Samantha Green (she/her). (Xeni gwet’in Community)
I am a white settler with ancestry from many parts of Europe. I had the immense privilege of living in Xeni Gwet’in territory for three years—first as the Emergency Program Coordinator and then as the Climate Readiness Manager. During that time, I helped build the community-led Food Sovereignty Department, rooted in Tsilhqot’in language, knowledge, and relationships.
Now living on the unceded territories of the Sinixt, Syilx, Ktunaxa, and Secwépemc peoples in Revelstoke, I work as the Food Security Coordinator for the Local Food Initiative. My role is about connecting people, building systems, and supporting community-led efforts to strengthen food access and resilience. I continue to support the Xeni Gwet’in food system remotely through funding and administrative support—work I remain deeply committed to.

Vera Quilt (Xeni gwet’in Community)
I’m a Tsilhqot’in woman from Xeni Gwet’in, where I was born and raised. I’ve been growing food alongside my family and community for as long as I can remember—learning to read the land, the moon, and the animals to know when it’s time to plant.
I speak Tsilhqot’in fluently, and I use our language every day in my work—sharing stories with youth, connecting with elders, and keeping our teachings alive.
I am now leading the on-the-ground work for food sovereignty in Xeni Gwet’in, helping grow a community-led food system that is rooted in culture, connection, and care.
It’s an honour to support our people through this work and to share stories from the land and from our hearts.

Sarah Fowler (Tahsis Community)

Sarah Fowler is an elected citizen in the village of Tahsis. She has served her community, in the deputy mayor role, since 2018. In addition to currently being the 2VP on the AVICC Executive she was also participated on the UBCM board from 2020-2024. As mother and a micro-homestead operator access to affordable healthy has been a focus even prior to moving to a remote place. Locally, in addition to sitting on the Nootka Sound Watershed Society, which largely focuses on salmon fishing tourism, she also works together with Gold river volunteers to distribute fruit and vegtable boxes. The village of Tahsis made food security a strategic priority in 2023 and have helped with freight cost and carbon sharing of perishables biweekly program.

Shannon Hall (Atlin Community)

Sonja Grosse-Broemer (Southern Stl’atl’imx Community)

áma sq̓it, Guten Tag, Good Day,
My name is Sonja. I was born and raised in Germany and came to so called Canada uninvited in 2011. This is where my Food Journey began, in Indigenous communities throughout the province, mainly in the St’at’imc Nation. Everything I know about growing, harvesting, foraging, and preserving foods, I have learned here from Indigenous Peoples generous enough to share their knowledge with me. I am forever grateful for all the teachings I have been and continue to receive from Indigenous People here on my journey and I acknowledge the responsibility that comes from the privilege that I have as a white settler on these lands. I am committed and dedicated to learning and unlearning and to finding ways of giving back to the stewards of these lands. I now live in Skookumchuck, a community of Skatin Nations and member of the larger St’at’imc Nation and located in their ancestral and unceded territory. I live here with my partner Apa7qa7 and our two daughters Kakwél̓a Phönix and Kél̓kl̓ex Nikita. Living in a remote community about 70km away from the next supermarket and other services, 50km of which is a gravelled road has truly taught me the value of foraging, fishing, hunting, and growing food, as well as food preservation. I am also the Provincial Coordinator for the Food Systems Program at I·SPARC. This program supports Indigenous communities and organizations throughout the province in their journey towards Food Security & Food Sovereignty. In my role I am mainly responsible for grants, final reports, and all related communication with communities and organizations.

Carly Thompson (Boston Bar Community)

Carly Thompson is a passionate community advocate and experienced program leader with nearly a decade of dedicated service in the Fraser Canyon region. As President of the Learn, Educate, Appreciate and Development (LEAD) Society, she leads innovative, grassroots initiatives that support families, strengthen community wellness, and foster meaningful engagement across rural and Indigenous communities.Carly oversees key programs such as the Family Resource Center, Nourishing Connections, and Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds—each designed to promote either; early childhood development, food security and/or cultural learning, and social-emotional well-being. These initiatives have brought diverse groups together through inclusive programming, traditional meals, and educational opportunities that center equity-deserving populations.In addition to her role with LEADS, Carly is the local Lead for the Emergency Support Services (ESS) program, ensuring community preparedness and responsive aid during times of crisis. She also serves as a social-emotional support worker in a rural school, acting as a trusted bridge between children, families, and critical support services.

Carly’s work is guided by compassion, collaboration, and a deep-rooted commitment to community-led change. She actively participates with several local boards and advisory groups, advocating for vulnerable populations and advancing sustainable, culturally relevant solutions that reflect the voices of the communities she serves. Her leadership continues to inspire and uplift others—creating safe, inclusive spaces where families thrive, culture is celebrated, and resilience is built from the ground up.

Earlene Bitterman (Hudson’s Hope Community)

Earlene, a proud Red River Métis graphics artist, cartoonist, and digital animator, was born in Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, into a traditional Métis family. She spent her formative years in various northern communities, fostering her creativity and honing her artistic talents in remote areas along the Dempster Highway in the Northwest Territories, the Stikine River, and Haida Gwaii. Earlene has gained recognition for her published series of Michif animations and her contributions to an Indigenous Northern literacy series, which earned the prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literacy.

Joan Green (Hudson’s Hope Community)

Seri NiimiBurch

Seri Niimi-Burch (she/they) is a settler of mixed Japanese, Ukrainian, English, and French ancestry who resides and works on the unceded and stolen lands of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Sel̓íl̓witulh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations. Originally from the small island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i, Seri has experience working at the intersection of public health, food systems, and social justice in the nonprofit, academic, and public sectors and completed a Master’s degree in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems at UBC in 2021. In her current role as Coordinator, Food Security at BCCDC, Provincial Health Services Authority, she supports collaboration across government, health authorities, and non-government sectors to support food security programs and inform and influence changes in policies and practice to improve food security, reduce food insecurity, and uphold Indigenous food sovereignty. Seri is committed to a continuous (un)learning journey to better understand their role in challenging/dismantling colonial systems of oppression and bridging community needs and perspectives with broader policy work and systems level change.