And that’s a wrap! The Cold Plate Challenge was a huge success with the help of the 33 registered community events and the overwhelming support of well over 1000 participants. The events were hosted at schools, food banks, community centres and even home kitchens. It was great to hear that people of all ages enjoyed the challenge.
Those who registered for the Cold Plate Challenge were tasked with making our favourite traditional cold plates healthier and locally sourced, while limiting waste, being aware of food safety, and gathering their community together. Participants took this challenge and ran with it! Some even went the extra mile and brought leftovers to seniors who couldn’t attend and their local fire and police departments.
Community Youth Network in Harbour Brenton had a variety of healthy and delicious foods to choose from during their Cold Plate Challenge.
“The Community Youth Network hosted a Cold Plate Challenge to our youth. This partnership with Food First NL was a great success. We had youth, staff and our Public Health Nurse in attendance and there wasn’t anything left over!”
Food First NL sent a kit full of educational materials and prizes to all of the groups in the mail, and in most cases provided funding to support their Cold Plate Challenge. Nineteen events received $100, three received $200, and five received $300. Those funds were used to help cover the cost of food, but hosts also put money towards reusable items to reduce waste at future events, like serving utensils and storage containers.
“We had a great time doing the cold plate challenge. It sparked some great conversation as to why we did not just do the traditional - and people LOVED the healthy twist and snack plate options that we had. We served 80+ cold plates and had tons of fun and some great conversations around healthy options and budgeting.”
The Cold Plate Challenge encouraged participants to think about healthier alternatives, food safety and limiting waste. Alison, one of our Program Assistants, was able to attend the Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador’s event and was blown away by their commitment. They provided reusable plates, cutlery and mugs, prepared a wide variety of foods and planned for leftovers by having containers ready for use.
The staff at Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador held a cold plate challenge in December.
As events clued up, we received so many wonderful stories and pictures from participants, and it was great to have Mary Walsh talk about the Challenge on CBC Radio: Because News. We were also interviewed by all three CBC morning shows across the province!
The last few Cold Plate Challenge events will be hosted throughout February. Food First NL is contacting the event hosts to evaluate the success of the Cold Plate Challenge to help us in hosting future campaigns. Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun!
