community

Montreal’s interconnected ecosystem of community kitchens

Volunteers tending to the crops at CultivAction’s farm on Loyola Campus. Courtesy CultivAction

Zachary Cheung,
Local Journalism Initiative

How food groups collaborate to grow, cook and serve hot meals for free

Tucked away in Concordia University’s Loyola campus, surrounded by the monochrome of the university’s brick and concrete, is a lush expanse of green. Lettuce, radishes, kale, scallions and beets have been basking in the sun since they were planted as seedlings in May. They now peek their heads from the ground, ready to be harvested.

Caleb Woolcott, the microgreens coordinator at CultivAction, arrives at the quarter-acre farm at 6 a.m.; it is late June, the first harvest of the summer season. In a few hours, Woolcott will be joined by a team of 10 volunteers to help him and the other workers collect the produce that will be sold at the farm’s weekly pay-what-you-can market later that day. 

For CultivAction, a solidarity co-operative of urban farmers, selling produce at accessible prices is a deliberate choice. The farm’s sustainably-grown ingredients seek to nourish communities in a move away from a centralized for-profit food system, Woolcott said.

“There’s no owner that’s, like, reaping a profit,” he said. “Community building, in that way, is the most meaningful part.”

Today, in the midst of a cost of living crisis, local organizations providing accessible food appear to be more vital than ever. CultivAction is not alone in the fight against food inflation. With grocery prices increasing, community food groups have found themselves relying on each other to continue addressing food insecurity.

“If we’re trying to move away from grocery stores that pay farmers cents on the dollar, we need to figure out how to build relationships in a community food system,” Woolcott said.

Many meals served by Montreal’s community kitchens are cut from the same crop. On top of selling directly to community members, CultivAction also supplies produce to 13 different food banks and community kitchens. The morning after the farmers market, Woolcott drives around the city to donate around 135 kilograms of produce to organizations partnered with the urban farm. 

But CultivAction only occupies one step in a larger network of urban farms, community kitchens, and emergency shelters. Through sharing resources, these organizations form small volunteer-driven supply chains, where everything from growing ingredients to cooking meals is done by the community.

CultivAction’s ingredients arrive in the fridges of organizations like Community Cooks Collective (CCC), which prepares and delivers meals to emergency shelters across the city. While the community kitchen also buys in bulk from big grocery stores like Costco, CultivAction’s donations help CCC maintain its ability to provide hot meals for free. 

After CCC receives a delivery, volunteers use the ingredients to cook big batches of food at home. These meals are then gathered in large buckets and shipped off to be donated in bulk.

Tatiana Townsley, an organizer at CCC, said that Montreal’s community kitchens thrive off of collaboration. She said that smaller kitchens like CCC, which do not have the capacity to distribute meals directly to clients, depend on larger organizations like emergency shelters to do so. In return, CCC’s volunteers commit their time and energy to increasing the total amount of food that is distributed.

“Having community resources that provide free food or cheap, well-priced food is so important,” Townsley said. “It’s a great little ecosystem.”

According to Aisha Abdunnur, a volunteer at both CultivAction and the People’s Potato, Concordia’s vegan soup kitchen, interdependence is an important aspect of the work. She believes that community members can only count on themselves to create a network capable of supporting people struggling to eat.

“Every single organization plays a part,” said Abdunnur at a community event hosted by Le Frigo Vert, a pay-what-you-can grocery store in downtown Montreal. “One of the organizations facilitates the events, the other ones literally grow the food and then some of them prepare the food.”

The strong bonds that tie together Montreal’s food groups often mean that volunteers extend their help to multiple organizations. Such is the case for Abdunnur, who offers her support across the board. She believes that, despite every organization’s distinct role, the task of fighting food insecurity is equally shared by everyone. 

“All the volunteers like me are kind of passed around,” Abdunnur said. “We go to every event and every organization because at the end of the day, we need each other to facilitate everything.”

Patrick Cortbaoui, the managing director of the Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, said that community kitchens have had to rely on each other in the face of Canada’s concentrated grocery industry. Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco hold roughly 80 per cent of grocery market sales in Canada. Cortbaoui expressed that when the supply of food is held in the hands of a small number of companies, there are no barriers to stop prices from going up.

“Canadians are food insecure due to several reasons,” he said. “The main reason is not due to food availability, it’s because of food inaccessibility.”

As a result, Cortbaoui said that Canadians have had to turn to community organizations to access affordable food. Community kitchens have followed suit, relying on each other to address the shortages caused by inaccessible produce.

“I’m starting to see a kind of food revolution in Canada. People are starting to think outside the box and finally realize that our food system is not sustainable,” Cortbaoui said.

The Open Door, an emergency shelter in Milton Park, is one of the organizations that CCC is partnered with. Dan Marré, the shelter’s weekend team lead, said that the shelter primarily receives its food supply from big food banks like Moisson Montréal. Despite these donations, Marré said that the support from big donors is not always enough to stock The Open Door’s fridges with the necessary ingredients to build a well-balanced menu.

“It’s not like we get everything we want. Sometimes we have to get creative when preparing a menu,” he said. “For example, if we want dairy, we might get milk, we might get almond milk, we might get powdered milk.”

However, The Open Door’s relationships with smaller community kitchens help bridge the gaps in food supply that larger donors cannot fill.

Deliveries from CCC arrive at The Open Door twice a month. Ready-made meals from chili to pasta to burritos are donated to the shelter to supplement what they already offer. Marré said that The Open Door’s partnerships supply the shelter with enough food that the only ingredients they have to buy themselves are ones that are necessary for cooking, like salt and spices. 

For volunteers like Abdunnur, community grown, cooked and distributed food is the most impactful way to fight against rising grocery prices. This network of interdependence, she said, is a necessary step to moving away from a for-profit food system.

“I feel whole,” Abdunnur said. “[This is] how human beings are meant to live, every action affects everyone else. We’re all connected.”

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Cooking for a cause: Mama Khan’s flavourful feasts fuel social impact

The mother and son duo restaurant will be providing free Iftar boxes for Ramadan. Photo Menel Rehab

Menel Rehab,
Local Journalism Initiative

Pakistani restaurant’s Iftar gatherings change lives one meal at a time

Providing nourishment, comfort, and a sense of belonging to those in need, Pakistani restaurant Mama Khan’s initiatives extend beyond culinary delights to create a positive impact.

For the month of Ramadan, Mama Khan is offering special Iftar boxes as part of their ongoing charitable efforts. These Iftar boxes provide a complete meal experience, including appetizers, main courses, desserts, and drinks, allowing patrons to break their fast with nutritious and delicious food. 

The restaurant is continuing its commitment to giving back to its community during Ramadan by donating a portion of the proceeds from the Iftar boxes to charitable causes.

Through these initiatives, Mama Khan aims to foster a sense of unity, compassion, and generosity while providing nourishing meals to individuals and families observing fasting traditions.

Owner Abdul Raziq Khan explained that his restaurant’s journey took off as a ghost kitchen during the COVID-19 pandemic. They started with the intention of testing the waters, unsure of whether it would be successful or not. However, they received exceptional feedback, prompting them to expand their operations to a physical location on St. Denis Street.

“We actually started two doors down,” said Khan. “We started there in a small area and we would get a lot of people and sometimes we would get overbooked. So, the previous person who owned this space approached the restaurant and asked if we wanted a bigger space. The restaurant has been at 4135 St. Denis St. for nearly a year and a half.”

The restaurant’s name pays homage to Khan’s mother, who serves as its head chef. “I reopened Mama Khan on her birthday, Oct. 13, so it is also our annual opening,” Khan added.

Over time, Mama Khan evolved its menu and dining experience, transitioning from take-out to a dine-in restaurant. Khan emphasizes the importance of experimentation and adaptation in the restaurant industry, viewing each day as a learning opportunity. 

Additionally, he highlighted the authenticity of Mama Khan’s cuisine, rooted in Peshawari culinary traditions.

“It’s Pakistani cuisine, but more specifically from Peshawar,” added Khan. “We’re from the northern province of Pakistan. So you get the butter chicken palak paneer, that’s more Indian Pakistani dishes. But then you also get the Pishawi curry, which is from my city, and you get the kebab which is specifically for my city as well. These are dishes that you probably find somewhere else but it wouldn’t be truly authentic to where it’s from.”

Khan encountered challenges in collaborating with other organizations due to a lack of recognition of his restaurant at first. To overcome this, he took the initiative during critical moments, such as providing free food during power outages and extreme weather conditions, which garnered attention and recognition for Mama Khan’s charitable efforts. 

This led to the establishment of the Mama Khan Pay it Forward program, where customers can donate $5 to provide a free meal to someone in need. This initiative evolved into offering Iftar boxes during Ramadan, continuing the spirit of giving back to the community. 

The restaurant has collaborated with organizations like Islamic Relief and local student clubs, such as the Muslim Student Associations of Dawson and Concordia, in organizing fundraising events and charity activities. These partnerships demonstrate Mama Khan’s commitment to supporting charitable causes and fostering community engagement.

“I had an event that happened on March 16 and 17 with the Islamic Relief,” said Khan. “We raised almost over $4,800 for Palestine; we did an auction, and we did a fundraiser.” Attendees enjoyed a curated menu featuring appetizers like Chana Samosa, main courses including Kebab and Chicken Curry, and dessert with Kheer (rice pudding). Additionally, a refreshing Mango Lassi was served as a drink. The event also included activities such as auctions, with proceeds contributing to fundraising efforts. 

On March 31, Mama Khan hosted another special Iftar event in collaboration with Islamic Relief. This event aimed to raise funds for Palestine through a four-course meal. The event raised over $12,000.

A mother of one of the volunteers, who was granted anonymity for her safety, said she was impressed by the way younger people seem to be involved. “I am Palestinian and I have lost family members. It’s been war for so long over there you kind of become numb. It gives me hope when I see younger people throwing events like this,” she said. 

“Mama Khan is a humanitarian restaurant,” said Ahmad Mousattat, leader of Islamic Relief’s collegiate-level operations in Quebec. “Our values align and (Khan) gave us all the food for free.”

“The whole fabric of the restaurant is woven through community,” added Khan. “You get that vibe that it’s more than just a restaurant.”

With files from Gabrielle Laperrière-Leblanc.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

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The Yellow Door: Combatting senior isolation

Kathryn Rieb (second from left) and Gabrielle McLaren (right) participate in the knitting circle alongside two members. Photo Demetra Kritsidimas

Demetra Kritsidimas
Local Journalism Initiative

Amid the clicking of knitting needles and a table full of vibrant-coloured yarn, the Yellow Door’s Tuesday afternoon knitting circle weaves together individuals from all generations. This scene captures the essence of the organization’s mission to bridge the gap between young and elderly communities through a plethora of activities.

The Yellow Door aims to minimize social isolation and exclusion of seniors, which is related to serious health effects and reduced quality of life. According to the International Federation on Aging, “the number one emerging issue facing seniors in Canada is keeping older people socially connected and active.” The government of Canada estimates that 30 per cent of Canadian seniors are at risk of becoming socially isolated. To combat the increasing senior isolation, Yellow Door helps up to a dozen seniors at each of their events.

Ever since moving to Montreal six years ago, Caroline Alince, the wellness group program coordinator, has been actively involved within the organization. Contributing as a volunteer since the age of 18 and getting hired into a full-time position this September, Alince said they have always been interested in the Yellow Door’s mission and thought it was a great community space.

The Yellow Door runs an initiative called the “55+ Community Hour” every Wednesday afternoon. A new activity takes place every week, with certain popular ones on a recurring basis. Seniors who would like to partake in this weekly hour are required to sign up free of charge to become a member. 

“I choose [the activities], but I also like to listen to seniors’ input about what they would like. That’s one of the only wellness groups that’s exclusive to our members.” Alince explained. 

So far, the community hour has seen activities like line dancing, bingo, workshops held by special guests, potlucks, a reading group and yoga. The group also goes on field trips, for instance, their apple-picking excursion this fall.

The Yellow Door also teaches seniors about technology. The idea was created in response to people’s reliance on technology during the pandemic. Dubbed BiblioTech Connect, the initiative notably allows seniors to borrow tablets. Tech Cafés are also hosted, where seniors can bring their own devices while volunteers give presentations and initiate small group projects about tech-related topics to help seniors get more familiar with their cell phone or tablet. 

If the members need more help, the organization provides one-on-one support with trained volunteers. Those Tech Help sessions are also great social bonding moments for many seniors. “Sometimes seniors have to wait a little bit before they’re able to get help, and I’ve seen some members helping each other while they wait and that’s really cool,” said Alince. “A lot of times they’ve actually problem-solved before we even get to it, and it’s really amazing to see that kind of mutual help.”

According to Alince, Tech Help is quite popular, with 10 to 12 members attending each session. 

The Yellow Door’s contributions to well-being, however, go beyond its senior members. Many volunteers have found a place of belonging through the organization. 

Gabrielle McLaren, who is currently employed at Concordia University, has been volunteering at the Yellow Door since moving to Montreal for her Master’s degree during the pandemic. She says that the most fulfilling part of volunteering is meeting people from all walks and stages of life. 

“I had a pretty good academic community, but then I realized, I didn’t want to only talk to people who were equally entrenched in academia in Montreal,” said McLaren. When a call went out for more people to join the Tuesday afternoon knitting circle a little over a year ago, McLaren began volunteering and has kept coming back ever since.

Kathryn Rieb, a software developer, relates to McLaren’s experience. Upon moving from Victoria, B.C. to Montreal last August, and knowing nobody in town other than her partner, Rieb  wondered how she could immediately become a part of something in this new city. Having enjoyed previous volunteer experiences, a few Google searches led her to join the knitting group at the Yellow Door.

“I really enjoyed having an immediate and accepting community. From the first day I showed up, everyone was so kind, everyone was happy to talk about their projects and share, and it was so easy to become a part of this group,” Rieb said, as she knit a wine-coloured turtleneck.  

McLaren found that a simple activity like knitting can offer much more than just social benefits. “I knit in classes, I knit on the bus, and I get comments like, ‘I could never do that.’ And the answer is, no, you for real could, and it actually is shown to be good for you,” said McLaren. “Textile crafts are good [for maintaining] your cognitive abilities and they have good emotional regulation benefits. It’s also cool to do volunteering that is good for you and that is good for the people who are participating.” 

As the winter months approach—a time linked to heightened senior isolation—the Yellow Door continues to organize lively activities like their Nordic walking group on Fridays, and a potential snowshoeing or skiing field trip. They are also marking the holiday season with a fundraising drive, a holiday concert on Dec. 6, and meal deliveries to seniors who are homebound on Dec. 14. 
Alince said they are looking forward to making new community connections and collaborating with organizations doing similar things in order to increase the number of participants and share resources. They have already reached out to Growing A.R.C. Montreal, a non-profit group with a community garden for new summer activities. 

As the pandemic highlighted the need for increased attention to seniors, the Yellow Door’s mission is as vital as ever, as McLaren put it, to “make sure people in [our] community aren’t falling through the cracks.”

Alince gets testimonies of the impacts the Yellow Door makes every day. “It’s amazing to see that that is actually happening with these seniors who are making connections every day, remaining active, and yeah, it’s just good to talk to them about that and be a part of [the Yellow Door’s mission],” they said.

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Integration over extraction; prioritizing action: Sharing ideas on the role of academia in addressing homelessness

(Left to right) Carmela Cucuzzella, Shayana Narcisse, Jayne Malenfant, Chris Brown listen to Jonathan Lebire (far-right) speak at Comm-un’s panel on universities role in addressing homelessness. Photo Julia Cieri

Hannah Vogan
Local Journalism Initiative

On Nov. 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., community members and students gathered at Concordia University’s SHIFT center to learn about the non-profit Comm-Un, and discuss the role of universities in addressing homelessness.

Founded just over a year ago, Comm-Un is a non-profit collective deeply rooted in the Milton-Parc community, an area of Montreal made up of a number of unhoused Indigenous and Inuit persons.

In 2018, Indigenous people represented 12 per cent of Montreal’s unhoused population, despite representing just under one per cent of the city’s total population. Inuit made up 25 per cent of unhoused Indigenous people, despite making up only five per cent of Montreal’s Indigenous population.

Comm-Un’s panel addressed and critiqued the multiple social-worker and research programs throughout Montreal universities, highlighting what is missing in the exploration and intervention of homelessness.

Comm-Un believes the most important part about working with the unhoused is healing trauma.

According to Jonathan Lebire, founder and director of Comm-Un, the different approaches to homelessness—like “housing-first,” a concept that is recovery-focused which prioritizes swiftly placing individuals experiencing homelessness into stable housing, followed by further support and services that are offered based on individual needs—isn’t effective. Comm-Un, however, approaches care for the unhoused differently; to make healing and love the first step with unhoused communities.  “I coach, I listen, but I don’t tell them what to do. They tell me what they need to do and I make sure they can do it,” Lebire told The Link.

“Unhoused people experience lots of trauma—most of the services now are focused on just survival needs, and we need some spaces that consider the healing process,” said Concordia PhD student Moh Abdalreza. Abdalreza helps organize, plan events and projects, and so much more, according to Lebire, who has dubbed the Concordia student “Super-Moh.” Abdalreza researches the relationship between art and homelessness. 

A frequent sentiment expressed by Comm-Un is that there is a lack of communication between government bodies, neighbours, media and (most importantly) the unhoused regarding efforts to create safe spaces and take steps towards healing for a vulnerable population.

“We found that there is a big gap between lived experiences of unhoused people and policy making processes,” Abdalreza said.

Comm-Un also launched their current project and proposal for the collective at the panel. Their project, “Street University,” is described to be a strength-based space, alternative to day-shelters. 

“[Street University] is about moving from fragmentation to reintegration, from survival needs to healing, and also merging resources,” Abdalreza noted. 

Abdalreza stressed how universities have access to many resources. He shared how they own large amounts of land, infrastructure, and public spaces that have a copious potential to be employed for the benefit of the community. He feels many students who study homelessness within the walls of an institution fail to have actual conversations with their subjects; unhoused people.

When it came time for the panel, rectangular tables with three chairs were dually positioned in front of the panelists. Tables were set with crayons, markers, and paint-sticks coupled with paper to encourage art during the discussion.

The night, which drew in an audience of all ages, began with Lebire introducing himself and Comm-Un. He shared how, when he was about 16, he was unhoused. 

Lebire left his home for Sherbrooke, Que., with $20 and a backpack. When he came back to Montreal, he wanted to make a change. He went to the Université de Montréal to become a social worker. However, school didn’t help him understand the complexity of being a social worker and working with unhoused populations. 

“By the magic in life, I was introduced to the Indigenous people at Atwater park,” said Lebire. This changed how he saw intervention work.

The floor was then turned to the five panelists and researchers whose work aligned with addressing homelessness; Jayne Malenfant, Shayana Narcisse, Carmela Cucuzzella, Janis Timm-Bottos and Chris Brown.

When the question was posed to panelists about the universities’ impact on addressing homelessness, Malenfant expressed dissatisfaction with the disconnect from university researchers and those being researched. 

Malenfant, an assistant professor in social justice and community engaged studies at McGill University, spent a period of her life unhoused. 

“I often ask, ‘what is the point of working with researchers, and what is the point of working with universities when we as (unhoused) communities can take care of ourselves?’” she said. “The way we evaluate impact in the university is not just. It is not grounded in community knowledge, and there aren’t ongoing mechanisms for evaluation that are led by people who are directly impacted by the issues we are studying. The accountability isn’t there,” Malenfant explained. 

She believes one way universities could improve with its research approach, particularly when tackling homelessness, is by resourcing people with lived experiences and allowing them to lead the research.

For Timm-Bottos, the founder of Montreal’s first art-hive, social infrastructure within universities is the catalyst for action and change.

“We need to have gathering places, otherwise people are afraid of each other,” said Timm-Bottos. “We need to have these safe environments where we can throw off our identities and be real with each other.” She elaborated on how art is a method to communicate and learn from those residing in different socio-economic classes.

Comm-Un’s art hive is a testimony to Timm-Bottos’ shared sentiment. Members of the community paint, draw, carve stone or create any craft desired. Once the crafts are made, Lebire will

 sell the creations —sometimes for upwards of $200— and relay the money back to the artist. According to Abdalreza, there is a type of communication that transcends beyond words when those of different power dynamics gather to create art and learn techniques from each other.

Lebire borrowed the mic from panelists for a moment to heed caution of the delicacy that should come with conducting research of the unhoused.

He described how, if you’re considered unhoused by the system, it’s primarily because you went through struggles which transformed into traumas that were not dealt with—as there was no safety net in place. Lebire explained how these traumas want to be forgotten.

“The worst thing for [an unhoused individual] is somebody poking you, and reminding you of all of these [traumas],” asserted Lebire. “Whenever all of these researchers ask those questions, you have to keep in mind, you are bringing those things back up for a person that still does not have any means to deal with it. So every time, you trigger [their trauma] without giving a healing opportunity.” 

Narcisse is a creative with a focus on visual art and works toward action with her art. She has a lived experience with homelessness, and believes researchers with the subject of homelessness should approach the research in a holistic way: hiring the street workers and compensating them for the time spent learning from their experiences.

The panel later made room to hear and inquire further on the audience’s ideas on where they think the role of universities fit in addressing homelessness.

One participant expressed suspicion in whether an institution can have an acceptable role in helping the unhoused community.

“Unless we radically transform what a university is—and it can be in the service of direct action by collectivity that is autonomous—we have to be really skeptical about what we can do,” they explained.

The night concluded with a workshop where everyone was encouraged to share and explore alternative ways to mobilize researchers and leverage university resources effectively. 

Looseleaf was passed around, prompting participants to jot down resources and programs with their paint-sticks and markers— information Comm-Un could utilize to strengthen Street University. 

During the workshop, ideas were bounced off of both organizers and participants in hopes of mending ideas and outlets that Comm-Un can use to leverage storytelling through their work.

“If we want to understand [homelessness] from different perspectives. We need a new way of research and understanding that is connected to action,”  Abdalreza said.

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