The Mount Paul Community Food Centre will officially open its doors today.

The centre on Laburnum Street is billed as a place where people can come together to grow, cook, share, or advocate for good food according to manager Dawn Christie.

“There’s actually 15 programs running at the centre per week, and they focus on food security,” she said. “So anything from getting your hands dirty in the garden and learning new gardening skills to bringing that into the kitchen and learning a new technique or a new method of cooking to making sure that you sit down and share a meal with anybody in the community or your immediate family or friends.”

It is the eleventh Community Food Centre in Canada and one of only two in BC – the other one located in Nelson.

Christie says the centre was developed as a partnership between Interior Community Services and Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC), and it’s open to everyone.

“There’s no cost to any of the programs that we offer,” she added. “We offer programs throughout the week, Monday to Friday and depending on what interest you have, or what day you are available to participate, we have a program that would probably meet your needs.”

Christie was asked why they chose their location at Laburnum Street.

“I think it works best for our needs for a variety of different reasons. Interior Community Services main offices are over here on the North Shore,” Christie said. “As a community food centre, we’re really trying to combat that poverty and food insecurity that often struggles in some of the neighbourhoods. So being where we are, we are in an area where we see more of that.”

The grand opening will be held between 3 and 6 p.m. In attendance will be Dawn Christie, Valerie Janz, the COO of Interior Community Services, Nick Saul, the President and CEO of CFCC, MLA Peter Milobar, and City councillors Kathy Sinclair and Bill Sarai.