Acknowledgement
At the London Food Coalition, we begin by grounding ourselves in this place—Deshkan Ziibiing, the land along the Antler River, known today as London. We live and work upon the ancestral territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lunaapéewak, and Chonnonton Peoples, held up in the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Covenant, a treaty that reminds us that we share one bowl, one spoon, and the responsibility to care for all who rely on this place for nourishment. We are also bound by Treaty 6 (the London Township Treaty), which calls us into right relationship with the original peoples and with the land itself.
This land—what many Nations lovingly call Turtle Island—is a living story. The soil remembers footsteps older than memory. The river still carries teachings if we listen. The medicines, the berries, the squash, the corn, and the wild roots are more than foods; they are teachers, relatives, bundles of spirit who offer themselves so that communities may thrive.
In that spirit, we recognize that Indigenous food sovereignty is not an aspiration but an inherent right—rooted in culture, kinship, ceremony, and the unbroken relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the foods gifted by Creation. These practices existed long before colonial borders and continue today despite generations of displacement, erasure, and the theft of land and life.
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As a coalition committed to food prosperity, abundance, and dignity for all, we acknowledge that our work is braided into this larger story of reclamation. We honour the Nations whose foodways shaped this land—where harvest was gratitude, where sharing was law, and where waste was unthinkable. We commit to learning from those teachings as we build a system where food once again flows in balance, respect, and reciprocity.
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We also recognize that our trucks, our tables, and our food hubs depend on Mother Earth. Every pound of food collected, every delivery made, every meal shared is possible because the land continues to give, even through generations of harm. For this, we owe not only thanks but action.
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And so, in this work, we commit ourselves to:
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Supporting Indigenous-led food programs, growers, harvesters, and knowledge keepers.
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Returning to practices that honour seasonality, ceremony, and the sacredness of food.
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Reducing waste so that nothing from the Earth is taken for granted.
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Building partnerships that uplift Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
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Caring for the land as though she is our oldest teacher—because she is.
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May we walk gently.
May we listen deeply.
May our work nourish not only bodies, but relationships—between Peoples, between generations, and between all beings that call this place home.
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In honour of the first caretakers of this land, and with gratitude for the teachings still offered, we commit ourselves to the good work of sharing the bowl with respect, responsibility, and love.
