How the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre and Parkdale Community Food Bank are giving back to their community in the cold weather

By Eunice Soriano

As increasingly cold weather arrives in Toronto, many Parkdale residents find themselves in an active search for shelter, food and resources to sustain themselves for the upcoming winter season. 

Due to ongoing food insecurity, Toronto’s Parkdale Community Food Bank (PCFB) and the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) look to provide support to the greater community. 

According to Food Bank Canada’s annual report, food bank usage has doubled in size since 2019, meaning services like PCFB and PARC have to work harder to alleviate this strain. 

The PCFB has meticulously crafted its shopping model, which allows people to select a variety of food items that fit their personal preferences. PCFB’s operations manager, Joey Nicholson-Landau, said that since they introduced the model, it has enriched the experience for those they serve. 

“I was able to see that change happen. And seeing people leave the space with full carts of groceries, smiling, was a big thing for me,” said Nicholson-Landau.

As the weather transitions, the food bank is working to ensure that people don’t have to bear the snow and harsh temperatures while they wait in line. 

To accommodate these concerns, the PCFB implemented a ticket system, giving people the opportunity to wait indoors at the Parkdale library — a minute-long walk from the food bank — while people move in and out of the facility. 

“The lineup is the most challenging thing… Anytime the weather makes it really uncomfortable to be outside, we try to adjust service accordingly,” said Nicholson-Landau.

For housebound neighbours, Nicholson-Landau expressed that the food bank can still provide sufficient food and goods through their delivery service used by many community members. 

Nestled a few blocks away is the PARC — a multi-service agency that provides support services to people navigating mental health challenges, food insecurity, substance users and unhoused people across the Parkdale area. 

“We’re not making them jump through hoops to access something that’s, you know, a very basic human need.”

To alleviate food insecurity, PARC designed the community meal program that provides community members with two to three meals per day. 

While a sizeable portion of their products are Daily Bread Food Bank and Second Harvest non-perishable donations, they also have a hard-working kitchen coordinator and a lineup of cooks to help aid their mission. Their staff are constantly cooking up nutritious and balanced meals that cater to a diverse array of diets. 

According to PARC’s development and communications director Kerry Riordan, their services extend beyond the realm of food. 

PARC offers a drop-in service, granting people the opportunity to mingle in their facilities, interact with others and obtain essential supplies — all while having access to nutritious meals. 

During these isolating times, Riordan said these moments provide a great deal of comfort for people around the city to bond. 

“The [social aspect] is really what keeps people coming back, I think, for me, seeing people eating together and chatting and cleaning their plates is the sort of positive feel-good thing of it all,” she said. 

Both PARC and the PCFB are low-barrier organizations that do not require any personal identification documents. Riordan emphasizes the importance of ensuring that their services are as accessible as possible, as it may be difficult to gather documentation. 

Organizations like Social Planning Toronto participate in city council meetings to discuss these pressing issues that working-class Torontonians face in their daily lives, including food insecurity–with poverty reduction being a primary focus. 

While Social Planning Toronto’s communications coordinator, Anna Fitzpatrick, said they don’t work directly with food banks, they support organizations through deputation workshops that expand people’s toolkits and help them convey their concerns to larger audiences. 

“We also try to encourage community groups and members of the general public… we really want to engage people in the democratic process and that includes voicing dissent and concern [to] City Council,” Fitzpatrick said.

Significant portions of their research are geared towards Toronto’s annual budget, which is unveiled at the beginning of every year. In the 2025 plan, they expanded upon a student nutrition program to provide more meals to students in the classroom. 

Even with these new initiatives, Fitzpatrick recognizes that the push for poverty reduction and the elimination of hunger is far from over. 

“There is so much work that is just being done in Toronto and it’s just unfortunate that everyone is under-resourced and working so hard,” she said. 

Nicholson-Landau underlines that while food banks are a band-aid solution, it is also crucial to analyze the underlying systemic issues that fuel the greater problem. 

“It’s systemic racism, it’s colonialism, it’s white supremacy. These are the reasons that food insecurity exists. Because we have enough food in the world — we have more than enough food for everybody to eat — but who is allowed to have it is what’s controlled,” they said.

With the anti-Black racism and colonialism embedded in institutions through laws and city policies, racialized communities experience higher rates of food insecurity, according to the City of Toronto. More Toronto-based resources can be found at the Black Food Sovereignty Alliance and Ojibiikaan.

While Toronto’s food insecurity crisis remains persistent, Riordan sees the Parkdale community as a beacon of hope and, with the help of her fellow volunteers, continues to combat it one meal after another. 

“Parkdale is a very special neighbourhood with a lot of people who really care and dedicate their life to making sure that people don’t go hungry,” she said.