GFSA Community Facilitators - BIOGRAPHIES
Brooks
Taressa Comeskey is a Community Dietitian with Alberta Health Services South Zone. She has a degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Alberta. Taressa recently became the chair of the Food Coalition Society of Brooks and looks forward to continuing to improve food security in Brooks and area.
Cold Lake
Candice Sutterfield works at the Healthy Babies program for the last 5 years I also run the collective kitchen in our area .I love to cook for family, friends or just to try something new. The reason I’m so interested in food security is that I believe that everyone deservers access to food, healthy food weather that is through teaching or through learning. I also believe that we need to make this change though are children and show them that we have to respect food and realize that what were doing to are earth and how that might effect our children ..
Dawn Fortune is a Registered Dietitian with the Healthy Weights in Children and Youth project and Health Promotion Facilitator with the Cold Lake Community Health Services, as of January 2009. Previous to this, she worked in clinical and community nutrition and food services/administration for 5 ½ years. She has a strong interest in food security and desire to build a healthy community in which she lives.
Fort Vermilion
Kaitlin Niksic works in Health Promotion for Alberta Health Services, as the Healthy Active Youth Specialist in Fort Vermilion. She has a combined degree in Kinesiology and Education from the University of Lethbridge. Kaitlin works to coordinate and facilitate programs and services that promote healthy living for children and youth in Fort Vermilion and surrounding areas. Since moving to the rural north, Kaitlin has taken interest in food security and is eager to find ways to increase the availability of nutritious food options in her community. Kaitlin hopes to see the community garden continue to grow (both literally and figuratively!) She also aspires to continue the availability of healthy cooking classes for youth.
High Level
Carrie Demkiw is a Health Promotion Liaison with Northern Lights Health Region. She has a degree in Recreation Management from Acadia University andis working on her Master's of Adult Education from St. FrancisXavier. She uses acommunity development approach to help the communities she works with to identify their health needs and develop and implement community-based solutions toaddress these needs.Carrie is very involved in her High Level community and was elected as a new Town Councilor in October 2007. (Currently on maternity leave)
Garth Martin works in Health Promotion for Alberta Health Services as the School Health Liaison for the Fort Vermillion School Division. He has a Bachelor of Science Major in Kinesiology from the University of Lethbridge. His main focus is on the Healthy School Communities approach, which focuses on the 3 pillars of wellness: Healthy Eating, Active Living and Positive Social Environments. Garth’s interest in Food Security started with the Collective Kitchen and Kids Cooking Club programs. This summer FEED High Level had success with the Same Soil Community Garden, which has provided momentum to continue down the road for a more food secure High Level in the future. The availability for healthy food options for children is important for a successful education. Healthy Students Learn Better!
Lindsay Norrie is a Health Promotion Liaison with Alberta Health Services in High Level, Alberta. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta, and has returned to her hometown of High Level after completing her degree. She uses acommunity development approach to help the communities she works with to identify their health needs and develop and implement community-based solutions toaddress these needs. She is interested in improving the availability of nutritious food in the rural communities she works with, and would like to see improved healthy food options for people in the north.
Lacombe
Donnie Taft has a keen interest in community development and the social determinants of health. She has a background in public health nursing and currently works in supporting Parent Link programs in Lacombe, Ponoka and Rimbey area. Donnie has been a key leader and supporter for the Backyard Friends, a community group “working on solutions to support food security” in Lacombe. They pride themselves in offering opportunities to all community members through monthly community suppers, community gardens, good food boxes, buying clubs and many other efforts.
Lloydminster
Debbie Bonsan lives in Turtleford, Saskatchewan and has been working in community development and food security since 1991. She has worked with 1st Nation, rural and urban communities. Debbie is the founder of Midwest Food Resources, incorporated in 1997, and works closely with community members and community partners to offer food programs and resources based on community input and requests. Midwest Food Resources is located in the communities of Battleford, Turtleford, Meadow Lake and Lloydminster. Through Debbie’s career she has been involved with school nutrition, developing a food co-op, developing and partnering in community gardens, and developing collective cooking and fresh food box programs. Debbie willingly shares her experience and expertise in food security by partnering with Northern communities as they develop similar food security initiatives
Medicine Hat
Ann Pudwell lives in Redcliff Alberta,and works as a Health Promotions Facilitators for Alberta Health Services. She has lived in Alberta for 10 years and is a Registered Recreation Therapist. She looks at a holistic view for health. Ann has a passion for supporting people with in her community that are sometimes referred to as the undeserving. She has worked on initiatives to address homelessness, poverty, and hunger. Ann has gardened in three provinces and has found Alberta to be the most challenging, amend, amend, amend, and then amend some more, and hurry up and grow! She loves to grow purple plants in the vegetable garden, this year she grew purple haze carrots!
Sylvan Lake
Cindy Adekat works for the Town of Sylvan Lake within the Community Building Initiative Project; Neighbourhood Place. The role of this program is to build capacity and create connections within the community; people to resources, service providers to potential clients, and resources to other service providers. Food Security became an interest to this office when it was recognized that there were agencies doing great work within Sylvan Lake to both meet immediate need, and assist with skill development; however, a meaningful connection between the programs was needed.
Vegreville
Holly Cependa is the Executive Director for VegMin Learning Society, the Adult Learning and Literacy programs for the town of Vegreville and the County of Minburn. Over the years, she has shown her commitment to the community and environment by advocating for vulnerable citizens and promoting earth friendly practices. She believes that if we are aware that something needs to be changed – it is up to us to be the catalyst to bring about that change. Holly, VegMin Learning, and Delone Abercrombie, Alberta Health Services, have partnered to bring the Community Building Food Security Workshop to the area. Their dream is that workshop participants will develop and carry out action plans that will improve the food security of their communities.
Delone Abercrombie is a Registered Dietitian and has a Masters in Public Health. She works as a Community Nutritionist in the Central Health zone for Alberta Health Services and previous to this she was employed at the University of Alberta doing research and on Vancouver Island as a Community Nutritionist. Since the 1980’s she has worked in community development supporting and assisting individuals and groups with starting community kitchens, community gardens, and local grass roots food sustainability solutions. She loves gardening and buying organic locally grown foods and products.
GFSA Community Facilitator Biographies
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