CFTO Just Turned Five!
Farmers' markets, hot-weather food guide, happy birthday to us, and more!
Hey there, friend!
It’s August, and your neighbours around Toronto have been busy organizing to clean up and fix up CFTO locations, building connections with local businesses, and coming up with countless inspiring ways to share groceries with one another. Here’s a quick look at what’s been going on.
CFTO Just Turned 5! Celebrate with Us!
For five years, friends and neighbours in Toronto have been collaborating in mutual aid as Community Fridges TO to set up public, accessible fridges and pantries across the city to help folks stay nourished and share with one another.
At CFTO, we believe in the power of collective action. For our birthday this year, our goal is to fundraise $5,000 so we can maintain fridges, build sheds, and to purchase food for our locations across the city. We're asking community members to donate $5 (or whatever you wish) to celebrate five years and keep our fridge network thriving. Read more on our GoFundMe page (and share with your friends!).
We will continue to speak up about food injustice and foster barrier-free care and community while fighting against the systems that cause need.
Thanks for all the support over the last 5 years. Together, we can take care of each other.
Market Season Is Underway!
CFTO is helping neighbours share food with the community while supporting local farmers and food vendors. When you buy something at a market to share and drop it off at a CFTO table, our organizers coordinate distribution to fill as many community fridges as possible.
This year, you’ll find us at the following markets:
🥕 Sorauren Farmers' Market
🗓 Mondays, weekly | 3-7PM
📍 Sorauren Park, 289 Sorauren Ave
🔗 soraurenmarket.com
🥬 Trinity Bellwoods Farmers' Market
🗓 Tuesdays, weekly | 3-7PM
📍 Trinity Bellwoods Park (NW corner), 241-257 Shaw St
🔗 tbfm.ca
🍞 Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers' Market
🗓 Thursdays, bi-weekly | 3-7PM
📍New Dufferin Grove Clubhouse (NW corner of park), 875 Dufferin St
🔗 dufferingrovemarket.ca
🌿 Deeply Rooted Farmers’ Market
🗓 Sundays | 9am – 2pm on the following dates: August 10, September 7, October 5
📍 Dieppe Park (near parking lot), 455 Cosburn Ave
🔗 deeplyrootedmarket.ca
🌽 East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market
🗓 Thursdays | 3-7PM | August 28, September 11, October 9
📍 East Lynn Park, 1949 Danforth Ave
🔗eastlynnparkfarmersmarket.ca
For more information, or to get involved at a CFTO market table, send us an e-mail or join the CFTO Slack by filling out the form on our website.
Introducing QR Code Check-Ins
It’s now easier than ever to support and maintain your nearby Community Fridge Toronto location! Community members have added QR codes to each CFTO location. Any time you drop off food, give the fridge a clean, have a food request to share, or notice something that needs attention, you can scan the QR code and fill out the form. It gets sent directly to the location’s Slack channel so everyone can see it.
Jen walks us through the process in this reel.
Summer Sharing Guide
Toronto gets HOT in the summer! Artist and CFTO organizer Alanna created a great visual guide for helping our neighbours nourished and hydrated during the summer months.
Check out the full guide on our Instagram page.
The More You Know 🌠
There are countless ways to fill a community fridge!
If you want to fill a community fridge, buying groceries with your own money and dropping them off at a CFTO location is absolutely not your only option!
Soraya is participating in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and fundraised to fill her local community fridge locations
Soraya told supporters that she wanted her first marathon run to be about more than just crossing the finish line. She wanted to use the opportunity to show her kiddo what it looks like to care for their community, and inspire others to do the same. Soraya was able to surpass her fundraising goal of $500, raising over $1,000 so far. She brought her kiddo to the grocery store and filled two CFTO locations, and will continue to do so with the funds left over.
East End Acts set up a table to collect donations for CFTO locations at two film screenings and collected several carloads of food donations.
East End Acts showed us how simple it can be to share food with our neighbours. They held film screenings at the Redwood Theatre for No Other Land and A State of Passion and encouraged ticket holders to bring one non-perishable food item to share.
They connected with neighbours via the CFTO slack channel, and found a number of folks eager to help transport what ended up being multiple carloads of food donations to two local community fridge locations.
There are countless ways to get involved and help make sure everyone in Toronto has barrier-free access to good food. Sign up to join organizers on Slack, or visit our website to learn more.
In solidarity,
Your Neighbours at CFTO
