A bit about us

We are The People's Pantry, and this is our story.

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Mutual Aid

The People’s Pantry was founded by mostly Black and Brown queer, trans, and feminist graduate students and community organizers in Toronto/the GTA. We started with a single Facebook post to CareMongeringTO, offering free homecooked meals to Torontonians in need following the COVID-19 pandemic, and quickly grew from there.

From a small beginning of 6 people, we've now had hundreds of volunteers across Southern Ontario work to support our mutual aid project. To date, we've delivered tens of thousands of meals and grocery care packages to food-insecure families across Toronto, the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, and Tri-Cities-Guelph.

Our mission

We believe that food justice is social justice.

We provide food free of charge, no questions asked, no fixed address required, because everyone deserves access to high quality, culturally appropriate, and nutritional food.

We focus on particularly hard-hit communities, including QT/BIPOC, single parents, sex workers, precariously housed persons, the immune compromised, disabled folx, immigrants, refugees, and the elderly.

Illustration of three people.
1

Someone asks for support

Every Monday, we open our grocery and meal form for non-Toronto requests, where those in need can request meals and groceries for themselves and their families by the day's end. When we have the funding, we also open our grocery form for Toronto on a periodic basis, where food insecure people in the city can request groceries from FoodShare Toronto.

2

Volunteers prepare meals and grocery packages

Our community of volunteer chefs and grocers prepare homecooked meals, buy groceries, and contribute baked goods to feed and support those in need and to meet their dietary needs. For Toronto grocery deliveries, our dedicated team of logistic volunteers coordinate deliveries with FoodShare Toronto to meet requests.

3

Meals & Bundles are delivered

Afterwards, our delivery volunteers, many of whom were also the ones to prepare and buy the meals and groceries, deliver everything directly to those in need, in a safe, secure, and accessible manner, with FoodShare delivering all grocery requests for Toronto in an equally safe and accessible way.

Testimonial from Crystal: The work at TPP is centred on showing solidarity with our community and combatting food insecurity, a concern that has become even more pressing with the ongoing pandemic. Please consider donating, or volunteering with one of our teams to support the Pantry and join our mission! Testimonial from Jan: For the past several months, I was involved with coordinating grocery care packages and currently am assisting with developing a community cookbook filled with delicious and affordable recipes created by our volunteers. VOlunteering with the People's Pantry Toronto has been one of the most inspiring and fulfilling experiences, and I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with such an inclusive and diverse organization! If you are looking for ways to help our mission, please consider donating or volunteering with us, and spreading awareness on food security! Testimonial from Liz: I volunteer with the People's Pantry to use the resources that I have to support the people in my community. I know that if I needed it, the People's Pantry would be there for me too. Testimonial from Wanyi: The pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity in our communities, and volunteering with TPP is the direct way to help people in need. We help because we care. Come join or donate today so we can secure our communities and deal with the crisis together. Testimonial from Nico: I started volunteering with The People's Pantry because we are directly helping people in our own communities. We are neighbours taking care of neighbours. Anyone looking to help make an immediate impact in their neighbourhood should consider joining the volunteer team or donating today. Testimonial from Ashley: I volunteer with TPP because I am privileged to be able to purcahse and utilize nutritious food everyday. However, food accessibility and affordability should not be a privilege - it is a human right. Food privilege is influenced by social determinants of health such as where people live, education levels, employment status, and economic stability. TPP initiative works against these barriers to minimize food insecurity and hunger in our community. Words cannot express how important this is. Testimonial from Karen: Being able to help our drivers behind the scenes has been one of my life's biggest passions. The intere team is like a family that honestly touches on one of the few positives of the pandemic; mutual aid. Food banks have been around forever but they don't personally touch their recipients in the way that The People's Pantry does. The personal touch that our chefs and delivery teams bring to recipients is unheard of. As long as there is a need I hope to be part of TPP's family of volunteers. Testimonial from Zainab: Working with the TPP is great because it combines two of my passions: intersectional feminism and a beliefe that everyone should be able to have cake. It is wonderful to be part of a queer and BWOC-led mission that works with those in our community who experience food insecurity. You can support the Pantry by volunteering or donating to help us continue to empower our communities! Testimonial from Sabrina: I volunteer with TPP because I love cooking and food and feel passionately that everyone has the right to nourish their body without barriers. TPP has done amazing things for our communities during the pandemic and I'm grateful for the opportunity to help and support in whatever way I can, especially if that means baking cookies! If you're looking for ways to directly help your community, please consider donating, volunteering, or spreading the word about TPP. Testimonial from Mary-Ann: The pandemic really made visible the inequities and injustices that exists in modern society around how we care for one another. Cooking has always been an easy way for me to care for, and show love to others in my life. When I saw multiple calls for cooking volunteers for the TPP sister initiative in Halton/Hamilton, I knew I could help. Cooking and shopping for the TPP has given me an opportunity to not only show love and care for those in need in my community, but also to the local coordinator and volunteers by helping carry some of the weight of their labour. A valuable and fulfilling experience all around. If you too feel called to help, don't hesitate - volunteer or donate today!

“If someone asks for food, it’s because they need it.”

Yann Gracia, Co-Founder