I came to The Depot in November 2013.
At the time, we were operating out of the basement of Trinity Church. I was excited to be here, but the environment was hard to ignore. It was ugly and dirty, and we had rats.
Our team of six offered food baskets twice a week to long lines of people waiting. People rarely spoke to one another. You could feel the tension. There was shame, mistrust, and isolation.
We offered coffee and whatever boxed cookies were on hand. People chose from shelves stocked with ultra-processed, often expired foods while watching each other carefully. Fresh food was rare.
It was a food bank, and we were meeting urgent needs in the community. But it felt awful.
Before joining The Depot, I had spent several years working with progressive urban agriculture and food security projects. I arrived with ideas about how things could be different. More importantly, I arrived with a belief that food access could look very different.
And I wasn’t alone.
There were volunteers, partners, donors, community members, and staff who were ready to imagine things differently, better.
Together, we imagined welcoming our community into a beautiful and warm space where people could reliably access fresh and staple foods and delicious meals with dignity.
We imagined a place where people could connect and make friends, participate in activities, share knowledge, and learn from one another.
We imagined a space where cultural traditions would be reflected in the food being shared and where people could see themselves in the community around them.
We imagined a place where people could walk in with their heads held high and feel good.
We named it.
And today, when you walk into The Depot, the atmosphere is completely different. You hear conversation and laughter. People linger over coffee. Programs are happening in every corner of the building.
What once felt like a distant dream has become a vibrant community space.
And imagining things differently is something we continue to do, together.
As we look ahead, I invite you to imagine with us again.
Imagine: community members gathering, accessing support, contributing and feeling belonging not only here, but in parks, gardens, and community centres all across NDG.
Imagine: support and capacity building programs that are not only available for people in their most desperate of moments, but that remain available on a sliding scale, so they can continue to be supported as they get back on their feet.
Imagine: our community members have a place to access fresh and staple foods in their neighbourhoods, year-round.
Imagine: more healthy snacks and meals, and food literacy and garden programs available for kids and seniors, because we’ve shared our expertise and resources with partner organizations.
And finally, imagine: fewer people struggling to make ends meet because our governments have adopted policies that afford them a living.
Over the past decade, The Depot has grown and changed, but at its core, it remains a commitment to imagining things differently.
It’s grassroots work. It’s collective work. It’s people rolling up their sleeves and building something better together.
By Kim Fox, Director of Strategic Initiative