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Neighbourhood need sparked ministry innovation
sandwiched between Lake Ontario and the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Mimico is a high-density neighbourhood whose seniors and single-parent families come from a range of backgrounds. More and more are falling below the poverty line and struggle with food insecurity.
For eight years Hope Church Toronto West hosted seniors’ brunches, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at nearby St. Margaret’s Anglican Church. When Covid hit, the meal organizers prayed and felt God directing them to deliver meal kits.
Each month’s kit is unique. One included the ingredients for a pasta dinner, an invitation to a webinar exploring Christianity, and a personal conversion testimony. In May the church delivered 250 ready-to-eat brunch kits complete with eggs, bacon, waffles, fresh fruit and a Gospel of John magazine.
Professional chef Frank Brito leads the kitchen team. “I know what it’s like to live on the margins,” he says. “Not having to worry, ‘Will I get some food today?’ – that’s important to me because I’ve been there.” Volunteers call residents, package and deliver the meals. Organizers estimate 90 per cent of the food is donated by local vendors. “We want to show hospitality to our neighbours and share the hope of the gospel,” said Daniel Manickam, Hope’s director of outreach.
Volunteer Enza Salituro oversees procurement, assembly and delivery of the kits. She anticipates the growth of the Meals for the City initiative. “Our plan is to continue this outreach beyond the pandemic,” she says, “and see it expand to serve more people.”