Rebecca Sylvestre is a person of action. When we reach her by phone, she’s at “camp” with community members: youth and Elders gathered together, cutting moose meat, canning, and frying fish. From her home 700 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, in Birch Narrows First Nation and Turnor Lake Hamlet, Rebecca generously shares stories of the programs she leads: how they improve food access while also preserving traditional food practices, creating bridges of knowledge between Elders and youth.

The Community Food Centre (CFC) serves about 800 people from both Dene and Cree Nations. In this remote northern community, where food prices are much higher than average, access to fresh food is a challenge. There is also a deep commitment to strengthening bonds in the community, ensuring that food traditions remain alive and shared.

Since 2017, we have partnered with Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows CFC in adapting the CFC model to local needs. The CFC blends food access with cultural resurgence, bringing a distinct northern First Nations and Métis perspective to the CFC model. The result is a place that nourishes both body and spirit, while raising awareness about food sovereignty, sustainability, and traditional foodways. This includes programs like community gardens, workshops on preparing traditional foods such as caribou, duck, and rabbit, and land-based programs where youth learn to hunt, fish, and snare. Shortly after the CFC began offering programs, one of the Elders recalled that it was the first time in 50 years that the community fixed a moose together.

Rebecca recalls those early days of collaboration: “When I first started, I didn’t know Right To Food that well. I had a big dream. I wanted to start a program. I looked at what other CFCs were doing and wondered if I was doing it the right way. But the team at Right To Food told me that I was already providing meals, just in our own unique way. We’re feeding people and teaching about our history and traditions at the same time. I’ll never forget how they supported me. That’s what Right To Food is: supporting communities to do what matters most for their people.”

Today, Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows CFC’s approach is inspiring other Indigenous communities. “There are always people asking about our programs,” Rebecca says. “And I tell them, Right To Food gave us the door. We just had to open it.”