Prior to COVID-19, access to healthy food was already a concern for many residents in the Stonegate community. Today, due to the pandemic and a significant rise in food prices, it is clear that an increasing number of our community members are struggling. The local food bank at Christ Church St. James Anglican Church recently reported food bank attendance is up by over 100% since the start of the pandemic.

The community food programs at Stonegate Community Health Centre (CHC) actively work to reduce barriers to accessing healthy food. We use a multi-service approach that builds nutrition literacy, reduces social isolation, and increases access to food and food knowledge.

One such program is our weekly Good Food Market that is active year round. The Market ensures residents have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, since the neighbourhood is otherwise a food desert – without a local grocery store. And with funding from Community Food Centres Canada, we run the Market Greens RX Program, a program that prescribes registered participants, who are food insecure and deal with a cardio metabolic disease, a weekly purchase credit at the Good Food Market. To date, we have prescribed over 120 clients 15 weeks of fresh produce at the Market.

For the past decade, thanks to generous donations to our annual Holiday Drive, Stonegate CHC has been able to provide Good Food Boxes to local individuals and families dealing with food insecurity and hunger during the holidays, as well as offer access to fresh produce year round to those struggling to put healthy food on the table. Last year we provided over 300 boxes to those in need.

A donation of $22 buys a local family a large size Good Food Box brimming with fresh produce. The Good Food Box is a non-profit fresh fruit and vegetable distribution system operated by FoodShare Toronto. Every Good Food Box is filled with top-quality fruits and vegetables from local farmers and the Ontario Food Terminal.

$50 provides Good Food Boxes to 2 families in need.

$100 provides Good Food Boxes to 5 families in need.

$250 provides Good Food Boxes to 12 families in need.

$500 provides Good Food Boxes to 23 families in need.

100% of donations go towards providing fresh healthy food for those in need. Charitable tax receipts are available for every donation over $10.