Welcoming spaces in action

Come to a Community Food Centre and you’ll be welcomed.

Maybe the aromas of flavoursome food will welcome you first. Or maybe you’ll be welcomed by a staff member or volunteer: They know that food and hospitality go hand-in-hand.

Come sit in the dining room. People are sharing nourishing meals and conversations. Or maybe the laughter coming from the community gardens will entice you outside.

Offering a welcoming space can mean creating or even expanding a space. In Eel Ground First Nation, NB, Natoaganeg Community Food Centre (CFC) has been welcoming community members into their new greenhouse. It’s a space for everyone to grow fresh food, whatever their gardening skill level. And in Thunder Bay, ON, Roots CFC is building a patio next to their dining room. In the warmer months, community members will be able to enjoy outdoor dining.

Also in the works? Our new Welcoming Spaces course, starting this season. It’ll support our 400+ community food organization partners to make their spaces “welcome by design.” Together, they’ll gather online to learn about creating accessible spaces, planning a renovation, and much more.

But creating welcoming spaces isn’t only about renovating or building. When you welcome someone, you ultimately create a feeling—like warmth, belonging, or the pleasure of arriving.

This principle is taken to heart at The Depot CFC in Montreal, QC. Each person who arrives at the CFC is welcomed by a designated greeter. The greeter also orients community members to the programs and services they need.

Over the past year, almost 80% of CFCs have seen increased demand for their services. For some CFCs, demand has doubled.

At The Depot CFC, demand for many of their services has tripled over the past two years, requiring an especially expansive welcome. On average, over 300 people arrive at this CFC every day—with different needs and backgrounds, and sometimes conflicting perspectives.

The Depot CFC’s Executive Director Tasha Lackman says that this raises hard questions for staff.

“With even more people and more diversity in the space, how do we maintain that welcoming space? How do we maintain enough openness and integrity so that all people can feel welcome? It’s really hard work.”

But she adds: “And in a lot of ways, it’s the real work—the real work of social change.”