While Chilliwack's rich soil makes it prime land for growing food, it's also a place where many families face food insecurity. In the Fraser Valley, 16.6% of children experience poverty, according to First Call's 2024 report card.

At the intersection of plentiful farmland and hungry families there are opportunities to find even more solutions.

When my kids were small, I usually had to wait until payday to buy milk. I would keep a running total in my head everything I was putting into my cart so that I had enough money at checkout. I still do that today even though I don't have to worry about my debit card anymore. 

I fed the kids first and often had to make hard choices. For many years I didn't eat fruit because I bought just enough for the kids to take in their school lunches. I would eat as little as possible to get through the working day, but I never went to a food bank.

One Christmas a neighbour convinced me to apply for a Christmas hamper. I didn't feel good about it, but I applied and was overcome with shame when the hamper full of turkey and veggies arrived. I never did it again.  

I don't know why I didn't think we deserved better. Everyone should have have the ability to feed their families with dignity. That's why I got involved with the Downtown Chilliwack Community Market. Farmers markets, including the Chilliwack Market, partner with the BC Association of Farmer's Markets and local organizations to give out nutrition coupons. Farmers, makers, growers and gatherers benefit too because they have a reliable market for their products. 

Agriculture is Chilliwack's major industry. Roughly 42,000 acres or 67 per cent of Chilliwack's land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Established in 1973, the ALR is intended to preserve farmland from the tremendous pressure of housing, industry, business and recreation.

Chilliwack has a long history of growing crops, stretching back to the 1860s. We see the pride in this history in the Chilliwack Agricultural Society, which is celebrating its 153rd fair, the second-longest continually running fair in BC, at Chilliwack Heritage Park. 

The first fairs were held on individual farms when the Chilliwack Agricultural Society was formed in 1873.