If you’ve got some free time and you live in Toronto’s west end, stop by Food For Now and support our neighbours in need.

Food For Now is a community of people in South Etobicoke who come together to help out Torontonians who are unhoused, living with food insecurity or simply in need of some support. 

Every single week, the grassroots organization hosts its Friday Night Outreach (FNO), which is a community initiative where volunteers provide meals, pantry items, essential supplies and friendly company. It starts at 5 p.m. at 2835 Lakeshore Blvd. — in front of Beaver Bike and Pharmasave Lakeshore Village Pharmacy.

On Food for Now’s website, it says the weekly event isn’t just to distribute food. Rather, it’s an opportunity to build trust within the community and to connect with those that otherwise feel forgotten. Volunteers will prepare meals, organize items and spend time with community members. 

The sweetest part? The organization is quite active on Facebook, responding to comments that tag Food For Now and thanking community members for their donations. The sense of connections bleeds into these online spaces, where the organization frequently, and publicly, shouts out its volunteers and donors.

Its community members believe the organization is making South Etobicoke a better place through care, smiles and consistent compassion.

Food For Now takes financial donations directly on its website. You can also bring physical contributions, such as pantry items, to Friday Night Outreach. Volunteers even brought pizza and burgers in the past. 

The grassroots organization is most accessible and present on Facebook, and less active  on Instagram. To volunteer with the group, feel free to send a message on social media or to at 416-333-6763.

While the organization doesn’t have a fixed list of needed items, it often engages with its community members and even welcomes volunteers to just show up without items.