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Food and Distribution Hub Feasibility Study

Starting in 2011 and over the next 15 months, North York Harvest will embark on a feasibility study for a Food and Distribution Hub in a revitalized Lawrence Heights. The Hub imagines a food security solution that will bring people together across the income spectrum and pull back the curtain on the food system and hunger and poverty relief in Toronto.

The feasibility study, funded by the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, is the first step towards realizing a new facility that will house North York Harvest’s food distribution centre and community food programs such as a local food bank, community gardens, community kitchens and market space. The study will also explore the potential for additional features such as complementary food programs (e.g. communal dining or greenhouse space) and other facilities (e.g. small-enterprise kitchens or processing facilities that support urban agriculture).

This vision builds on a substantial body of work that advocates for community hub planning and endorses a closer look at the “food centre” model. It also capitalizes on the assets within Lawrence Heights which includes residents who are engaged and active around food issues and a strong community agency network that is committed to collaborative relationships. Furthermore, Lawrence Heights is ideally situated adjacent to major transportation arteries including transit and within a short distance of the Greenbelt. Finally, the timing coincides with the Lawrence Heights Revitalization process, a 20-year plan to redevelop the neighbourhood’s social housing stock and surrounding lands.

Project objectives

The feasibility study for the Food and Distribution Hub has three primary objectives:

  1. to build partnerships that will support the project into the next phase of development;
  2. to establish a Food Advocacy Council that will advance and promote the project with both partners and community members; and
  3. to produce a report detailing the feasibility of the Food and Distribution Hub, and pointing to a way forward to the completion of the project.

Project team

Joining us on this project are du Toit Allsopp Hillier, a well-known and respected Toronto-based interdisciplinary design firm of architects, landscape architects and urban designers that has worked on landmarks such as the Artscape Wychwood Barns and the Evergreen Brick Works, and Public Interest, a consulting group that works with public, not-for-profit, and labour organizations to support social change, improve the environment, facilitate community development and promote progressive public policy.

Rounding out the team, the project will be supported by a Food Advocate Council of 15 members that will include local residents, other stakeholders and leading thinkers in Toronto. Current members include:

Julie Callaghan, Unison Health and Community Services
Daffodil Davis, local resident
Angela ElzingaCheng, FoodShare Toronto
Barbara Emanuel, Toronto Public Health
Charna Gord, local resident
Mahamud Hussein, local resident
Helen Kennedy, Lawrence Heights Community Centre, City of Toronto
Zesta Kim, North York Community House
Brent Lawson, Youth Without Shelter
Anan Lololi, Afri-Can FoodBasket
Rod MacRae, York University
Eric Payseur, PACT Urban Peace Program
Jeff Quance, Toronto Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto
Carmen Smith, Toronto Community Housing

Further information

For further information about the Food and Distribution Hub feasibility study, please contact Daniel Liadsky at 416-635-7771 ext. 32 or daniel [at] northyorkharvest [dot] com.