From Struggle to Strength: How Community Stories Sparked a Movement
The grand opening of the Tri-City Food Link Society’s community kitchen was more than a celebration it became a call to action. With key political figures, including Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, in attendance, the event highlighted the organization’s commitment to fighting food waste and supporting vulnerable families.
But what truly moved the community were the stories shared that day—stories of low-income families struggling to put food on the table, of parents skipping meals so their children could eat, and of seniors relying on Food Link Society to get by. These personal experiences struck a chord, inspiring dozens of attendees to step up—not just as volunteers but also as donors.
In the weeks following the event, the number of volunteers surged, with students, retirees, and families dedicating their time to sorting, cooking, and distributing food. At the same time, Food Link saw a rise in financial contributions, enabling them to expand their reach and support even more families in need.
What began as a simple initiative to combat food waste transformed into a powerful community movement, proving that when people come together, they can make a lasting difference.
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About LJI
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
