Siloam Mission using vertical farming to help feed Winnipeg's homeless

The need for more fresh vegetables has led Siloam Mission to get innovative and find new ways to bring in produce.

The solution – vertical farming with help from a local company.

"It's really our kitchen manager's idea," said Kendall Giilck, the employment program and social enterprise manager with Siloam Mission. "She saw a need to be able to have a consistent supply of fresh vegetables and herbs to be able to incorporate that into our up to 1,500 meals that we serve each day."

So, Siloam reached out to the Little Greenhouse that Could, a company that specializes in vertical farming equipment.

"Vertical farming is growing crops in layers. You can do it in a variety of different ways. You can do it outside, you can do it inside, but it's basically just the principle of growing crops in layers vertically to maximize your growing space," said Trina Semenchuk, the CEO and founder of the Little Greenhouse that Could.

Semenchuk suggested starting a vertical garden wall and a donor stepped up to purchase the entire thing.

"I really wanted to do something to make a change in the world and to help us be more secure with our food source, while also providing meaningful employment to people and maybe disadvantaged groups. So the fact that Siloam Mission got on board with this makes all the struggles and hardships of starting your own business so worth it."

The wall pumps water and nutrients to each individual pod, which can grow a variety of plants.

With the wall in place, Siloam Mission has now been able to do its first harvest – providing fresh vegetables to all the people who visit them.

"We have so many generous donors that when they come and donate a pallet of lettuce, and six pallets of milk and another 10 pallets of spaghetti. That all happens today and it's expiring tomorrow. We often have to rush to be able to make a meal out of that," Giilck said. "Now (our kitchen manager) she'll be able to have a really consistent supply and know what she can use as her foundation for each meal."

While Siloam isn't sure just yet what they will be able to get from their first yield, Giilck said they are excited to be able to start mixing in their own supply with the donations that come in as well.