I tried Guelph's Garden Fresh Box program...

…and I'm never going back!

For those of you who are just hearing about the Garden Fresh Box (www.gardenfreshbox.ca) for the first time, it is an initiative of the Guelph Community Health Centre, funded by the City of Guelph and United Way. This program is designed to provide individuals with accessible and affordable produce once each month. It is just $15-$20 (depending on the size of box you need for your family) to get a variety of fruits and veggies that can be picked up from your choice of several convenient community locations.

​We live downtown and pick up our box just down the street at the Guelph Community Health Centre itself. As of writing this, my husband and I have participated in the Garden Fresh Box program for the past 4 months, and have been thrilled with it every time. The photo above is an actual picture of the contents of our first box. Because there are only 2 of us, we get the small $15 box and the fruits and veggies last us for a week or two.

What is so wonderful about this box is the variety of fruits and veggies that we get, that have ranged from the typical things we would buy anyways (broccoli, carrots, and potatoes) to those that are slightly out of our comfort zone (eggplant) and those we just wouldn't think to buy (peaches and plums). I can honestly say that it has encouraged us to eat healthier and more creatively, which also makes eating healthier a lot more fun. As low-income individuals ourselves, this program has been a real gift. Shopping when tight for money is daunting, but for $15 through the Garden Fresh Box we can get an amazing selection of different produce without having to stress about which items to pick, and we even end up trying new things!

If you decide to get a Garden Fresh Box (which I completely encourage), don't make the same mistake I did my first time: you don't actually get to take the box home, so make sure you bring some grocery bags with you!

Brianne