Ever since graduating from the University of Guelph with a degree in International Development, Morgan Richter knew she wanted to combine her drive to help people with her love of food.
“I’m extremely passionate about community development here in Muskoka and to me food and community go hand in hand,” said Richter.
Not only was she working and volunteering at the Muskoka North Good Food Co-operative over the last three years, but she recently started her own catering business called Lilac Local Source.
Richter has catered for a variety of local community groups including Connect the Brilliance, Ahimsa Yoga Studio, Muskoka Roastery and The Hub Muskoka, all while maintaining her goal of cooking with locally sourced products and ingredients.
Through her love for catering Richter has also discovered a love of food photography.
“Through my photography I aim to draw readers into the food and setting I have created,” said Richter. “Connecting people with local food and creating an experience which highlights the local food movements is how I stage my photos.” (See some of her photos on @lilaclocalsource on Instagram.)
In March, Richter was appointed as Regional Champion for Muskoka with Food Secure Canada’s Youth Caucus.
Richter applied to the position online and was selected as the Muskoka/Northern Ontario Representative for youth and is one of 10 ‘Regional Champions’ from all over the country.
Food Secure Canada created these positions for youth in order to mobilize young people in Canadian communities and to gain further advancement on their three interlocking goals for Canada:
- Zero Hunger
- Healthy and Safe Food
- Sustainable Food Systems
“My goal is to create a space where youth come together to discuss food issues and where they would like to see the food movement go,” said Richter.
As Richter is extremely passionate about retaining young people in Muskoka, she sees this position as an opportunity to help bring like-minded youth together.
She envisions creating social events with healthy and sustainable food, thus creating a space to educate and inspire change.
Once Richter collects information from these groups, she will then take her findings back to Food Secure Canada.
Alongside this new position, Richter has also recently obtained a new position at the Lake of Bays Brewing Company sourcing local food and beverages, hoping to create a space for the community to enjoy when they open the new Huntsville Brewhouse in the coming months.
“I’m so inspired and amazed that every time I turn a corner there’s another new opportunity for me to help change our community,” said Richter.
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Kudos, Morgan: your knowledge and enthusiasm will not be wasted. A few years ago, I was a member of a small Food Security Committee. As a logical initial step, we began to formulate a Food Charter for Muskoka. If memory serves, however, we butted up against a similar District Municipality of Muskoka Committee; we felt disenfranchised; and dissolved the Committee. As part of your admittedly ambitious agenda, would you be open to researching what happened to this initiative? If a charter has not been completed, it is sorely needed.
Hi Rob,
Just read your comment, I will look into it and get back to you!
Morgan