousing, last-mile delivery, and basic supplies such as boxes or bins. The goal is simple: help ensure good food does not remain stranded because of the cost of moving it.
How It Works
Produce is recovered, stored, processed, and boxed in Creston through Kootenay Farms Food Hub.
From there, food is transported to Castlegar, where it can be temporarily stored, sorted, and coordinated for redistribution.
Food recovery opportunities are shared through the network, with support from the Kootenay-Boundary Food Procurement Network to notify participating food access organizations.
The food is then sent from Castlegar to participating food banks and food access organizations across the region.
Why This Matters
- Fresh produce is essential for healthy communities.
- Excess produce can help food access organizations stretch limited resources further.
- Transportation costs are a major barrier for rural food access organizations.
- Food that goes unused does not reach its highest purpose: feeding people.
- Local solutions strengthen regional food security for all.
Campaign Goal
Our goal is to move an estimated 5,000 pounds of excess produce this growing season.
By donating, you help cover the practical costs of getting food from where it is available to where it is needed. This includes transportation from Creston to Castlegar, last-mile delivery to food access organizations, warehousing, and basic supplies required to move and redistribute produce safely.
What Your Donation Supports
- Transportation from Creston to Castlegar.
- Storage and handling at Castlegar Warehousing.
- Last-mile delivery to participating food access organizations.
- Basic supplies such as boxes, bins, and other packing materials.
- The practical logistics needed to move fresh food across a rural region.
The Bigger Picture
Move the Harvest is an immediate seasonal response to a practical need, but it also points toward a larger shift in how food moves through the Kootenay-Boundary region.
Across the region, producers, food hubs, food access organizations, institutions, and community partners are all working within the same food system. What is still emerging is the shared infrastructure needed to connect them.
Transportation, aggregation, warehousing, and coordinated distribution are essential pieces of a resilient regional food system.
This campaign helps address a practical barrier now while contributing to a longer-term vision for regional food procurement and logistics. Over time, this work could support shared purchasing, product aggregation, coordinated delivery, food recovery, and redistribution models that make local food more accessible to organizations, businesses, and communities.
By supporting Move the Harvest, donors and sponsors are helping move food this season while strengthening the relationships, infrastructure, and learning needed to build a more connected regional food system.
Help Move The Harvest!
There is fresh food available in our region. The missing piece is getting it where it needs to go.
Your donation helps unlock fresh regional produce, reduce food waste, and support the organizations feeding our communities.
Donate today to help move the harvest.