In October Toronto's
West End Food Co-op (WEFC) celebrated the grand opening of its much anticipated
Parkdale Food Hub (1229 Queen St. West), a community kitchen, grocery store, community centre hybrid, committed to locally sourced organic foods.
Last week, in recognition of the work they've done, the WEFC was awarded $10,000 in the National Co-op Challenge.
The challenge, an initiative funded and administered by Canadian co-operative insurance company, the
Co-operators, was set up to support emerging co-ops across the country.
This year was the first year the Co-operators ran the challenge, awarding a total of $220,000 in prize money to 10 winners from across the country. After being chosen as a finalist by a panel of expert judges, WEFC and the 23 other finalist organizations made a 90-second video showcasing the work they do and how they would use the additional funding.
To keep with the co-operative spirit, the public was invited to vote on Facebook for winners in four regions of the country (Ontario, West, Atlantic and Quebec). WEFC was Ontario's third place winner.
The prize money, $10,000, will support the ongoing operations of the food hub.
"The winners, and all of the contestants in The National Co-op Challenge, reflect the diversity, richness and spirit of the co-operative sector in Canada. As these emerging organizations demonstrate, the future of co-ops in this country is very bright indeed," stated Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators, in press release.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: West End Food Co-op