With growling stomachs, many suffering from food insecurity don‘t know where they are going to find their next meals, with parents and children often skipping meals or not having enough food. This is the reality for one in five households in Toronto, Ontario.
The Toronto Little Free Pantry Project aims to tackle that need and address it on a local level.
On April 24, Toronto community members gathered at the Toronto Ontario Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to assemble 1,000 soup kits for individuals and families in need, according to the Church’s Canada Newsroom.
The kits were then placed in “little free pantries” throughout the Greater Toronto area. These pantries are community-based resources that offer access to nonperishable food items for anyone in need and supplement traditional food banks. They are accessible 24/7 and often found outside of local churches or community centers. Anyone can take a meal or leave food for others.
The Hearty Harvest Soup Kit project began when the Toronto interfaith group Sharing Sacred Spaces heard about little free pantries and wanted to address food insecurity by filling the pantries with meals in jars.
The soup kits — containers of dry soup ingredients — require only the addition of hot water to create a warm, nutritious meal that can feed two to four people.
The organizing committee from Sharing Sacred Spaces included members from the Manor Road United Church, Toronto Buddhist Church, Gursikh Sabha Gurdwara, Church of Scientology and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The group was joined by members and missionaries of the Toronto Ontario and Brampton Ontario stakes. Bishop Paul Baui of the Eglington Ward invited his ward’s youth to attend the activity.
“It was an amazing opportunity for the community to come together to do a good service with people of all ages,” he said.
Lentils, rice, split peas and seasonings were added to each container, which was labeled with cooking instructions — all done in assembly lines.
Kim Tylka, a Latter-day Saint and Sharing Sacred Spaces committee member, explained coming together could have a big impact.
“In a world where it sometimes feels like problems and hardships overflow and that a person has little power to do much to make it better, the simple act of filling jars might not seem like it will make much of a difference,” said Tylka. “But uniting with members of many faiths shows that love and small acts of kindness can go a long way and give hope to both the giver and the receiver.”
Beyond meeting their goal of 1,000 soup containers, volunteers also expressed gratitude for being able to work together.
Mandeep Singh, a Sikh and member of the Gursikh Sabha Gurdwara, said: “Thank you to this community for organizing such a meaningful event. It exuded generosity and dedication and is truly inspiring.”
One Latter-day Saint, Edianny Gomez, was ready to serve together again. “We should do more of this more often. People want to do something to help.”
Les Tanaka, committee member from the Toronto Buddhist Church, said: “It was so beautiful to see people come together. I am so blown away by it all.”
Earl Smith, a member of the Church of Scientology, explained that “life is a group effort.”
“We need each other, and it is our love for our fellow beings and our desire to help anyone that brings us here tonight. You think maybe these things don‘t help, but this can be a start to help someone,” he said.
Julie Nelson, communication director for the Toronto Ontario Stake, added: “It is such an incredible experience to be able to work alongside so many of our faith and various faiths across the city in a single goal and purpose. It is humbling to see what we can do when we work together.”
