We are The People’s Pantry: a Toronto-based grassroots initiative dedicated to safely providing and delivering free cooked meals and groceries to those who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need your help!

The COVID-19 crisis has left many in our communities struggling to access food as we are faced with mass unemployment and loss of income, excessive hoarding at grocery stores, reduced transportation options, and much more. Particularly hard-hit communities include, but are not limited to, low-income and working-class families, QT/BIPOC (Queer, Trans*, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), single parents, sex workers, those living in precarious housing situations, those living with underlying medical conditions, those with disabilities, newly-arrived immigrants, and the elderly.

At the onset of the pandemic, a handful of QT/BPOC graduate students from UofT and York University began providing free home-cooked meals and groceries to vulnerable individuals and families across the GTA. We have since banded together to form The People’s Pantry, expanding to 500 plus volunteers. We serve those who are struggling financially or are otherwise unable to provide sufficient food for themselves and their family. We assemble grocery “care packages”, provide home-cooked meals, and deliver the food 100% free of charge, no questions asked.

Over the last few months, we managed to assist more than 5000 food insecure families across Toronto and the GTA! But, as the pandemic persists, demand for support is ever-increasing. Here’s where you come in: in order to continue helping the most vulnerable people in our communities, we need your help.

We are requesting donations to support our initiative. 100% of donations will go directly toward the needs of the project, including:

1. To buy groceries for people who have been either economically impacted by COVID-19 or are unable to leave the house as a result of it

2. To subsidize the purchasing of food and ingredients needed to prepare home-cooked meals

3. To buy supplies needed for our volunteers, such as PPE and food containers for meals Should donations exceed the scope of our requirements for the project, all remaining funds at the end of the pandemic will be donated to a local charity.

In solidarity,
The People’s Pantry