Welcome to Sumac Community Food Centre: A hub for food, connection, and learning
March 31, 2026
The new Sumac CFC staff team.
The doors of Sumac Community Food Centre (Sumac CFC), located at 340 Gerrard Street East in Toronto, have now been open for four months, welcoming community members to share meals, build skills, and connect with one another in a respectful and inclusive space.
Sumac CFC is part of a national network of 18 Community Food Centres and is the first to be operated directly by Right To Food. It offers a range of programs that provide dignified access to healthy food while fostering skills, connection, and a strong sense of belonging.
“Walking through the doors and seeing the energy, the smiles, and the conversations happening already is incredibly exciting,” says Khalid Jamal, the Director of Sumac CFC.
“It’s a space where everyone feels welcomed and supported. I am thrilled to see it come alive as a place where food, learning, and community come together in a truly vibrant way.”
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Sumac CFC has already become a vital community resource.
We’re thrilled to see people coming here to share a meal, connect with their neighbours, volunteer, learn new skills and talk about what they need for their lives to be better. At Sumac, and all of our CFCs, food is never just food. It’s about hope, connection, health and social change.
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Nick Saul, CEO, Right To Food
The Seniors Lunch Program
The Seniors’ Lunch Program is already a foundation of Sumac CFC’s programming. Each week, upwards of 200 older adults from the surrounding neighbourhood, including residents of nearby seniors’ housing, join together for a nutritious, restaurant-style meal served with care and dignity. For many, it’s also an important social outlet.
Recently, a senior attended a meal together with her son. He later shared that: “It’s such a relief to know my mother has a safe, welcoming place to enjoy a good meal and connect with others. It gives me peace of mind every week.”
This program is powered by an enthusiastic volunteer team: 37 volunteers have contributed nearly 700 hours of time, supporting every aspect of the Seniors Lunch, from welcoming participants, serving meals, and assisting the chef, to dishwashing, cleaning, and engaging respectfully to create an inviting, inclusive atmosphere.
Volunteers also help ensure the program connects participants to social and community resources when needed.
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I feel like I am making an impact and difference in my community. I have always enjoyed helping others throughout my hospitality career, so this is a perfect fit for me.
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Volunteer, Sumac CFC
The Community Action Training series
The Community Action Training series is a nine-week program focused on building skills in advocacy, civic engagement, and social action. Participants explore how issues like poverty and food insecurity are shaped by larger systems—not personal failure—while gaining tools to take action in their communities.
The program has also been a space to connect. Participants are meeting others, sharing knowledge about local resources, and starting to see themselves as peer supporters and community leaders.
Mind Your Food
Sumac CFC is currently offering Mind Your Food, a hands-on program designed to promote positive mental health in young people aged 13 to 19 through food-based learning. Over 11 weeks, youth explore nutrition, food traditions, and food justice—while building skills, community, and confidence.
There are 15 regular participants at each session, including siblings and friends from school, and it is a group that really reflects the diversity of the neighbourhood.
This crew has been super engaged and clearly loves to cook. Over the past few weeks, they’ve tried dishes from around the world like Chinese dumplings for Lunar New Year, jerk chicken, beef kebabs, shawarma wraps, tiramisu, and red velvet cake. With each session, everyone is getting more comfortable in the space, which makes things more fun and relaxed. Additional youth programming will kick off in late May.
Additional programs
Sumac CFC welcomes participants each week to a sit-down lunch service.
Sumac CFC recently launched FoodFit, a skills-development initiative designed for seniors. Participants are learning new cooking techniques, nutrition skills, and ways to enjoy healthy food, building both confidence and community through hands-on workshops.
We will also soon be introducing a family dinner drop-in program. The dinners will feature kid-friendly food and activities for the whole family. All programs are designed to bring the community together, foster learning, and strengthen social connections across generations and cultures.
Learn more
Sumac’s doors are open to everyone in the community looking to share a meal, build skills, or simply be part of a welcoming community.
Visit www.sumaccfc.ca to learn more about upcoming programs.
