About
MEET MELAINA
Aaniin (Hello)! My name is Melaina Patenaude (she/her) and I am of Georgian Bay Métis and mixed European ancestry. I grew up in Blackfoot and Ktunaxa territories and currently reside in Quw’utsun’ territory on Vancouver Island. My educational background is in Nutrition & Food Science (B.Sc.) and Community Development (M.A.) and I have worked for over fourteen years in the non-profit sector, focused on food security, homelessness, and community development. I have worked alongside Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across Western Canada and the Territories, helping strengthen local systems of care and empower community champions. I am passionate about food as medicine, herbal medicine, supporting wholistic wellness, fostering resilient ecosystems, and decolonizing practices.
Through my life experiences, I have come to a place of knowing: that we all need a community of support to survive and thrive. And with this, I am invested in contributing to better health outcomes, which includes honouring our innate sacredness, holding each other up, and providing support in the ways that I can.
As a nutrition professional, Métis herbalist, Tul'ix/Arvigo® therapist, and Certified Cultivating Safe Spaces facilitator, my hope is to share my gifts in order to help strengthen community and to provide support to those seeking it. Please visit the other pages on this site for more information. Miigwetch (thank you) for being here.