Good Greens

Good Greens had the pleasure once again of participating in Earth Day at Malden! 🌎🌱 We had a blast giving away plants, sowing seeds and talking to the neighborhood about food waste! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and celebrated!

We were lucky enough to receive one more piece of meaningful recognition before the year comes to a close.

For the first time ever, the Canadian Urban Institute and School of Cities produced a national report highlighting 89 local solutions across Canada that are shaping stronger, more resilient communities. The report, 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨: 𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨, showcases innovative, community-driven approaches from coast to coast.

Our program is featured in Chapter 8, Community Prosperity and Dignity, as a success story in securing urban food abundance.

We are incredibly grateful for this recognition and for the teams behind this report for uplifting local work happening on the ground.

🔗 Link to full report: https://schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/research-publications/learning-from-what-works/

🔗 Link to Chapter 8:https://schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Learning-From-What-Works-8-Community-Prosperity-and-Dignity-FINAL-Dec-2025.pdf

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫? 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!

In 2025, Good Greens built on its success by providing another 𝟏𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎+ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 to vulnerable residents living downtown. We did this by investing just shy of $𝟏𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 into our local vendors to reclaim surplus food throughout the market season.

While transparency is key, dollar amounts and food totals don’t always tell the full story:

Some long-established vendors contribute far beyond what we pay for, while others are limited by harvest cycles or weekly inventory. Some vendors are also only at market for a portion of the season—so spending comparisons should always be taken with a grain of salt 🧂

Our goal is to ensure everyone benefits. That means striking a balance between:
✔️ Fair compensation for all partners
and
✔️ Making every dollar count

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭: we share our maximum spend with each vendor, and they decide what food comes our way. This approach helps build pride and a shared sense of ownership across the program.

Huge thanks to our program sponsors, volunteers, service agencies, and food-supplying partners for all they do to make this impact happen:

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The Good Greens Program now has 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧‼️‼️

At our News Conference on Tuesday, we announced that we were 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 2025 recipients of the International Downtown Association (IDA) Pinnacle Award. This award is the 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲.

Our volunteer team, along with our amazing program partners, are what truly drives this 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 forward. Together, we are helping to close the gap between food waste and insecurity in the downtown core of Windsor, Ontario.

See our team photoshoot with the award above 💚

Yesterday, we held an end-of-season news conference to share some very exciting updates for the Good Greens Program!

Back in September, we received a "Pinnacle" award from the International Downtown Association (IDA), recognizing the program for its urban placemaking efforts. This is 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 projects awarded worldwide, and this means our program now has 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🌎

We also had the honour of announcing a $14,000 grant provided by our neighbours at the to continue the programs operations in 2026.

Over the course of 2025, we reclaimed 11,200 lbs. of produce, 2800+ baked goods, and 15+ litres of preserves. $15,000 was spent on local-food, and this food was used in over 15,000 meals served to vulnerable downtown residents.

Big thanks to , , , and for picking up our story.

Bigger thanks to and the International Downtown Association (IDA) for their support and recognition.

Links to these articles are in our bio.

🎃 Happy Halloween from the Good Greens Gang! 👻

To mark our final week of the 2025 season, our volunteers gathered for a pumpkin-carving get-together. For some, it was their first time carving, which led to some creative results!

All in all, it was a perfect way to wrap up the season with some wonderful people. They all have worked so hard and together have made a truly incredible impact on our community. To our volunteers— you are all extremely appreciated 💚

Pumpkins (and squash) courtesy of  and 

📸 Photo Booth Throwback!
A few weeks ago, the Good Greens team brought some extra smiles to the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market with a pop-up photo booth! We had a blast connecting with the community and spreading the word about food reclamation 💚

Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots of our amazing team in action. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, got their pic taken, and supported the cause!

Happy Canada Day!

Here’s some highlights from our beaver themed event booth from the last market

We got craft silly beaver puppets and help one find its tail!

Hoping everyone had a fun holiday! 🇨🇦🦫

Sincerely,

The Good Greens Team