It takes a special kind of selflessness to dedicate oneself to spreading joy through food and drink, and Canada’s culinary community continues to take that passion to the next level by extending their efforts into charitable endeavours that benefit those who need it most.
From initiatives that inspire change to ardent campaigns against racism and inequality, to the awe-inspiring mass production of ready-to-go meal packs to combat food insecurity, here are some of the ways Canada’s food and beverage community are giving back.
Queen Street Bakery
For the entire month of June, Queen Street Bakery is donating 100 per cent of sales procured on its website and on Instagram to the Black Legal Action Centre, an organization that provides free legal services to low- and no-income Black Ontarians.
Country Boys Produce
Country Boys Produce, known for its locally-sourced fruit and vegetable delivery services, have partnered with Feeding Canadian Kids and is donating one box of food to someone in need for every box purchased on their site. More recently, Country Boys Produce also donated 100 per cent of sales on June 10 to the Black Legal Action Centre and the Black Health Alliance.
W Montreal
For the months of June and July, W Montreal plans to produce 600 meals per day to feed the homeless at temporary shelters put in place by the City of Montreal. W Montreal owner, Joris Larigaldie, has put together a 12-dish menu that features balanced portions of comfort food. If all goes according to plan, W Montreal will produce a total of 33,600 meals for those in need.
Ursa Major Wines
Taking inspiration from Revel Cider’s recent pledge to donate proceeds from each new release to various BIPOC initiatives, Ursa Major Wines recently announced that for the rest of the year, they will donate $350 from every new release to the Black Legal Action Centre.
Petcurean and Ren’s Pets
Pet food companies Petcurean and Ren’s Pets recently teamed up to donate 3,000 pounds of pet food to the Centre Wellington Food Bank. The donation amounts to a total of 10,500 meals for the community’s in-need cats and dogs. Prior to the partnership, Petcurean also donated 270,000 meals to Canadian animal shelters in need.
Katelin’s Kitchen
Katelin’s Kitchen, the latest endeavour from the former pastry chef of both Bridgette Bar and Lulu Bar in Calgary, recently took part in the global Bakers Against Racism bake sale.
Katelin Bland and the team were able to raise a total of $250 for the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth after completely selling out their gourmet Rice Krispie squares in just a matter of hours.
More information on how to contribute to Bakers Against Racism can be found online.
Save-On-Foods and Western Family
Last week, Save-On-Foods and Western Family announced that the two companies have joined forces to donate 50 per cent of net proceeds on any Western Family product sold between June 11 and June 17 to local food bank partners serving Canadian communities.
Baddies
Baddies, along with subsidiary Cops Doughnuts and popular pop-up Well Done Burgers, each donated the entirety of sales made on June 5 to the Black Lives Matter foundation in Canada. In total, the three Toronto establishments were able to raise $5,000.
Mamakas Restaurants
The Mamakas family of restaurants--Mamakas Taverna, The Agora, and Bar Koukla--each donated ten per cent of sales from the first week of June to Black Lives Matter Toronto and the Black Health Alliance.
