Harvest of passion, hope for global hunger relief

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Most people see the initials BMW and think of luxury automobiles, but Audrey Paschke and Jill Tripp think of farming.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2022 (1390 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most people see the initials BMW and think of luxury automobiles, but Audrey Paschke and Jill Tripp think of farming.

Paschke and Tripp are two of the people involved with the BMW (Boissevain Morton Whitewater) Grow Project. About 25 group members from the namesake communities in western Manitoba get together each year to plant, tend and harvest 300 acres.

Proceeds from the sale of the crop go to Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a Winnipeg-based international relief and development organization working to end global hunger.

SUPPLIED
                                Boissevain residents Audrey Paschke, left, and Jill Tripp volunteer with the BMW Grow Project which farms 300 acres of land to benefit Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

SUPPLIED

Boissevain residents Audrey Paschke, left, and Jill Tripp volunteer with the BMW Grow Project which farms 300 acres of land to benefit Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

“I really enjoy the group of people that come together to grow the field,” says Tripp, 26, a Boissevain resident who farms with her family. “Coming together with a common goal of helping others is a really special feeling.”

“It just feels good knowing that we’re helping people,” adds Paschke, 43, a hairdresser in Boissevain who grew up on a farm.

Paschke and Tripp were inspired to get involved by their fathers, who helped start the project in 1997. Tripp volunteers her time doing field operations and Paschke works behind the scenes running the group’s social media and raising donations.

The pair also help organize the handful of events the project holds each year, including a few fundraisers and harvest day.

Both cite harvest day as the biggest highlight of volunteering with the project. Farmers bring their equipment and work together to gather the crop. The event also includes a lunch on the field that everyone in the community is invited to participate in.

“I probably cry every single year,” Paschke says. “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful day watching so many farmers volunteer their equipment and their time.”

“Some of us young farmers came to this lunch as kids,” Tripp adds. “For me, that was such a highlight during the harvest season (when I was growing up).”

Now, many of the same people who came to harvest day as children show up with combines and young families of their own.

“It’s so great seeing that passion for ending hunger pass from one generation to the next,” Tripp says.

During its 25-year existence, the BMW Grow Project has raised nearly $1.4 million.

There are 218 growing projects across Canada. In 2021-22, they raised more than $7.8 million for Foodgrains Bank.

Tripp has seen firsthand the difference that money makes. In 2017, she participated in a learning tour to Rwanda that took participants to projects Foodgrains Bank sponsors.

“Seeing those development projects that are effective, lasting and facilitated by someone who knows the local area and customs made me really passionate about working with Canadian Foodgrains Bank,” she says.

For Paschke and Tripp, volunteering with the grow project is an expression of the gratitude they feel for the material comfort they enjoy.

“We’re quite blessed here (in Manitoba),” Paschke says. “Even if we think we’re hungry, we’re never starving.”

“I feel immensely grateful to live a comfortable and secure life,” Tripp adds. “So many areas of our world are experiencing food insecurity. As farmers, we produce food for a livelihood and then we have an opportunity to share our bounty with others in need.”

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca

Aaron Epp

Aaron Epp
Reporter

Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron.

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