FoodShare Toronto

An opportunity to connect and get creative, last month was Staff Appreciation Month at FoodShare ?? October was marked by games (like Ranu's timeless "Name That Tune" or a chaotic "Gif Party") and a raffle that featured donations from local businesses and organizations — all organized by our colleague Katie W. Much gratitude to our team for their continued dedication and passion ?? A shoutout and thank you to our sponsors for their generosity and for making it possible to offer prizes in recognition of the incredible staff at FoodShare ?? And appreciation to @ladymensahstudios for this playful photo series.

** Correction: ** Please RSVP by Monday, November 25th for the November 27th session. Do you represent an agency or organization that works with Toronto residents who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour; experience poverty; live with disabilities; or receive social assistance programs such as Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)? Have your say on Toronto’s Food Charter! We’re working with the City of Toronto on an engagement process that creates space to hear from organizations and individuals grounded in community. We want to ensure that the folks most impacted by food insecurity are meaningfully consulted around a new Toronto Food Charter. Together with the City of Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Office, we are hosting three upcoming online consultations for agencies and organizations. Register today at foodshare.net/righttofood This is only the first step! Follow toronto.ca/foodcharter for forthcoming information about public consultations starting in 2025. FoodShare’s Right to Food campaign, initiated in October 2021, called on folks across Toronto to sign a petition demanding a new food charter for our city. To learn more about the Right to Food campaign, check out our last post.

We launched our Right to Food Campaign in October of 2021. During the three-year campaign, we used community consultation, visual art, dance, music and more to raise awareness about food as a human right and the City of Toronto’s responsibility to realize it for everyone in our city. We engaged more than 5,000 people through 196 in-person workshops, where children, youth, seniors and racialized folks were all dreaming of what realizing the right to food would look like. The campaign also met the goal we set out to achieve: the City of Toronto agreed to our demands for a new charter! Getting that commitment was a testament to the value of raising our voices together and an important first step toward meaningfully realizing Torontonians right to food. But much hard work lies ahead. We must continue to advocate for a food charter that is responsive, actionable and accountable to Toronto residents. Right to food work is not new in our city – though our Right to Food campaign has concluded, we will continue to amplify grassroots organizations led by Black folks, Indigenous folks, folks of colour, elders, folks living on a low income and all those left out of the system for so long. At FoodShare, we believe in a Toronto where the right to food is respected, where everyone should be able to make dignified choices about what they eat. What’s next? We are currently focused on ensuring the process of updating the Toronto Food Charter is as inclusive as possible. Check out our next post about upcoming online consultations for agencies and organizations and stay tuned for individual and resident engagement opportunities in the new year. https://lnkd.in/gpA6RzjY

In the wake of recent political shifts, FoodShare Toronto’s Executive Director Matt Johnstone reflects on how equity, dignity, and joy are not just values, but skills we must practice every day—especially in times of division. As we continue our work in food justice, we are reminded that joy is not just a personal emotion; cultivating joy is a choice, a practice, an intentional act. Joy is the spark that sustains hope. Read more at foodshare.net/blog.

One of the many exciting offerings at the Flemo Farm farmers' market this summer was the weekly tea table ?? Market staff like Cristal, pictured here, offered a different type of tea blend each week, made from dehydrated flowers and herbs grown and harvested right on the farm! Weekly varieties included anise hyssop, echinacea, goldenrod and more. What's your favourite kind of herbal tea? Let us know in the comments ??

We love to see what the Youth Grown program participants get up to each growing season at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate in Etobicoke. This past summer, Kevin and Michelle launched Xa Lat (pronounced “sa-luht”) with the aim of enriching Toronto’s urban agriculture scene with Southeast Asian culture, play and ecological sustainability through small-scale agriculture. At Xa Lat, they focus on growing a mix of flowers and Southeast Asian vegetables, using ecological and regenerative practices. The name “Xa Lát” means salad in Vietnamese, a nod to their Vietnamese heritage and a symbol of commitment to fresh, culturally significant produce. Xa Lat's produce and flowers are available at the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market, various city restaurants as well as via a neighbourhood CSA. Michelle and Kevin also donate a portion of their harvest to their local Toronto community fridge (@cf___to). Whether you’re a Toronto resident, restaurant or community group, Michelle and Kevin are always open to food and flower requests, so don’t be shy to reach out them @xalatfarm ??

Welcome to our 2024-2025 Board of Directors ?? FoodShare is excited to share the amazing lineup of folks who make up this year’s Board of Directors. We want to warmly welcome new members to the board and thank returning members for choosing to continue sharing their valuable time and expertise with us. A special shoutout to our board co-chairs, Nader Qawasmi – the co-founder and chef at Levant Pizza and Victoria Blanco Salcedo – a teacher and food justice advocate, for taking on a vital leadership role. Thanks to this incredible group of volunteers for your support in helping us realize our vision of a Toronto where everyone can feed themselves, their loved ones and their communities with dignity and joy ?? You can learn more about all of our board members at foodshare.net/team.

The children in Flemingdon Park had a blast getting creative at the Flemo Farm farmer's market this summer! While the adults did their weekly shopping, littles had a chance to let their imaginations run wild at the kids' table, with painting, slime sculptures and more ?? We can't wait to see what they'll create at next year's market ??

Throwback to this magical night at BCCF with the FoodShare team ? Black Creek Community Farm (BCCF) is an eight-acre urban agricultural centre and farm in one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Toronto, providing nutritious food, employment opportunities and food justice programming to the community. Back in September, folks from FoodShare attended BCCF's annual Dinner at the Farm, a night of culinary enchantment where local chefs create a menu featuring seasonal ingredients from the farm. The delicious meal (emphasis on ??????????????????) was served under the stars, and all proceeds from the event went towards BCCF's crucial community programming. To learn more about BCCF and be the first to find out about their exciting events, sign up for their newsletter at https://lnkd.in/esF9KZ3S and support their work at blackcreekfarm.ca/donate.

Scenes from a colourful dinner at Flemo Farm earlier this year ?? Flemo was pleased to host a group of doctors and medical students for a tour of the farm, where visitors had the opportunity to connect directly with the community farmers and enjoy a meal together. The visit also included a workshop that looked at the benefits of community spaces like Flemo as sites for both physical and social wellness. Local caterer Eshrat (Eshie's catering) cooked up a rainbow of food and her son Seena helped to serve guests. We're thankful to these doctors + students for joining us and making space for nuanced discussions around health and wellbeing ??