Two Birds One Scone – A Food Share Program That Gives Back

It is no secret that food has a way of bringing people together. As local Oshawa Ontario Resident Alanzo Byfield describes it, “food by passes all the things that can divide us: religion, race, gender, and age; no matter what, we all need to eat.” The good news is there is an opportunity to give back in every choice we make when it comes to the foods we buy and Alanzo is trying to remind people of this through a produce food share program he is currently piloting in his community. We love food and we love giving, so naturally, we LOVE this idea.

Growing Food and Giving Back

Alanzo’s journey began a few years ago when he made the decision to walk away from the corporate world to build a new career centered around organic farming. Through farming Alazno hoped to help people reconnect with nature and to each other in the process. “There is nothing more human than growing, eating and sharing our food. It connects us to nature while maintaining our necessary connection to each other. Through these acts we will gain a better understanding of ourselves and so remind us of our humanity”, Alanzo explained. Well, I am happy (and excited) to report that his vision is now coming to life in the food share program called “Two Birds, One Scone” that he launched earlier this year.

Nurturing Nature and Building Community

The program works like this: community members purchase weekly bags of fresh, organic AND local produce. Fifty percent of the proceeds then go towards subsidizing the cost of a bag of produce for a family who otherwise may not be able to afford it. The produce offered comes from a local organic farm which makes this program a major win for the environment as well. He spends a lot of his free time organizing the program and makes very minimal profit from the work he does. The program aims to increase equal access to healthy, locally produced organic food. Encouraging healthy eating, teaching people about where food really comes from and supporting local farms are other positive outcomes of this initiative. Alanzo explains why he believes food can be such a powerful tool in impacting social change; “when we strip away all the frills; the big houses the cars, the clothes, we’re left with two things: nature and community. It is food that brings these two together. Food is both our most basic connection to nature and most common connection to each other”.

Being The Change You Want to See in the World

The time and dedication Alanzo puts towards making a difference is inspiring. We can all learn something from his choice to create a positive impact in his community and follow through on that choice with action. The world needs people like Alanzo for his commitment to creating positive change; people who understand that we all have a role to play in taking care of our communities, our environment and one another. It is this commitment that led to the start of this food share program which has the potential to help SO many people. But, we also need people like you and I to support these programs in order for them to be a success. It is a perfect example to remind us that in every choice we make we have an opportunity to create positive change. Food is something we buy almost every single day. Two Birds, One Scone makes giving easy by offering a way we can buy food that not only nourishes our bodies but also the environment and our communities as whole. Now that is what I call comfort food. For more information on this food share initiative please visit his website to learn more or check out his Instagram page @thegroundedbird to follow him on his journey of growing food and giving back!

Have you ever thought of a great idea about a service or support that could help people in your community but convinced yourself you wouldn’t be able to do it? Or maybe you often wish there was something you could do to help others but instead believed that person who told you one person can’t make a difference? Let Alanzo’s journey inspire you not to give up on those ideas and know that you CAN make a difference! Amazing things happen when we follow our hearts in live with purpose. Join the 365 give challenge today to start making that difference, one give, one day at time. Share your gives and read our blog to get inspired! Together we can create a better, happier world.