A free community event hosted by United Way’s Avenues of Change in Guildford West attracted 90 neighborhood families to eat, talk food, and learn about Aboriginal culture. What Nourishes Us was billed as an Aboriginal celebration of food, land and culture. Salmon burgers, three types of soup (turkey and wild rice, buffalo, and vegetarian tex mex) were served, three types of bannock and a berry salad. The BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation facilitated cooking demos and served samples of mushroom soup and panna cotta with macarons. Activities centered around food included included a fruit and vegetable walk (healthy spin on cake walk), where each participant took home a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables. Aboriginal performers entertained the crowd. Door prizes were also themed around food: three slow cookers, a Superstore gift card, 12 gift baskets with seeds and gardening tools, and a “Meal with a Neighbour” were all given away. Guildford West resident and member of the Avenues of Change Community Engagement Working Group Jane Dizon offered to invite the winner over to her home for a three-course meal. The event was made possible through a collaboration between United Way Avenues of Change, Seeds of Change Surrey (hosted by the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition) and Awahsuk Aboriginal Head Start Preschool. Other participants included Fraser Health, the City of Surrey, Surrey Food Bank, SFU, Alexandra Neighbourhood House, Surrey Libraries, the Rotary Club, and The Plot + Can you Dig It. United Way Avenues of Change is an innovative place-based project that promotes systems-level change to improve conditions for vulnerable children and families during the critical early development years, age 0 to 6. Surrey’s Guildford West is one of four United Way Avenues of Change neighbourhoods. Other initiatives are located in the Tri-Cities, Richmond, and Vancouver. Research shows that kids thrive when their neighbourhoods thrive. 
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