The City of Charlottetown along with the Charlottetown Food Council Advisory Board is excited to announce the first ever, Local Food Discovery Week!
From August 29th to September 6th, residents and visitors are welcome to take part in this passport-style, eight-day long schedule of events. Those wanting to participate can pick up their Local Food Discovery Passport at any of the participating locations listed below or at Charlottetown City Hall. Attend events or visit affiliated locations to collect stamps on your Passport and be entered to win local food inspired prizes at the end of the week.
Local Food Discovery Week promotes the exploration of locally available food and resources available right here in the Capital city. Through this program, participants will learn how they can support a more resilient and inclusive local food system. The initiative encourages participants to view local food as an accessible and shared community resource. The Charlottetown Food Council hopes to foster long-term awareness of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of choosing local food.
Prizes include:
- Gift basket of assorted items from the Charlottetown Farmer's Market with a $50 Canada's Food Island gift card
- Gift basket of assorted items from the Downtown Market with a $50 Downtown Charlottetown gift card
- Flavours of Prince Edward Island cookbook with a $50 Canada's Food Island gift card
- Kate MacQuarrie's book, Wild Foods with a $50 Canada's Food Island gift card
- $100 Downtown Charlottetown gift card
Check out our full schedule of events below to see how you can get involved!
All Week
Make a donation to participating local food banks.
Help support local organizations working to address food insecurity in our community. Donate a food item to the PEI Food Bank, The Upper Room Soup Kitchen, or the Salvation Army. Your donation will help ensure individuals and families have access to nutritious food when they need it most. As a thank you for your support, you'll earn a stamp on your Local Food Discovery Week Passport. Visit Charlottetown.ca/LocalFoodDiscoveryWeek for each participating organizations hours of operation.
- Salvation Army
- Monday - Friday, 9:30am - 3pm
- PEI Food Bank
- 15 Plywood Place
- Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm
- Upper Room Soup Kitchen
- 101 Richmond Street
- Monday - Friday, 9am -5pm
- Saturday and Sunday, 9am - 12pm
Free seed giveaway at the Charlottetown Library
It's not too late to plant and harvest your own garden fresh food! Visit the Charlottetown Learning Library Centre throughout the week to get a stamp for your Local Food Discovery Week Passport when you pick up free vegetable seeds. Specific varieties that will thrive throughout fall have been selected, giving you a hearty harvest in just a few short weeks. While at the library, browse through their many cooking and gardening books and be sure to check out their Library of Things to see what gardening tools you could borrow!
- Monday - Thursday, 9:30am - 8:30pm
- Friday and Saturday, 9:30am - 5pm
- Sunday, 12:30pm - 5pm
Visit the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market
Date/Time: Saturday, August 29th and Saturday, September 5th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: 614 North River Road
Details: Visit the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market during Local Food Discovery Week to discover local food producers and vendors, sample new foods, and connect with our vibrant local food community. As you explore the market, earn stamps on your Local Food Discovery Week Passport for a chance to win local food prizes!
Visit the Downtown Charlottetown Market
Date/Time: Sunday, August 30th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Confederation Landing Park, 2 Great George Street
Details: Visit the Downtown Charlottetown Market during Local Food Discovery Week to discover local food producers and vendors, try new foods, and connect with our vibrant local food community. As you explore the market, earn stamps on your Local Food Discovery Week Passport for a chance to win local food prizes!
Local Food Cooking Class with Native Council of P.E.I.
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 1st from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, Community Kitchen, 97 Queen Street
Details: Join Brenda Dion, Strengthening Aboriginal Families Effectively (S.A.F.E.) Program Coordinator with the Native Council of Prince Edward Island (NCPEI), and the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Community Kitchen to learn how to make a delicious and hearty Three Sisters Soup using local ingredients. Participants will enjoy a hands-on cooking experience, learn practical skills they can use at home, and discover the rich cultural and community connections behind this traditional dish.
NCPEI’s S.A.F.E. program hosts Community Kitchen programs across PEI for off-reserve Indigenous families, providing opportunities to learn healthy cooking skills, share meals, and connect with community members.
Preregistration for this event is required. Register here.
Local Food Urban Food Foraging with Kate MacQuarrie
Date/Time: Thursday, September 3rd, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: Victoria Park, departing from the Ballfield Clubhouse at Forbes Kennedy Way
Details: Join award-winning botanist and author Kate MacQuarrie on an edible and medicinal plant walk through the trails of Victoria Park. Kate will show you how to use all your senses to identify a range of plants with edible roots, leaves, flowers, and fruit. No matter how well you know Victoria Park or plants in general, we're betting you'll learn something new, interesting, and useful from this session. Once you've taken one of Kate's walks, you'll never look at the landscape - and all the wild food in it - the same way again!
Preregistration for this event is required. Register here.
Downtown Charlottetown Market BBQ
Date/Time: Sunday, September 6th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Confederation Landing Park, 2 Great George Street
Details: Join the City of Charlottetown and the Charlottetown Food Council at the Downtown Charlottetown Market to celebrate Local Food Discovery Week! Enjoy a free barbecue featuring delicious local foods prepared by the Charlottetown Food Council and connect with members of our local food community. While you're there, collect stamps as you explore the market and submit your Local Food Discovery Week Passport for a chance to win great local food prizes!