What is the Stir?
Growing the food economy and food commons in the Kamloops region by building connections and infrastructure that empower local people to access, grow, create and market local food.
The Stir is the food hub for the Kamloops region; we provide facility rentals, business mentorship and support to help local food entrepreneurs reach a wider market than they would otherwise be able to access.
​
A project of the Kamloops Food Policy Council and member of the BC Food Hub Network, The Stir is much more than a building. Our food hub is a network of shared kitchen facilities, support, and resources spread out across Kamloops and the surrounding region; Acting like a mycelium - a network of microscopic strands connecting mushrooms and the surrounding ecosystem - we work collaboratively to connect and strengthen our regional food system.​​
Riverfront Courtyard Rental Space
Dehydrators/Harvest Savers at The Stir
Riverfront Courtyard Rental Space
Riverfront Courtyard Rental Space
Meet OUR TEAM
Working collaboratively to build a resilient and empowered local food system.
KENT FAWCETT
Food Hub Manager
Kent Fawcett is the Food Hub Manager and face behind The Stir. He is a highly skilled food entrepreneur and founder of the award-winning food processing company Local Pulse. He’s here to help local food businesses and up-and-coming food entrepreneurs along their journey using his own path as a guide.
Food is a labour of love for Kent. Passionate about food and sustainability, he thoroughly enjoys working with prospective food entrepreneurs at The Stir to turn their dream products into a “made in Kamloops” reality
Contact
.png)
JAMES MAINE
Distribution Manager
James Maine is our Distribution Manager. He is a food systems professional with a background in remote supply chain design and implementation, culinary arts, and sustainable tourism. James is dedicated to the ideology of food and food equity as a core building block for the foundation of community and culture. He is keen to contribute to the ongoing history and objectives of food evolution and security with the Kamloops Food Policy Council. James was hired in 2023 in order to implement our local food distribution system.
Contact
Naya Macaulay
Communications Coordinator
Naya has always been passionate about food and its critical, overlooked places within societies and cultures.
Her dream is to open a sustainable coffee house and roastery while working in partnership with local food access organizations to supply meal programs.
​
After graduating from Thompson Rivers University in 2024 she became interested in nonprofit work. The KFPC values resonated with her immediately, inspiring her to join the KFPC team.
​
Naya supports The Stir with social media, digital marketing and coordinating rentals of our indoor and outdoor event venue spaces.
Contact
Theory Of Change
The Stir alludes to the familiar action of stirring food in our kitchens. When we stir food, we're using small actions to create transformative changes. We're mixing the right ingredients knowing the outcome will be delicious. Stirring also evokes the idea of creating widespread awareness, or to entice or stimulate change. We expect the project to have far reaching impacts that change the way we think about food and the sustainability of our local food system as a whole.
Our Vision
The Food Hub supports the broader vision of the Kamloops Food Policy Council: a local food system that is regenerative, sovereign, and just. Regenerative food systems endeavor to increase biodiversity, enrich soil, improve water cycles, enhance ecosystems, develop resilience to climate fluctuation, and strengthen the health and vitality of their communities by supporting local growers, using fair and equitable labour practices, and improving access to culturally relevant foods.​​
We see the Food Hub as a key component of being able to achieve this vision because of the ability of the proposed model to create a bridge to a greener and more diversified economy. We are excited about the potential for the Food Hub to increase access to common community-based infrastructure that will allow local food to be preserved, processed, and edible on a year-round basis. There is significant potential for the Food Hub to align with the vision and initiatives of Indigenous communities seeking to uphold food sovereignty and security. We believe that the viability of small-scale light processing will incenticve local food production and harvesting in a way that will benefit the community and environment.