Food bank: Toronto food bank received large donations of rutabaga and barley, this brought a new idea

When the Parkdale Community Food Bank saw large donations of barley and rutabaga week after week last summer, it sparked conversations amongst the staff on all the ways the ingredients can be used in the kitchen.

Those conversations then sparked an idea: creating a cookbook featuring family recipes from members of the community.

Through social media and the distribution of flyers in 11 languages — Spanish, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Hindi, Polish, Lebanese, Thai, Tagalog and Tibetan — the food bank canvassed for submissions. The one criteria: the dishes had to be made using a maximum of eight main ingredients found at the food bank, along with up to five optional ingredients.

The result was “Taste of Parkdale,” an easy-to-use cookbook, designed by local tattoo artist Claire Bavis, and featuring six recipes in total with a write-up on the significance of each meal, including one for roasted rutabaga, which also provides tips on how to easily cook the root vegetable.

“We’re taking into account that not everyone will have fancy kitchen equipment, and not everyone has access to the items that we think of as pantry staples,” said Iris Brown, financial and communications manager. “So we really wanted these recipes to contain very few ingredients, so as many people would be able to access the cookbook as possible.

 

 

 

“A lot of the recipes are either ones that have been passed down through generations or are recipes that people have taken a long time to perfect,” Brown added. “That graciousness and willingness to share is just so lovely to see because it gives our community members a little insight into each other’s lives.”

In recent months Parkdale Community Food Bank, at 263 Dunn Ave., has seen an increase in demand. The food bank say over 9,000 visitors in November, for example, up from about 6,000 in July, said Brown. Through volunteers and donations – including the abundance of rutabaga from the Daily Bread Food Bank, and barley from Canadian charity Global Medic – the food bank has been keeping up with demand.

 

 

 

 

Food banks usage is up throughout the city. According to the Daily Bread Food Bank’s “Who’s Hungry Report 2023,” one in 10 people in Toronto relied on food banks between April 2022 and March 2023, up from one in 20 the year prior.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal that this number of people (need) access to a food bank, but it’s great to see neighbours supporting each other,” Brown said.

The food bank is hoping to release another edition of the cookbook this summer.

“We wanted to keep (this cookbook) small because it was a new project, so we weren’t too sure how much community interest we would see at the beginning,” Brown said.

The cookbook is available for free at Parkdale Community Food Bank, and can be purchased with a pay-what-you-can donation to the food bank, starting with a $2 minimum, at local shop Beadle, 1582 Dundas St. W., and Toutoune Gallery, 998 Bathurst St.

 

 

This article was reported by The Star