Resident marks weight-loss journey with 80-pound donation of carrots to the Local Community Food Center

One person’s weight-loss journey is another person’s bag of carrots.

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A local resident, after shedding 80 pounds, decided to recognize the life-changing accomplishment by donating 80 pounds of the vegetable to the Local Community Food Center in Stratford.

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“The symbolism of it all is huge,” said Julie Docker Johnson, The Local’s community connector. “There’s been some fairly cool things going on, but that, for me, is a big one.”

It started when Docker Johnson, as part of her job, was making phone calls to find a form on someone’s behalf. She spoke to the woman, who works with a partner organization, and then emailed her later to say thanks.

Docker Johnson told her to reach out if she ever needed anything. So the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous for this story, did one better.

She was planning to make a 100-pound donation after losing 100 pounds, Docker Johnson said, but decided to make the donation at 80 pounds and then use that as motivation to lose more weight and then make another donation.

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The woman carried three-pound bags of carrots into The Local one morning, and it took 20 minutes to give most of them to guests at the weekly Friday lunch and those shopping at its market.

“It’s free food, and good free food,” Docker Johnson said. “This woman’s journey is about changing the way she eats for her body and her well-being.

“Eating healthy is something that’s more expensive than eating unhealthy. A lot of times people don’t have that choice, and they have to eat what they can afford to have.”

The carrot donation is part of what makes The Local special, Docker Johnson said. Someone last week donated two big bins of asparagus that were grown in her garden, and it’s common for The Local to get excess fresh fruits and vegetables during growing season. The asparagus was packaged into small bags and given away, which is what happens when food is donated.

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This Monday, Richard and Ruth Kneider, co-founders of Simple Dreams, showed up to The Local’s public dinner and treated guests to ice cream sundaes.

“You hear so much horrible and nasty all the time, and you walk in here and it’s not nasty,” Docker Johnson said. “People expect it to be nasty and expect it to be downtrodden and sad, and it’s far from it.”

The Local, one of 15 community food centers across Canada, relies on more than 100 volunteers to operate its programs.

Others willing to help might be just a phone call away.

“Maybe they can’t donate 80 pounds of carrots, but they can come here on Wednesday and do prep to make sure people have a nice lunch on Friday,” Docker Johnson said. “Regardless of your circumstances, you’re welcome here.”

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