鈥淚鈥檝e been on the other side of a language barrier, and I鈥檝e been in situations where you need to rely on others you don鈥檛 really know in order to survive.鈥 Carrie Van Dorp ’08 talks about her past international development work with a calm poise. 鈥淚鈥檓 not crossing a cultural barrier with post-traumatic stress disorder,鈥 she acknowledges. 鈥淢y past brings a fair bit of empathy into the work I鈥檓 doing now.鈥
As program coordinator for the Urban Food-to-Table Program, Van Dorp works with refugees newly arrived to Hamilton, teaching them about food safety, nutrition and community gardening.聽The program is run by Hamilton in partnership with World Vision and . facilitates support and orientation for government-assisted refugees during their first year in Canada.
鈥淥ur heart for Hamilton is to care for all of God鈥檚 creation, and we are seeing more and more people take up the call to care for people and places in a very hands-on way.鈥
Van Dorp teaches cooking classes in the kitchen of Wesley Urban Ministries鈥 Reception House, where newcomers live until they find permanent accommodations. She introduces them to Canadian food staples and affordable ways of eating. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 often difficult and expensive to retain traditional diets. 鈥淚n Canada,鈥 she points out, 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 work to include fresh eggplant in every meal, particularly in February.鈥
But Sunday evenings are different. That鈥檚 when Van Dorp welcomes people who have just arrived in Hamilton by providing foods they are used to cooking with. She often ends up scouring the city to find obscure ingredients, but for Van Dorp, it鈥檚 worth it. These meals are about building trust with people whose experiences have often conditioned them to be wary.
After sharing these Sunday meals, Van Dorp invites newcomers to attend other cooking classes and to participate in A Rocha鈥檚 urban garden. Van Dorp oversees 22 beds at a downtown Hamilton Victory Gardens site. The refugees choose the vegetables to plant.
The garden is tended by volunteers throughout the growing season, but on Thursday evenings, you will find participants of the Food-to-Table Program gardening together. At the end of the night, they harvest what鈥檚 available and divvy up the spoils.
The work is rewarding and challenging at the same time. 鈥淲e have a great time in the garden, and I send them home with vegetables for a couple meals,鈥 Van Dorp reflects. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not always able to communicate all of the things that I hope they will learn quickly.鈥 Most of the time, Van Dorp works without translators, relying on translation apps or body language to communicate.
The program is about more than cooking and gardening, though. Van Dorp explains, 鈥淭he objective is to connect socially isolated newcomer Canadians to each other, to more established Canadians, to Canadian food systems and to Canadian landscapes.鈥 That last goal is especially important. 鈥淭here are lots of folk who live in the city who don鈥檛 have many opportunities or access or interest to get beyond their urban environment,鈥 she says.
Van Dorp believes in the power of engaging people to place. A Rocha hosts trips for refugees to visit Cedar Haven Farm, in northwest Hamilton. The actively farmed, 95-acre property has both cultivated and wild areas, including upland forest, swamp and meadows. A Rocha has begun conservation and restoration projects that enable visitors to witness the farm鈥檚 incredible ecological diversity firsthand.
鈥淭he objective is to connect socially isolated newcomer Canadians to each other, to more established Canadians, to Canadian food systems and to Canadian landscapes.鈥
Luke Wilson, Ontario Director for A Rocha, links the Urban Food-to-Table Program and Cedar Haven Farm to A Rocha鈥檚 larger organizational vision. Through them, the Hamilton branch is building and running programs that offer wonder-filled outreach events, hospitality for transformation and experiential education through conservation.
鈥淥ur heart for Hamilton,鈥 Wilson says, 鈥渋s to care for all of God鈥檚 creation, and we are seeing more and more people take up the call to care for people and places in a very hands-on way.鈥 A number of the people who have been involved in A Rocha are Redeemer students, alumni or faculty. 鈥淲e would literally not have seen so much success without the help of the Redeemer community,鈥 Wilson affirms.
The effects are rippling outward. Van Dorp points to neighbouring ministries and organizations like , and EduDeo, which are also populated by members of the Redeemer community. 鈥淲e all have different mandates and missions and people groups that we try to work with,鈥 Van Dorp comments, 鈥渂ut our vision of God鈥檚 Kingdom connects us.鈥