MIND Program 2025: A Year of Growth and Impact
- Grace Chan
- Nov 12
- 9 min read
Updated: Nov 12
For ten years, MIND Program has been on a mission to address food insecurity and promote human dignity through nutritious meal delivery. As we reflect on 2025, we're proud to share a year marked by unprecedented growth, deepened partnerships, and measurable community impact that has touched the lives of thousands across southwest Scarborough and downtown Toronto.
Our Growth Story
This year has been transformative. We've served over 17,000 homemade meals as of November, and we're on track to reach 19,000 meals by year-end—a remarkable journey from the 6,458 meals we distributed in 2022. This nearly threefold increase represents more than numbers; it represents families fed, seniors nourished, newcomers welcomed, and vulnerable community members supported with dignity and care.
Our partnership network has expanded from 2 organizations to 7 frontline partners working with low-income housed and unhoused populations, including the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Scarborough, CMHA's The Carlton House refugee shelter, South East Toronto Family Health Team (SETFHT), The Second Chance Foundation, Oakridge Health and Harm Reduction Hub, Grace Place Food Bank and Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Together, we now distribute 2,000 meals monthly, addressing food insecurity where it intersects with mental health recovery, medical care, harm reduction, and housing stability.
What Makes Our Work Different
Our partner model solves a critical gap: medical and mental health teams consistently report that clients cannot engage in recovery work while food insecure, yet these organizations lack food certifications, facilities, or budgets to address nutrition. MIND provides culturally appropriate, homemade meals free of charge, enabling our partners to focus on therapeutic care while we handle nutrition.
We source food through a sustainable model—partnering with organizations like Second Harvest and Grace Place Food Bank for rescued food, receiving donations from Chick-Fil-A STC, Manley Sales, and redirected Costco donations from Bayview Glen Church. This approach has reduced our grocery costs by 75%, keeping our out-of-pocket meal cost to just $1.23 per meal while maintaining quality, dignity, and cultural relevance.
Impact That Matters
The true measure of our work lies in the lives we touch. Our impact surveys conducted from January through August 2025 reveal powerful outcomes:
100% of participants report improved food security
80% report reduced food-related stress and stronger community connections
60% report improved mental well-being
An anonymous meal recipient, shares: "I'm unable to go outside due to medical issues. MIND's meal delivery has been a lifesaver."
Lurraine, a senior program user says: "It is a good help because I have pain and arthritis. So it is very helpful and I appreciate everything."
Partner Voices
Our frontline partners have witnessed firsthand how meals remove barriers to care and recovery.
Emily Chan, Director of Interprofessional Practice and Programs at SETFHT, recalls: "A female client facing a mental health crisis and living on a low income - her physical weakness makes cooking very difficult, the ready to eat meals from the program have been a lifeline - providing her with proper nutrition and easing the stress of cooking. This support has helped her focus on her recovery during a very challenging time."
Beverly Dwyer, Executive Director of The Second Chance Foundation says: "Two of our clients are completely blind and one is almost there. These meals are an important part of their daily food intake. We also have a number of male clientele who are living independently but are physically incapacitated. These meals go a long way with making sure that they eat a nutritious meal every day."
Rita Mo, Case Manager for CMHA Scarborough states: "Partnering with MIND Program has greatly expanded our ability to help clients improve their physical and mental well-being. By addressing food insecurity, a key factor in health, this program allows us to serve our clients in a more complete way."
Jana Bent, Manager of CMHA refugee shelter The Carlton House reports: "This service frees our budget for essential services. With clients out all day at work, school, or appointments, these meals allow staff to focus on individualized care plans rather than cooking, while fostering a warm family atmosphere as clients eat dinner together."
Volunteer Voices
Our volunteers are the heart of our community events, bringing warmth, connection, and service to every gathering.
Aaron Sun, a returning volunteer, shares: "I have volunteered with MIND multiple times over the years, and it's inspiring to see the impact that the volunteers, staff, and director—who are all actively spearheading this initiative—have on the program participants. Each time I return, there are noticeable improvements in the atmosphere at the community housing centre, reflecting not only the positive changes taking place but also the growing enthusiasm of the residents. This speaks volumes about the vital role MIND plays in the community. Volunteers can clearly see that their efforts are making a real difference."
Daisy Chan reflects on the community connection: "It is always an honour to be a part of this community. It is uplifting to see the joy and smiling faces of the members who are constantly facing so many challenges. I always look forward to the community lunches, to spend time with the members, share good memories and be a community as one together. The atmosphere is so warm, welcoming and comfortable and it's such a privilege to be part of it."
Daniela Luna highlights the program's broader reach: "It was really nice to slow down and talk to people in the community. To be honest I wish there was this program where I live. This program's reach is a lot wider than I think most people would expect. And even as a volunteer it was really nice sharing a meal and spending time with people living in similar circumstances but where our financial situation isn't the focus of the conversation."
Community Connection Through Dignity
Beyond meal distribution, our monthly Community Lunch events have served hundreds of meals in 2025, bringing together 50-60 guests each month. These events reduce social isolation and create spaces for connection and belonging—critical elements of community well-being.
Our volunteer network has grown to over 50 volunteers, with a remarkable 90% retention rate. We've welcomed volunteers from local churches, businesses, and community members who share our commitment to serving with dignity. From food preparation to door-to-door invitations, from greeting guests to hosting bingo games, our volunteers bring warmth and connection to every event.
Our Challenges and Resilience
Growth brings both opportunity and challenge. Operating from a compact kitchen with just 1.5 staff positions—a part-time Executive Director and one full-time Program Coordinator managing all operations—we've stretched our capacity to meet urgent community needs.
Critical infrastructure challenges in 2025 tested our resourcefulness and strengthened our community partnerships.
Cold Storage Capacity: At the beginning of 2025, our freezers broke down completely at the worst possible time—just as meal production was surging. Our community of supporters rallied together, raising the funds we needed to purchase new 21.5 cubic feet freezers from Costco. Even with new equipment, our limited TCHC storage space couldn't keep pace with the volume of rescued food and prepared meals we needed to store. Grace Place Food Bank stepped in, offering us access to their walk-in freezers and fridges anytime we need them—a game-changing partnership that removed our storage bottleneck and enabled continued growth.
Kitchen Infrastructure: While our TCHC kitchen passed Toronto Public Health inspection, the inspection report identified urgent renovation needs. We advocated to TCHC for investment in our shared community space, resulting in TCHC funding a complete renovation of the kitchen and recreation room—including roof and ceiling repairs and new kitchen appliances.
Budget Constraints: Rising grocery costs threatened our ability to maintain our low $1.23 per-meal cost while serving culturally appropriate, nutritious food. We responded by deepening partnerships within the food security sector. Our newest and strongest partnership with Grace Place Food Bank now allows us to access staple ingredients, enabling us to focus our limited grocery budget on hard-to-source items like meats, proteins, and culturally specific ingredients that honour the diverse backgrounds of the communities we serve.
These challenges reinforced a core truth: sustainable growth requires not just internal capacity, but strong community partnerships and advocacy. We're building infrastructure—both physical and relational—to support our expansion while maintaining quality, dignity, and cultural appropriateness.
Recognition and Support
This year brought significant external recognition of our work. United Way committed to a 3-year funding partnership totalling $66,500 annually, affirming confidence in our model and impact. Additionally, we were awarded the Toronto Foundation Vital Signs Grant 2025 ($15,000).
Beyond funding, our voice in the food security sector has grown. We've been featured in CMHA Toronto News coverage, highlighting our partnership impact with The Carlton House. In March of 2025, our Executive Director, Grace Chan, was invited to speak to The City of Markham Youth Constituency about food security and community resilience—a speech that resonated so deeply it was adapted and published by CMHA News early this fall and entitled Tackling Food Security One Plate at a Time, extending our advocacy reach and influence across the Greater Toronto Area.
Our funding comes primarily from grants and individual donors, with 98% of our budget supported by this generous community. Gifts in kind from Second Harvest, Bayview Glen Church, Chick-Fil-A Scarborough Town Centre, Manley Sales, and Grace Place Food Bank continue to make our sustainable food model possible.
Looking Ahead: Building for the Future
As we close out 2025, we stand at an exciting threshold. Our proven model, strong partnerships, and dedicated team position us for transformative growth over the next three years.
Our vision: Scale from 19,000 to 20% meal production growth annually, expand our community partnerships with local frontline teams, and launch health and wellness programming that transforms emergency food provision into long-term resilience. We envision cooking classes using food bank ingredients, nutrition education workshops, and holistic wellness support that addresses the root causes of food insecurity.
What this requires: Dedicated staff for program management and partnership development, volunteer management systems, food safety infrastructure meeting Toronto Public Health standards, and formalized partnership agreements. We're actively building the organizational capacity and pursuing the funding partnerships that will make this vision reality.
The need is urgent. Our community is ready. Our model works. With the right support, we're positioned to multiply our impact and serve thousands more vulnerable community members with the dignity, nutrition, and comprehensive support they deserve.
By the Numbers: 2025 at a Glance
17,000+ homemade meals served (projected 19,000 by year-end)
1,650 unique individuals served annually
7 frontline partner organizations
50+ volunteers
200+ food bank clients supported monthly
How You Can Help
Our work is only possible because of supporters like you who believe in dignified food access as a foundation for health, recovery, and community participation.
Donate: Every dollar makes a direct impact. With our sustainable food sourcing model, your donation goes further—helping us maintain our $1.23 per meal grocery cost while serving nutritious, culturally appropriate food. Visit mindprogram.org to make a tax-deductible donation through our fee-free platform.
Volunteer: Join our community of dedicated volunteers who bring warmth, connection, and service to our monthly Community Lunch events and food bank operations. Whether you can commit to regular shifts or occasional events, your time creates meaningful impact.
Spread the Word: Share our story with your networks, churches, businesses, and community groups. Awareness creates opportunity for partnership, support, and collective impact.
With Deep Gratitude
Behind the Meals: Honouring Wilbur Nixon
More than ninety percent of the 17,000 meals served in 2025 was prepared by one person: our Program Coordinator, Wilbur Nixon.
From our compact 8'x10' kitchen, Wilbur sourced ingredients, coordinated food rescue pickups, planned culturally diverse menus, cooked homemade meals, packaged and labeled each container, and coordinated deliveries to seven partner organizations—all while managing volunteers and maintaining food safety standards.
Wilbur's dedication, culinary skill, and deep commitment to serving with dignity have been the backbone of MIND Program's growth. Partners consistently praise the quality and cultural appropriateness of our meals. Residents look forward to the comfort and care cooked into every dish. Volunteers witness firsthand the love and precision Wilbur brings to every shift.
Thank you, Wilbur, for your extraordinary commitment to our mission and community. You don't just cook meals—you nourish hope, dignity, and resilience with every plate.
Behind the Scenes: MIND Program Board of Directors
To our Board of Directors—Dr. Jane Pritchard, Mathew Farag, Angel Ma, and Martin Thame—Thank you for providing the governance and strategic oversight that enables us to grow responsibly while staying true to our mission. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance, and dedication to ensuring we serve our community with integrity and excellence.
A very special thank you to Douglas Pritchard, whose volunteer administrative support is the invisible infrastructure that keeps our operations running. Your consistent, quiet dedication allows our small team to punch above our weight. Thank you for being an essential part of our foundation.
Last but not least: To our donors, volunteers, partner organizations, food suppliers, and community members: Thank you for making 2025 a year of growth and impact. Your support enables us to serve with dignity, build community connections, and address food insecurity as both immediate need and barrier to recovery.
A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated community members (you know who you are) who prepare and donate homemade meals weekly and bi-weekly for our program participants—your consistent care and culinary contributions extend our reach and nourish our community.
As we look toward 2026, we carry forward the lessons learned, relationships built, and trust earned. Together, we're not just feeding our community—we're nourishing hope, fostering resilience, and building a more dignified future for all.
MIND Program | Moving in New Directions Inc. 40 Firvalley Court, Scarborough, ON M1L 1P1 contact@mindprogram.org | www.mindprogram.org Charity Number: 845346832RR0001
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