In its early years, many Sudbury residents grew food for personal use. Evidence of this remains visible today, with fruit trees and perennial vegetables still thriving in front and backyards.
Over the past fifteen years, dedicated groups of volunteers have been leading a range of initiatives to educate and inspire people of all ages to make locally grown food a part of daily life again. Volunteers are greatly needed to continue these initiatives. Greater Sudbury residents are invited to volunteer for any of the following projects.
Youth Projects
The Flour Mill Community Farm (FMCF) is an urban farm project located in the Flour Mill neighbourhood of Sudbury. Their mission is to provide valuable employment experience to local youth, and to address food security by promoting food sovereignty for members of the surrounding community. The FMCF promotes environmental sustainability through regenerative and ecological farming techniques which it teaches to participating youth.
Fresh, ecologically raised produce is grown by the youth each year and is offered at affordable prices to those living near the farm through weekly markets. The farm produces hundreds of pounds of food each year and has employed more than 50 youth in Greater Sudbury.
New Roots Collective is a young peoples’ food systems collaborative, now housed at the non-profit Foodshed. The New Roots Collective’s main project in 2025 is running a community garden in Wanup. The project provides opportunities to gain experience growing food on a larger scale in a farm setting. Volunteers plant, weed, harvest or help sell produce in the Wanup community.
Community gardens and edible forest gardens
Greater Sudbury is home to more than 40 community gardens! They create opportunities for those who are looking to learn and experience what it’s like to grow their own food. Some offer personal or shared garden spaces, but no matter what the configuration, they are a great place to meet other gardeners, share knowledge and learn valuable new skills.
Many of our community gardens have leaders that help new gardeners and manage the use of the garden. Most are part of the Sudbury Community Garden Network, where garden representatives meet to collaborate on projects and share their knowledge to increase the impact of community gardening.
There are also several edible forest gardens, which offer excellent opportunities for gardeners of all stripes to learn how to care for fruit trees. Find an edible forest garden near you via Sudbury Shared Harvest.
The Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council
Growing food—not for profit—is one of the Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council’s five pillars. The organization is dedicated to ensuring there is good food for all and a healthy and sustainable local food system.
They envision a Greater Sudbury where:
- All residents have access to adequate, affordable, safe, nutritious and culturally preferred food.
- Our food system is financially viable, equitable and environmentally sustainable.
- Citizens are knowledgeable about the food system and its impact on their lives, community and environment.
Join the effort to transform our foodscape!
Why is our food landscape so important? According to the United Nations, about one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food and the largest chunk comes from agriculture and land use activities (United Nations, 2025). The most impact is from larger activities such as cutting down forests for agriculture (CO2), large cattle farms which release methane gas and the extensive use of fertilizers which is a source of nitrous oxide. However, food waste and transportation also play an important role. Enhancing our local food landscape, growing our own food, managing our food waste and buying local can reduce our Greenhouse Gas emissions. It also helps our community become more resilient and less dependent on external sources of food. These outcomes support the community’s climate change action plan and the City’s climate goals.
Whether you are a natural in the garden or an absolute beginner, you can contribute to the effort to change our community food landscape. Each of the local projects and initiatives welcome volunteers in many roles.
As a volunteer, you can:
- Participate as a family, with a friend or simply come on your own to make new friends
- Build your skills as a gardener, activity and event planner or social media influencer
- Gain experience in community building, development and fundraising
To find a community garden near you, use the Sudbury Community Garden Network’s handy Gardens Directory. The site shares the location, contact information, links to social media, the type of garden and configuration, cost to participate (if any) and information about amenities and accessibility.
Let them know you’re interested in helping; community gardens often need volunteers to help with a variety of garden tasks.
When you volunteer at a community garden, you’ll learn about healthy eating, food security, gardening methods, and conservation. Many of these gardens grow food for others who are in need and donate their produce to community food access programs. Gardens can be found at schools, parks, churches and seniors’ homes, making good use of previously under-utilized land.
Reach out to the Flour Mill Community Farm,or the Delki Dozzi Community Food Forest. You might also want to garden at home and donate surplus produce you’ve grown to those in need at the Sudbury Food Bank.
The benefits
Gardening offers so many benefits. It…
- Is good physical exercise that increases your activity levels
- Improves your wellbeing: spend more time outdoors in the fresh air, get a sense of accomplishment at seeing the garden grow
- Offers a sense of community: talk to neighbours, trade seeds, attend plant swaps and get to know other gardeners in your area
- Can help you reduce your carbon footprint
- Is a great learning opportunity: discover which plants are native to Sudbury, learn about Indigenous gardening techniques and annual and perennial food production, from vegetable plants to fruit trees
- Is a lifelong hobby you can enjoy at any age
Gardening is also a great activity to get the whole family involved in—every generation can help and work together. This summer, why not join a community garden and visit a farm? You’ll find eggs, honey, fruits, vegetables, meat and more, all available from local producers.
A note about Food safety
Whether your produce comes from a home garden, community plot, or a store or market, it's important to wash it thoroughly under running water before eating, cooking, or preserving. This helps remove dirt, bacteria, and potential pesticide residues.
Many people look to home canning to preserve fruits and veggies, and make delicious foods like pickles, jams, jellies and sauerkraut. When it comes to canning, food safety is critical. Always use tested recipes from trusted sources, sterilize jars and lids properly, and follow the correct processing times and methods. If home canned foods are not prepared or bottled properly, they can cause botulism.
Learn more about the City of Greater Sudbury and its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases and helping the community achieve its net-zero goal by 2050.
If you have a project that you’d like the City to highlight, contact Jennifer Babin-Fenske at [email protected].
References:
United Nations. (2025). Food and climate change: Healthy diets for a healthier planet. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from United Nations website.
Resources and Volunteer Opportunities:
- Find a community garden near you through the Community Garden Network
- Find an edible forest garden near you through Sudbury Shared Harvest
- Follow Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council’s Facebook and Instagram to stay informed on upcoming opportunities
Facebook @sudburyfoodpolicy
Instagram @sudburyfoodpolicy - Join the young people’s food systems collaborative, New Roots Collective
Facebook @newrootscollective
Instagram @newrootscollective4 - Join the Foodshed Project
Facebook @foodshedsudbury - Volunteer at the Flour Mill Community Farm
@FlourMillCommunityFarm - Join the Sudbury Horticultural Society