The Maundy Café is the Cathedral’s coordinated attempt to harness the power of good food to build health, belonging, and reconciliation in communities affected by systems that perpetuate poverty.
Prior to the pandemic, the Cathedral operated the Café as a five day per week sit down meal staffed by 75 volunteers each week. In 2019, the Cafe served 22,754 meals.
With the onset of COVID-19, the Cafe has adapted to provide take-away meals, emergency food hampers, and grocery cards to help families in need.
As a result of the Cathedral's adaptations in the pandemic, a re-envisioned Café is taking shape. You can read more about this in our latest newsletter.
The Cathedral is proud to announce the launch of the Maundy Cafe Bulk Buying Club in March 2021.
It is estimated that the average family in Canada will pay up to $700 more for food in 2021. This means more people will struggle to access fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices. The Maundy Cafe Bulk Buying Club will allow members to save up to 40% off retail prices for fresh produce, direct from the distributor.
HOW IT WORKS:
Once a month, volunteers will pick up fresh produce from our distributor and bring it to Christ Church Cathedral where the food will be packaged for pickup.
The monthly food box costs $15. The box will include vegetables, fruit, and occasionally pantry goods. A typical box will contain around 12 different items.
The Maundy Cafe Bulk Buying Club has a limited registration. At this time participation is reserved for individuals or families in the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods who are struggling with a tight budget. We are unable to make deliveries at this time.
Please contact the Cathedral’s Food & Hospitality Coordinator Vienne Chan at vienne@thecathedral.ca for more information.
The Cafe is currently in need of volunteers to assist with the preparation and distribution of food on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Participation in the Café tends to be a personally rewarding experience for volunteers and guests alike. It's a place where you can make new connections, and become part of a diverse and vibrant community where you can put your improvisational cooking skills to the test!
Besides the generous time of hands-on volunteers, we depend on partnerships and financial support from local organizations. From legal services to in-kind donations of food, supplies, and other services we invite you to think about how your organization can help us achieve our goals and give back to the neighbourhood.
The Maundy Café depends on financial donations to continue supporting those made most vulnerable in these times. We are grateful for the support we receive from individuals, businesses, and local organizations, and can always use more help.
Support the Cathedral's Maundy Café with a one-time or recurring donation
"The Cathedral uses food to nourish its communities in ways that cultivate connection, holistic health and community resiliency, by honouring the agency, creativity, dignity, intellect, and worth of all who come to the table."
In 2020, the Cathedral worked with Union Gospel Mission to create a resource for churches seeking to transform their food ministries from a typical charitable model to one centered on justice. You can download this resource below.
