Sharing food in Guelph is an act of community care.
Our world is shifting before our eyes right now. As Canadians work together to protect Canada, many people are looking for ways to “do something”. Caring for our community is an approach that gives purpose and encourages us to all pull together to create so much goodness.
Guelph has plenty of ways to care for your community, especially when it comes to food.
In these difficult times, self-care is a much-talked-about strategy. So often this self-care involves purchasing products to improve our wellness. However, buying our way to well-being may not be the solution for our fiscal challenges. Think instead of a different type of self-care.
Caring for ourselves may be less about finding the perfect bath routine and more about the benefits of caring for ourselves and our health. With this health, we can be available to care for others. And maybe caring for others is, in itself, a way to care for ourselves. Audre Lorde wrote about these ideas in 1988 and they continue to resonate with us today.
Following this logic, the act of making a pot of soup and sharing half with your neighbours could be considered self-care. And if community care is self-care then we can all increase our well-being by helping each other.
One thing we can all use some help with is the cost of food. Last year, the Nutritious Food Basket, a national survey tool that monitors the cost and affordability of healthy eating, demonstrated that in Guelph “The cost of the NFB for a family of four in 2024 is $315.47 per week ($1365.98 month)”. Furthermore, the percentage of people living in food insecure households in Guelph in 2023 was 23.4 per cent. It’s clear there is a food security crisis in Guelph.
The Bench, in downtown Guelph, is one example of food provision as community care. Every day volunteers provide food and sometimes clothing for anyone to access. Some days local restaurants share their pizzas and curries. Other days, fellow Guelphites donate money to buy the food being served. Folks can reliably depend on this volunteer-driven group to be there for them with necessities and a chance to be together.
Another agency in Guelph that is also at the heart of caring for our community is FEWD or Food Equity with Dignity – an organization that uses food that would otherwise be wasted and turns it into delicious meals is very welcoming in its approach saying, “Our meals are for everyone, don't be shy, come say hi and grab some tasty dinner! “
They share food all around the city of Guelph, often partnering with neighbourhood groups and other food agency partners to source their ingredients and to find locations to serve their food.
FEWD is facing a $60,000 shortfall this year as they work hard to provide an ever-increasing demand for their wonderful meals. Take a look at their calendar and consider taking up their invitation to join them for dinner. Bring your own containers and fill them up with a delicious take-out meal that helps keep food out of the landfill. You can make a donation for your dinner (available by cheque or online on their website) and know you are helping to support folks’ nutrition needs in our community.
Whether you’re bringing a meal to a friend going through a rough patch, donating to FEWD or paying it forward by buying someone’s Timmies in the drive-thru you are contributing to the care of our community. And maybe you’ll even feel a little better yourself!
