West Village Community Development Co-operative received a 2024 Community Grant to support their Village Food Hub, a program led by the community that helps families in Guelph’s west end access healthy food and other support services.
Located at Westwood Public School, the Food Hub offers weekly food pickups where families can choose the items that best meet their needs. A part-time Food Support Worker, someone who has personal experience with poverty and food insecurity, helps run the program and creates a warm, welcoming space. The grant helped pay for this role and provided training in food safety, computer skills, and volunteer coordination: important tools for running such a busy program.
Since receiving the grant, the number of households using the Food Hub grew by 64% from 165 in May 2024 to 271 in May 2025. That means 847 people are now being supported, up from 539 a year earlier! While this shows that food insecurity is rising, it also shows just how important the Food Hub is for the community. Families can visit two to three times a month and also get help with a variety of important things like tax filing, utility bills, and fitness classes for women. This increase in demand has meant that the Co-op has had to be adaptable, using new tools such as online booking have made the process easier, and having volunteers get regular training in safety and responding to emergencies.
One Food Hub participant described their experience using the service by saying, “the response was immediate, respectful, and I felt supported, not only with food, but also with free tax help, utility support, and a free women’s fitness class.” Another participant shared, “this Food Hub helped my family a lot. We saved money on food, which let us spend a little more on other family needs.” The Village Food Hub continues to be a space for community support meeting urgent needs while building hope.