Staff Feature – The Food Services Team

November 18, 2020

Ensuring that our communities are well supported, particularly in these challenging times, is everyone’s responsibility, and our Field Centre Food Services team, along with The Weston Family Foundation, Volunteer MBC, and The Blue Door, have taken this to heart and stomach!

Since April 2020, our team has provided 13399 meals to community members facing food insecurity in Peel and York regions, with a target total of 16685 meals to be delivered by the end of 2020!

Nutritious and delicious – wraps, vegetarian pot pies, and stew with rice and vegetables.

From our Community Organizations

“This is indeed wonderful news, thanks for sharing. We look forward to celebrating the difference this will make for so many of our clients.”

“This was such a great support! Humanity at its best.”

“So many great partnerships and new and enhanced relationships. [A]ll our clients are so grateful. Thanks to all!”

Highlights of the Team

Joseph Elliott and Theressa McGowan, Kitchen Leads at the Lake St. George Field Centre (LSG) and Albion Hills Field Centre (AHFC) respectively, as well as Max Carveth, Cook at AHFC, have reformatted their food service model from in-house dining for field centre guests, to fresh and frozen meal production which can then disseminated by community organizations to individuals and families with the greatest need. Seven community service organizations in the Region of Peel and five organizations in York Region complete weekly pick-ups of food for the clients from AHFC and LSG.

In order to manage such a pivot, our leads have had to create multiple menus to reflect seasonal food availability, ensure the highest quality meals, and meet all dietary restrictions. The team also recognized how important food is to celebrations so they have ensured that special holidays and observances are given additional attention, including special treats to not only nourish the body but also the spirit!

In addition, to feeding our communities, the relationships that Joe, Theressa, and Max have built are already leading us to new partnerships and collaborations.

Many thanks to this team for their hard work, their adaptability and their innovativeness in supporting sustainable communities.