Beyond the Cafeteria: How Students Built a Community Food System
June 3
2:45-3:15pm
Room 518A
This session shares the planning and development of a First Nations school food program centered around a hydroponic container farm being deployed in a rural northern climate. Students will participate directly in planting, harvesting, packaging, and distribution, supporting school meals and community access to fresh food while learning responsibility and food literacy. The presentation outlines readiness planning, staffing requirements, projected operating costs, and funding pathways used to move from a seasonal garden toward year-round production. Participants will gain a realistic understanding of what school-based food production requires before implementation, including barriers identified and solutions developed during preparation.
Bio:
RAY FANKHAUSER is the Sustainability Lead for the MANS project. His work in Food Security extends to his time as National Program Head of ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) Canada, where he introduced their first modular hydroponic farming project in the Fisher River Cree Nation (Manitoba) in collaboration with the Latter-day Saints Church of Canada. Before entering the humanitarian sector, Ray represented Canada around the world as a diplomat for over 20 years. His work in risk management, finance, and strategic communications has enabled him to foster robust relationships across the private and public sectors, and he has leveraged these to improve conditions for marginalized communities in Canada and abroad.
MELANIE DUSSAYE recently became Associate Treasurer of the Alberta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Prior to this leadership role, she was a grant writer for Conference, supporting K–12 schools across Alberta in developing community-based programs related to food security, sustainability, trades education, and student wellbeing. Her work focuses on building partnerships and securing funding that enables schools to implement practical, hands-on initiatives with measurable community impact. She works closely with educators and students to translate local needs into scalable program models that operate within real school budgets and administrative structures. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, Melanie worked internationally as a finance accountant, primarily in West and East Africa.
ELIAS MYKAT is from the Ermineskin Cree Nation (Maskwacis, Central Alberta), and he is in Grade 11 at Mamawi Atosketan Native School (MANS).
KENYON BULL is from the Louis Bull Tribe (Maskwacis, Central Alberta), and he is also in Grade 11 at MANS.
ELIAS and KENYON are the student leaders of the MANS food program, and they went to Abu Dhabi in January of this year to receive the Zayed Global Sustainability Prize from the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates.