As National Volunteer Week (NVM) runs across the country, Jo van Winkle, coordinator of Public Health Association of BC’s (PHABC’s) Rise Up! program recruits BC’s northern youth into food systems & agricultural projects, strengthening regional food security. He’s looking for two to four more volunteers somewhere in northern BC to top up the program to about 20 participants before the end of April 2026. Initially one might think they’d be signing up to shovel dirt for 120 hours in 2026, but as Van Winkle explains, farms, food related non-profits, charities, and businesses need help in all kinds of areas from chasing varmints to chasing receipts. In one case, a volunteer is working with a First Nation to assist in the development of 350 acres for the nation’s agricultural sector, advancing their food sovereignty.

Though it leverages federal funding from Canada Service Corps, Rise Up! remains a grassroots initiative aiming to strengthen food systems and environmental stewardship, but also develops leadership skills and the understanding of where our food comes from, and how it gets here, along the way. As Van Winkle asserts, “We want to build that future leadership, and also education into what food is, and all the areas that impact food.”

- Ian Gregg, CFURadio 88.7FM, Due North News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter