What Programs and Services Does FoodShare Toronto Offer?

FoodShare Toronto runs programs in four main areas — urban farming, subsidized produce markets, community kitchens, and learning — all built around one goal: helping people access food on their own terms. If you are looking for food, a place to grow or cook, or a way to volunteer or donate in Toronto, the sections below map out what exists and how to plug in.

The four program areas

The organization describes its work as supporting urban farms, subsidizing local produce markets, and coordinating community kitchens, with the common thread that "all of our work is about folks accessing food on their own terms."

Urban farms and food growing

FoodShare supports urban farm sites and food-growing activity across Toronto. This is the part of the work aimed at producing food within the city rather than only distributing it. If you want to grow food, learn growing skills, or volunteer on a farm, this is the program area to look at first.

Subsidized local produce markets

These markets sell local produce with subsidies built in, so price is not the only thing determining who can buy fresh food. The subsidy is the mechanism — it lowers the cost to the shopper rather than requiring a separate application or voucher process, based on how the program is described.

Community kitchens

Community kitchens are coordinated cooking spaces and sessions. They serve both a practical purpose (cooking food) and a social one (cooking alongside other people). This is the program area most relevant if you want to cook in a group setting or learn cooking skills.

Learning and workshops

FoodShare delivered 291 workshops in 2025, which makes learning one of its largest program areas by volume. Workshop topics sit alongside the growing, market, and kitchen work — the site also frames learning as one of the ways it works with communities across Toronto.

What the 2025 numbers show

FoodShare publishes annual impact figures. The 2025 results give a sense of the scale of each program area:

Two things are worth reading from this table. First, the workshop count is high relative to the number of initiatives supported, which suggests learning is delivered frequently rather than as an occasional add-on. Second, the produce figure is large enough that distribution is clearly a core activity, not a side project — consistent with the market and farm programs described above.

The principle behind the programs

FoodShare states that "food is a right" and describes itself as a food justice organization that uses an equity lens to pursue food security for everyone. In practice, that principle shows up in the design of the programs:

• Access on your own terms — the stated aim is that people get food in ways they choose, not through a single prescribed channel.
• Subsidies rather than charity framing — markets are subsidized so local produce is affordable.
• Dismantling exploitation in the food system — the organization says it evaluates its work against this goal.
• Body liberation and fat acceptance — FoodShare has published a statement rejecting the idea that foods are "good" or "bad," or that people are good or bad for eating certain foods, and affirming that all bodies have the right to exist as they are.

That last point matters if you have encountered food programs that tie assistance to diet rules or weight judgments. FoodShare explicitly positions itself against that approach.

How to get involved

The site's main call to action is "Get involved!", pointing to advocacy efforts around food justice in Toronto. Beyond advocacy, the program structure itself suggests several entry points:

• If you need food: look at the subsidized produce markets and community kitchen programs.
• If you want to grow or cook: the urban farm and community kitchen programs are the relevant ones.
• If you want to learn: workshops are the largest program area by count.
• If you want to give: FoodShare asks supporters to become a monthly donor, describing donations as redistributed funds that support its work pushing back against oppressive systems.
• If you want to follow the thinking behind the work: FoodShare produces a podcast; one episode features host Sheldomar Elliott in conversation with Judy Da Silva, a land and water defender and health activist, about her community's wins and ongoing threats in Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation territory (Grassy Narrows First Nation).

A note on scope

FoodShare Toronto has operated since 1985 and focuses on Toronto. The programs described here are Toronto-based, so if you are outside the city, the relevant question is whether a comparable food justice organization operates near you rather than whether FoodShare serves your area. The site also notes historical impact reports are available if you want to compare this year's figures against earlier ones.