Seeds of Hope in Bloom: Community Food Program
With support from a $5,000 Seeds of Hope grant in 2025 from the Watkins Fund for Innovative Ministries with Senior Adults, Wellington Square United Church in Burlington, ON has been strengthening its Community Food Program, which provides nutritious food to 200-250 people each week.
The program responds to food insecurity, but has an impact that extends far beyond food itself. Every Friday, Wellington Square opens its doors to offer a welcoming place where people can eat, connect with volunteers and neighbours, and access additional community supports.
For some participants, the opportunity to share a meal with others is life-changing:
“Thank you for the warm welcome and the space that you provide each week. Your food is amazing. I look forward to each Friday as this is the one meal I get to eat with other people and not alone. I can’t thank you enough.”
More than food
The Community Food Program offers take-away food and groceries, as well as snacks and hot and cold drinks. Participants are welcome to stay and spend time in the church’s Pritchard Room, where they can talk with volunteers and outreach coordinators, read, knit, play games, or simply relax.
That time together has become an important part of the program.
“Walking through the doors is like walking into what society is supposed to be. I always look forward to Friday,” one participant said.
Volunteers play a central role in creating that sense of welcome. As they prepare and serve food, they get to know the people who attend each week. Familiar faces and regular conversations have developed into friendships and a stronger sense of trust between participants, volunteers, and the congregation.
The Friday program offers a way to connect people with a range of practical supports. The Support House Mobile Health Team is on site each Friday, offering barrier-free primary health care, counselling, peer support, referrals and other services. Community Outreach Workers are available each week to help people connect with mental health, addiction, housing and other community resources. On the last Friday of each month, a Service Canada Citizen Service Specialist helps participants access federal programs and services, including Employment Insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, the Canadian Dental Care Plan and passports.
In this way, the church has become a place where people can access supports to navigate intersecting challenges they are facing.
Responding to growing need
The Community Food Program has grown significantly, in turn seeing increasing demands for food, volunteers, coordination, and other resources.
The Seeds of Hope grant contributed toward a new part-time position to assist the program director with the day-to-day work of coordinating volunteers, purchasing and ordering food, and keeping the program running smoothly.
The additional capacity is particularly important as Wellington Square responds to rising food costs and a growing number of participants, many of whom have needs that do extend beyond food.
The church has also built strong partnerships with local businesses, food suppliers, community organizations, and individual donors. Together, these relationships provide food, financial support, volunteer assistance, and other resources that help the program respond to changing needs.
A community that keeps showing up
Wellington Square expects to continue serving approximately 200-250 people each week as time presses on. The church plans to maintain its volunteer and community partnerships, while continuing to adapt the program as circumstances change.
For the congregation, one of the clearest lessons from the Community Food Program is that relationships matter as much as the food.
A meal can provide nourishment. A regular place at the table can provide something more: a chance to be welcomed, to see familiar faces, and to spend time with other people.
Every Friday, Wellington Square is warmly making room for both.
Interested in applying for a Seeds of Hope grant or other grants that nourish the body, mind, and spirit, and celebrate community? We are now accepting applications. Applications are due October 15, 2026.
