Food for Thought serves 17,300 meals in COVID relief

Two local restaurants, Coconut Lagoon and Thali, and community organization Food for Thought net-café, joined forces six weeks ago and formed Food for Thought: COVID-19 Response. They set out to provide free hot meals to those in Ottawa most impacted by COVID-19. Over the past five weeks they have served more than 17,300 meals to people living in temporary shelters in hotels and motels. These are mostly families with children who don’t have access to cooking facilities aside from a mini-fridge and a microwave.

Social distancing measures and the closure of many affordable restaurants have contributed to widespread food anxiety. “Our meals are delicious, healthy, and made with dignity and care for our communities," said Sylvain de Margerie. "We are now delivering an average of 900 meals per day to the people in our community who need them most”

Volunteer drivers, food packers, chefs, donors, and distributors have all committed time to make the program work. “Every day, our chefs create new meals. There’s logistics, packing, and distributing. At the end of the day, we produce lots of smiles,’' said Marie Wang, who volunteers five days a week running the restaurant operations.

The Food for Thought: COVID-19 Response group are looking for donations, no matter how big or small, to help us keep their service going. They also seeking additional volunteers including chefs willing to donate their time and expertise to their cause, as well as drivers, web and social media experts, and food packers. 

To learn more about Food for Thought: COVID-19 Response: visit Foodforthought.cafe or on Twitter at: @food4ottawa