Food Hub

For the unfolding story of the building of the Food Hub see Lynn Bishop's Blog.

WEFC History

2008 — The Co-op was launched with the opening of the  Farmers’ Market in Sourauren Park and now features over 25 local food vendors.  Initially running only in the summer, it has, since 2009-10, also operated a winter version in the adjacent fieldhouse.

2009 — The Co-op incorporated and completed strategic planning and a detailed business plan, and also conducted an important community food mapping project to assess the community’s food needs and resources. (Part of the data gathering is illustrated at left.)

In the fall of 2009 the Co-op launched the first of two community bond campaigns to raise money for the future food hub.

2010 — The Co-op launched the innovative Community Cannery which combines new markets for farmers with preserving training for the community and programs for marginalized groups through our community partners.

Co-op Context

Parkdale and the West End contain some of the most diverse communities in North America, both in terms of income level and the very high proportion of newcomers, as well as many people struggling with food insecurity, poverty, disability, mental health and other issues.

The West End Food Co-op believes that community solutions start with food. We are dedicated to increasing the access to healthy and fresh local food for all the west end communities through initiatives that achieve social, economic and environmental goals.

Action:  The Food Hub

The WEFC is launching a community owned Food Hub in the heart of Parkdale at Queen and Dufferin, slated to open in 2012. (Our front door is at the lower left of the picture.)

The Food Hub will include:

• a retail food store that features locally-sourced produce and meats as well as packaged goods
• food that is culturally appropriate to the many groups in the area
• services for people who cannot access the store
• access to our core community food education and health programming
• a Community Kitchen which will:
  • provide a place for everyone in the west end Toronto communities to eat affordably
  • provide training in food handling and preparation
  • host the Cannery, which has operated out of other kitchens in the area
  • provide facilities for locally-grown produce and meats to be prepared for sale

Fundraising

To raise money for the Food Hub, WEFC launched a fundraising campaign called Food Close to Home in 2009. We have obtained donations, grants and community bond investments to reach the initial goal for opening the Hub, and continue to fund-raise for the remaining development.

Partnership

Beginning in 2008, the West End Food Co-op created a strong network of community partners, funders and supporters who have supported the project financially and through many volunteer hours in every facet of the organization, from governance to IT to outreach.

The Food Hub will operate as a partnership with the Parkdale Community Health Centre (PCHC), a non-profit community-based health centre offering a variety of health services including primary health care services, counseling, health promotion, and outreach.

The Co-op also works closely with community partners such as the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC), Greenest City and others to create mentoring and job opportunities, and affordable food programs to increase food security in Toronto’s west end.

Renovation

The 3,000 square foot PCHC ground-floor/basement space has not previously been occupied and needs significant upgrades. 

WEFC will partner with the Fourth Pig Worker Co-op for much of the renovation and education work at the new space. The Fourth Pig is a non-profit green construction and education organization whose mission is “to foster ecologically balanced methods of construction and energy production in order to promote more sustainable and healthy communities.”

The Future

In the long term, the Food Hub partnership with the Parkdale Community Health Centre, the innovative green retrofit project, and ongoing work with current and new partners will create a community landmark for food and health programming, solutions to local food insecurity, and a strong and sustainable job training/creation program that can serve as a model for other social enterprises.

All photos: Nathan Payne