Help to Launch the Community Food Market

For over 20 years, Tenth Church has met to break bread with the local community regardless of their wealth and social status. Now, we seek to continue developing relationships with the friends we have made, empowering them to make their own choices regarding their health. Tenth Church’s achievements have helped the community thrive, and have provided food, discipleship, relationships, employment, and material goods to those on the margins. The community can further thrive by choosing what food they eat for themselves, therefore, we seek to build a community food market.

When you ask someone what it feels like to be poor, they may say they feel inferior, powerless, less than human, and that they cannot change their life. Charitable acts which reinforce the divide between helpers and the helped can make the one who gets help feel less than the one who helps. Other charitable acts, such as some food banks, grant the helper full autonomy over what they give to the one being helped. Community food markets, however, as simple as they may be, help alleviate these negative feelings and help to reduce social and economic poverty. They are a place where people can congregate, volunteer, and feel as though they are involved in society. A guest at the market can feel a sense of equality as they can pay for some of their items. They are also granted some power over what they choose to eat. It helps the guest feel human as they begin to participate in regular economic life. It allows for avenues (classes, cooking advice, relationships) that will allow the guest to change their life.

With the rising cost of food, the issue of food security is becoming more important as the days go on. Food insecurity is a current and practical issue, and it represents a tangible opportunity we have to love our neighbours.

How can you help?

• Please pray with us as we navigate the details involved in this ministry like community engagement, proper permitting, and food acquisition.
• Pray for those who God might be leading to serve and to give to the community food market.
• Though this market does earn revenue, it will be impossible for the market to sustain itself on this revenue. Donors and grants are needed to cover the subsidy for groceries. $37,000 is what's needed to launch the market! This adds up to approximately $700 a week. Please give generously at www.tenth.ca/give and select "Benevolence."
• We invite volunteers to serve and welcome people into a dignifying experience. To sign up, please visit www.tenth.ca/market and click on the volunteer application form.