Parkdale Food Centre

Hey Neighbours!

Here’s what’s happening this June with our community meals!

Breakfast – Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Doors open 5 minutes before mealtime. Please wait for one of us to let you in so we don't overwhelm our setup team. Thank you!

Lunch – Every Tuesday & Thursday | 12–2pm
Doors open 5 minutes before mealtime. Please wait for one of us to let you in so we don't overwhelm our setup team. Thank you!

Location: 30 Rosemount Ave (lower level)
No catchment restrictions — everyone is welcome.

This is a great time to come in and get some support from our Support Spot too!

Questions? [email protected] | 613-722-8019 or send us a direct message!

Thank you Mayor Mark Sutcliffe for popping by the Parkdale Food Centre last week, and learning about all the work we have been doing in the community and with Neighbours. We appreciate you taking the time to chat with Beth about our need for a new space and some of the difficulties that have come with that. We believe that a new space where we're all together - our grocery program, community meals and other support programming under one roof again will better serve and provide our community with more attentive dignity.

We’re proud to support Right To Food and their call to address food insecurity in Canada.
Today, nearly 10 million people — one in four Canadians — live in households that struggle to afford food. This includes workers, families with children, seniors, people with disabilities, newcomers, and Indigenous communities.

Right To Food’s 2026 pre-budget submission outlines practical, evidence-based solutions, shaped by input from more than 150 community organizations and Indigenous partners.
The key recommendations from Right to Food include:
• Setting national targets to cut food insecurity in half by 2030
• Strengthening and making permanent the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
• Expanding the Canada Disability Benefit to lift people out of poverty
• Fund Indigenous food sovereignty through sustained, community-led investment
As municipal election conversations begin in Ottawa, we also need local leaders and candidates to recognize that these issues are not just the responsibility of the Federal Government. Our community, neighbourhoods, and schools have to manage this growing crisis everyday. Municipal governments have a role to play in addressing food insecurity. Through policies that support more affordable housing, reliable transit, more and improved support for community infrastructure and of course assessing and implementing poverty reduction strategies.

Question for local candidates:
“What concrete actions will you take at the municipal level to reduce food insecurity in Ottawa and ensure everyone can access food and live with dignity?

Question for our community:
“What policies would you need to feel affirmed and dignified in our city?”

Read the full submission: https://righttofood.ca/a-national-call-to-act-on-food-insecurity-in-budget-2026

"You got good food?"

One of our neighbours inquired about our food after learning from the library services that we provided communal lunches at the nearby library. Curious and in need of food, they stopped by Parkdale Food Centre for a supper and have been returning ever since.

The first meal they shared with us was a burger, and they said it was the "best burger they ever had." Beyond simply the food, they have returned to Parkdale because of its atmosphere, people and feeling a sense of community in our space.

"Everyone deserves to earn a living wage, and have access to good food and care," was their response when we asked them what they thought they would like to see more of in the world.

When we asked them if they had anything else to share, their response was pretty straightforward: "Keep supporting PFC. Keep the place, the people and the food going!"

If this resonated with you, we would love to hear your story too. What was your first time at PFC like? What meal, moment or person made you feel welcome?

We want to extend a huge thank to you to and all those who supported our organization through their incredible Pasta for Parkdale event on April 12. We are are ecstatic to share that the seven course meal resulted in an amazing $16,200 gift for us and Neighbours!!

Bringing together seven of Ottawa's most celebrated chefs, the evening featured unique pasta courses that highlighted the creativity, talent and diversity of Ottawa's culinary scene.

Thank you and deep gratitude to all the staff - particularly the Chefs, Sommeliers and Mixologists who made this incredible feat possible:

Adam Vettorel -
Ian Dancause -
Simon Laroche - .restaurant
Coco De Leo -
Michael Ison - .ottawa
Tu Le -
Cam McGihion -
Mike Rochon -
Kat Nyman -
Alex McMahon - .ottawa
Mélyna Amyot -
Moe Farhatt -
Zack Errami -

For us, this is a powerful reminder of what can happen when our community comes together to make an impact for Neighbours. If you are a business or community leader, and want to give back we would love to connect and explore how we can make a difference together.

What if our everyday spaces could help feed our communities? In this participatory workshop, we’ll draw on our lived experiences to explore how food is accessed in our community. We’ll use art, storytelling, and creativity to reimagine a local space and design what it could become: a place for growing, sharing, and gathering. We’ll also talk about how to turn these ideas into real changes through local planning and development processes.

Join us and City of All Women Initiative (CAWI) on May 28th from 11:00am to 1:30pm for art making, storytelling and connection!

To register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYW_mMTrBDzmw1HKspHn2RTY6Sn5AEYCP7Goxj8DcCQ3VO7g/viewform

Thank you to the The Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada and to Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Canada (Ottawa Valley Chapter) for your gift!

We appreciate your support of us and our Neighbours!

Join us for our annual general meeting on June 23, 2026 at the Hintonburg Community Centre. Doors open at 5:30pm, and the meeting starts at 6:00pm. RSVP is required to manage capacity, so please register via the link in our profile. Taking place on June 23, 2026, at the Hintonburg Community Centre.

Doors open at 5:30pm, with the AGM starting at 6:00pm. We do require an RSVP to manage capacity. Please register at the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTvC1Aykuk5VxAuGudsSEUNomgyuWgT3pGT0qCwLnNabL9Pw/viewform

Details:
June 23, 2026
Doors 5:30pm
AGM begins: 6:00pm
Hintonburg Community Centre: 1064 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y3

The first couple of months of spring have been a beautiful reminder of what our community looks like when we come together across generations and culture. We've broken bread with stories and traditions and filled our space with laughter. Each gathering was a meaningful celebration of the renewal season. We had the pleasure of hosting culturally specific meals-Nowruz, Ukrainian Easter and Passover.

Nowruz is the Persian New Year celebration that marks the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Nowruz food customs feature a haft-seen table, which is representative of the four elements and three lifeforms (human, animal and plant). Each of the items featured on the table begins with the letter "S".

Ukrainian Easter highlights the traditions rooted in faith, family and the celebration of new life. Typically marking the end of Lent, food offerings include bread, eggs, and other dishes. Decorated eggs known as Psyanky symbolize the renewal, protection and continuity of the year.

Passover highlights the Hebrew tradition of the Seder, a religious meal that retells the story of the Exodus from Egypt for Jewish folks. The meal includes symbolic foods such as matzah, which represents humility and haste of departure, and bitter herbs to recall the hardship of enslavement with the main portion of the dish being brisket.

The food was incredible, and its impact went beyond the table! These meals created space for Neighbours to learn from one another, share memories and celebrate the beautiful differences over a shared meal.

Thank you to everyone who made these gatherings possible, especially to Mariam for her Nowruz contributions and to Peter Fine for sponsoring our Passover meal.

Hey Neighbours!

Here’s what’s happening this May with our community meals!

Breakfast – Wednesday, May 20th, 2026.

Doors open 5 minutes before mealtime. Please wait for one of us to let you in so we don't overwhelm our setup team. Thank you!

Lunch – Every Tuesday & Thursday | 12–2pm
Doors open 5 minutes before mealtime. Please wait for one of us to let you in so we don't overwhelm our setup team. Thank you!

Location: 30 Rosemount Ave (lower level)
No catchment restrictions — everyone is welcome.

This is a great time to come in and get some support from our Support Spot too! You can also meet our new Bridge & Bloom Coordinator Stephanie!

Questions? [email protected] | 613-722-8019 or send us a direct message!