Community FEWD is looking to raise $150,000 so it can continue to serve the community.
It’s a food security initiative part of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition.
FEWD is hosting a variety show fundraiser Friday at artBar. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event will be available online and can be purchased on a sliding scale from $10 to $100.
The show will feature live music, spoken word poetry, a silent auction and a dance party. Orbax and Pepper Do Science will be part of the show too.
All proceeds from the variety show will go towards FEWD’s operating costs for next year.
FEWD hasn’t needed to ask for money since it started two years ago, said Yasi Zorlutuna, chef and founder of FEWD.
The program received funding through the City of Guelph’s Our Food Future, which is set to end in December. “We don't have any secure funding. We don’t have any money anymore,” said Zorlutuna.
FEWD makes money through catering but it isn’t enough to cover everything.
If people are unable to come to the variety show they can donate to food through its website.
Zorlutuna is hoping to have a larger fundraising event in the fall. Her idea is to host a cooking show challenge similar to the reality TV show Chopped. People can sign up as a team and fundraise in their community.
If it can’t raise $150,000 by 2025 what happens to FEWD? “Well, I'm not going to think about that. Because I believe that the community believes in this program. That we’ll keep it going,” Zorlutuna said.
As much as it is a fundraiser, it’s also a celebration for staff, employees and clients of FEWD.
“My vision for community FEWD is like yes, we go out and we serve community, but it's also to be able to do the labour, which is very extensive of food preparation for other food security groups,” said Zorlutuna.
Groups like Food Uniting Neighbours and Your Downtown Guelph Friends are catered by FEWD. It also has a pop-up in the Ward at Double Rainbow Cafe for free or by donation take-home dinners.
FEWD’s primary goal is to provide meals and support the working poor, people on a fixed income and those who are struggling to feed themselves, said Zorlutuna.
It’s a program that brings the convenience of take-out food without the expense price tag. The importance of FEWD is it aims to address food security through supporting other community-based food programs that prioritize equity and inclusivity when it comes to people accessing food.
“It's about levelling the playing field and providing everybody with something delicious,” she said.
She’s seen how the food security initiative has impacted the community it serves. There was a woman FEWD served one night who said “I haven't tasted food that tasted so good that somebody else made for me.”
Zorlutuna feels grateful and privileged to do the work she does. She wants FEWD to continue and thinks the fundraiser is the first step to getting there.
