If you’re passing Beach United Church, look for our new pantry box that invites you to give what you can, take what you need. Inspired by Toronto Little Free Pantries Project, it’s a way for everyone to help out, and to be helped, in our community.
Church volunteers will stock the pantry. We also encourage our neighbours to contribute items if they are able. See below for suggested items to donate.
Anyone is welcome to take what they need from the pantry.
While the pantry won’t solve the growing problem of hunger in Toronto, we hope it will be a small but meaningful way to make a difference by demonstrating trust, generosity and mutual aid.
We’re grateful to the many people who helped bring our pantry from an idea to reality. In particular, thanks to Dale who shared his time, skill and materials to build it!
Beach United Church helps people who are hungry in other ways too. Each week from September to June, Beach United volunteers serve a community meal as part of the Beach Interfaith Lunch Program. We also continue to support the work of the Out of the Cold shelter program hosted at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church.
If you’re interested in contributing to the pantry, here are some suggestions:
- canned food (but not in subzero weather to avoid bursting cans)
- pasta and rice
- cereal
- granola bars
- hygiene products
- baby food (to avoid spoilage, please only donate baby food when the weather isn’t too hot or below freezing)
Packaging should be unopened and in good condition. If the pantry is full, please bring your donations another day.
Thanks for the advice, Anne. We’ve edited the blog post to ask people not to leave canned foods in the pantry in sub-zero temperatures.
Our Community Pantry looks great, but very soon the temperatures will stay below freezing. I don’t believe that our pantry has insulation that will prevent foods from freezing. Remember that canned foods do freeze and then cannot be used safely. From AARP on the internet “Remember your grade school science lesson: When water freezes, it expands. That means if you have a can of soda, sparking water, beer or pretty much any water-based liquid in your car, you could be looking at a potentially explosive situation. Whole milk freezes at 31 degrees, Coca-Cola at 30 degrees and a beer with 5 percent alcohol at 27 degrees. Canned goods such as beans will react similarly if left in a freezing car. Nonliquid canned goods are less prone to explosion, but be careful of any food that freezes in a car: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises to thaw it in a refrigerator, and throw it away if it looks or smells in any way abnormal. If a canned good has burst, wrap it in a plastic bag and immediately discard it “where no one, including animals, can get it.”