Tackling Food Security One Plate at a Time
- Grace Chan
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
Below is a copy of the original newsletter in full:
September 23rd, 2025
By Grace Chan, Executive Director, the MIND Program
The MIND Program is a registered charity dedicated to fighting poverty, food insecurity, and social isolation in the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Toronto. Based in South Scarborough, the MIND Program is a frontline organization that runs compassionate food programs in low-income, homeless, and/or equity-deserving communities. It currently serves almost 500 homemade meals a week to the community, including in CMHA Toronto housing sites at 10 Glen Everest and, most recently, Carlton House.
Food insecurity is an issue that touches so many in our communities, and it’s a topic that is dear to my heart for a couple of reasons.
One reason is that, growing up, I would hear stories from my parents about their life as new immigrants to Toronto in the late 60s.
They arrived with very little and faced immense barriers to securing housing, food, and education. I didn’t fully grasp it as a child, but I realize now that what they endured was poverty – and that their struggles mirror the same systemic challenges that many families continue to face today.
Another reason for my interest in food insecurity is that, years ago, I journeyed with a family of siblings who suddenly found themselves parent-less. It was then that I learned to navigate the social support system to get them registered for food banks, access donations for simple things like clothing, transit tokens, and school supplies, and get counselling as they lived through the tragedy of their situation. The little money they had left to them could barely pay for the monthly mortgage and condo fees that fell on their shoulders.
Even when they received food support, I realized that they needed to learn how to grocery shop, how to store foods, how to cook, how to clean, and how to budget and manage their finances.
Through them, I witnessed how quickly a person’s circumstances can change, and how tragedies can turn a family’s world upside down in an instant.
Imagine that heavy, unsettling thought when you face the impossible choice of paying the rent or putting enough food on the table for your family.
Imagine trying to navigate a complex system of social supports while also dealing with grief, trauma, homelessness, or the many other barriers people in our community face.
Food insecurity isn’t an isolated problem. It’s tied to bigger issues like the shortage of affordable housing, job insecurity, inadequate government support, and inequitable access to health care.
When families are faced with the choice of either paying rent or buying groceries, it shows us that the problem isn’t just about food – it’s about how our whole system is set up.
The Current Reality
In Toronto, this struggle is all too common. Food bank visits have surged dramatically. The Daily Bread Food Bank’s latest report cites over 3.7 million visits to its member food banks – over 300,000 more than the year prior, which was already 32% higher than the year before that and a massive 273% jump from pre-pandemic levels.
This means that roughly one in ten Torontonians is dealing with food insecurity.
The face of food insecurity might surprise you because it even affects those who are employed, sometimes juggling multiple jobs. ore than 252,000 households find themselves stretched thin by rising living costs. Families with children, seniors, newcomers, and people with mental health and addictions issues find it especially hard to afford nutritious meals.
“Nutritious” is an important descriptor here because healthy, whole foods are typically more expensive. “Junk” food, fast food, highly-processed and packaged food is cheaper to buy and easier to access – but is linked to negative health impacts over the long term.
A Vicious Cycle
Food insecurity is both a symptom and a cause of poverty. When you’re forced to decide between housing and groceries, it creates a cycle that’s hard to break. The stress of not knowing where your next meal is coming from impacts mental health, school performance, and job productivity. Kids who go to school hungry find it harder to concentrate, which can limit their future opportunities and keep the cycle of poverty going.
For those who are already living with mental health or addictions issues, food insecurity has direct physiological and psychological consequences that compromise their efforts at recovery and add another layer of stress to people’s already difficult circumstances.
The Bottom Line
Although there isn’t a simple solution to the problem of food insecurity, there are those of us who do our part to fill the need and stand in the gap so that basic needs like food can be met with dignity and equity.
Organizations like CMHA Toronto and the MIND Program recognize that addressing food insecurity requires systemic change. It is not merely a matter of charitable giving; it is about transforming the conditions that give rise to poverty and hunger in the first place.
This means creating policies that support living wages, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, and quality education. It means investing in community-based programs like the ones that CMHA Toronto and the MIND Program offer.
Every one of us has a role to play in working toward a future where no one wakes up with the fear of an empty plate.
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