Part of a series highlighting the way diverse communities across Ontario are making food bank services accessible to everyone by providing culturally relevant foods to support those in need.
As food bank visits have risen in Ontario, removing barriers to food bank services is more important than ever – and Black-led food banks are making a meaningful difference by providing culturally relevant food through their programs. Initiatives like these strengthen food bank service by ensuring each person in need can access nourishing, familiar food that align with their personal and cultural traditions and preferences.
The importance of providing culturally relevant foods
Offering culturally relevant or preferred foods is one important way food banks can respond to the needs of their communities. Providing ingredients and food that recipients are used to cooking with isn’t just practical, it can have an impact on food bank visitors’ emotional well-being and help bridge social gaps by fostering spaces where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.
In addition to reducing barriers to service and making more nutritious food available to all, culturally relevant food programs can also create opportunities for food bank visitors to express care for loved ones observe cultural traditions, and celebrate special moments with familiar foods.
Culturally responsive food programs in Feed Ontario’s network
Within the Black community there are many cultures represented, each with their own unique traditions and needs. We want to share just a few of the ways Black-led food banks are reflecting this diversity and supporting those they serve.
In 2023, Knights Table, located in the Peel Region, led the development of The Brampton Food Hub, a collaboration between six local agencies with a focus on providing culturally relevant food. The Food Hub provides Jamaican food staples like canned ackee, coconut milk, fish, and curry powders – just one example of the many diverse communities their program supports.
Annie Bynoe, the Executive Director of Knights Table recently received the Key to the City of Brampton, awarded for her decades of work supporting food security in her community, her excellence in partnership building across the region, and her advocacy for equity, inclusion, and culturally-appropriate supports.
Feed Ontario staff with volunteers from Brampton Food Hub at a member visit to Knights Table in 2025.
Another food bank in our network that has developed a culturally-responsive food program is Food Banks Mississauga. Last year, driven by the Black-led food banks in their network, they received a Feeding Possibility! Grant to expand their program distributing foods specific to African and Caribbean culture.
The funding we provided for this initiative contributed to the purchase of over 45,000 pounds of culturally relevant foods like plantains, corned beef, salt fish, cornmeal, and white yam, which was distributed to food banks throughout Mississauga. Food bank visitors shared that the program made them feel valued, provided economic relief, built trust with the food bank, and cultivated a sense of community.
In Daily Bread Food Bank’s network, Black-led agencies like Tropicana Community Services and Empringham-TAIBU Food Bank are making food more accessible to their communities, while also focusing on providing culturally appropriate support beyond food.
Tropicana Community Services offers counselling, childcare, education, and employment services focused on providing support to Toronto’s Black, African, and Caribbean communities. TAIBU Community Health Centre is a multiservice agency that supports Black communities by providing a variety of health promotion programs delivered in a culturally-affirming environment. These organizations are taking innovative approaches by providing multifaceted supports to meet the needs they’re seeing in their communities – and making a real difference.
A lasting impact
The Black-led food banks in our network that are providing culturally relevant food through their programs are creating a lasting impact, offering essential supports to their neighbours, making food banks more accessible, and cultivating a tangible sense of belonging. We’re proud to recognize the Black leaders throughout our network, and their incredible dedication to supporting food security in Ontario.