{"id":575282,"date":"2026-04-01T14:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575282\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:23:17","slug":"an-old-building-refurbished-to-help-feed-a-citys-needy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575282\/","title":{"rendered":"An old building refurbished to help feed a city\u2019s needy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Right to Food\u2019s new headquarters are inside a building that previously housed a mattress factory.Hani Ramadhani\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Sometimes, come hell or high water, a building must be born. The need is too great, the people behind it are tireless and the cause is noble. Such was the case with the new national headquarters of Right to Food at 340 Gerrard St. E. in Toronto.<\/p>\n

Hilditch Architect Inc. uncovered the hell when they peeled back the layers of the old, three-storey brick-and-beam building, says principal Mary O\u2019Neill: \u201cWe found something quite alarming, which was on the top two floors, all of the existing timber had been completely charred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere had been a massive fire in 1915,\u201d she continues. \u201cThe building was a mattress factory, and they had stored all of the wool up on the second floor \u2026 the whole place just went up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Work on the building was full of surprises, including the remnants of a fire more than 100 years earlier.Simon Liao\/Supplied<\/p>\n

And while the building had managed to keep standing for more than 100 years \u2013 heavy timber will create a \u201cprotective char layer\u201d and keep its strength \u2013 calculations by Blackwell Structural Engineers revealed the building couldn\u2019t take another catastrophic event. So, before programmatic work could be done (and Right to Food could get to serving meals or teaching food skills), an entirely new Douglas fir skeleton had to be shoehorned into the building through the roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat cost $850,000,\u201d says Right to Food<\/a> CEO Nick Saul, who jokes that for \u201ca nanosecond\u201d he thought about tearing down and replacing the building. \u201cDespite all the gifts it gave,\u201d he says with a hint of sarcasm, \u201cit\u2019s just too nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next \u2018gift\u2019 was water, says Ms. O\u2019Neill. Despite the due diligence of \u201csite investigation, boreholes and geotechnical investigations,\u201d the building had another surprise in store.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the contractor got started on site, they found there was some curious water seeping up from the ground [and they] weren\u2019t sure where it was coming from,\u201d she says. \u201cIt turned out it was from a leaking water main on the street that had been slowly infiltrating the site for months and months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to contain the water and ship it off-site and dispose of it correctly, so that was a lot of cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

After unearthing some bones \u2013 bovine rather than human, thankfully \u2013 the rear dig for an exterior stair turned up an enormous oil tank that had been missed by a few feet during exploratory drilling.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust time and money, that\u2019s all,\u201d says Mr. Saul.<\/p>\n

It makes the precautions, delays and materials shortages that plagued building projects during the COVID-19 pandemic look like a cakewalk. Speaking of which, on this sunny yet cold day in March, 2026, Mr. Saul, Ms. O\u2019Neill and Hilditch associate Aerin Cartwright said they look forward to the bake oven that will soon grace the concrete pad out front. With a generous forecourt \u2013 the old mattress factory was set well back from the sidewalk \u2013 there\u2019s room, too, for herb gardens, barrier-free planters and a big, trellis-shaded barbecue.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019re going to do pizzas and breads and lasagna, and the smells will be good,\u201d says Mr. Saul.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hoped that this will tickle the olfactory of those who might not know about Right to Food\u2019s mission, a 13-year-old organization committed to \u201cfood not as something related to charity but a basic human right,\u201d along with the creation of \u201cplaces of belonging and care and connection,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

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The 14,000-square-foot building has a generous forecourt with space for herb gardens, barrier-free planters and a big, trellis-shaded barbecue.Hani Ramadhani\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Before opening as the Sumac Community Food Centre at the Gerrard Street East location, Right to Food had rented space at Bloor Street West and Lansdowne Street. From there, the organization was able to support programming across the country, but they weren\u2019t able to put boots on the ground and food into mouths in Toronto\u2019s most vulnerable neighbourhoods. After raising tens of millions of dollars (much from the Arrell Family Foundation), the group purchased their new home, a 14,000-square-foot building.<\/p>\n

But to make it bright, welcoming and dignified? That was a challenge, says Ms. O\u2019Neill: \u201cThere was no front vestibule on the building, and the ceiling was very low. You nearly felt like you had to duck, and you opened the door, and a gale flew in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The new space includes a large commercial kitchen at the back.Simon Liao\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Now, a canopy leads to a glassy, modern foyer, which opens to a sun-drenched, double-height lobby with terrazzo tiles underfoot. Between the ramp and staircase to the big dining hall is a sheltered, cozy seating area featuring built-ins made by Sheridan College School of Craft and Design professor Connie Chisholm and her students.<\/p>\n

Further in are more banquettes along an exposed brick wall, small meeting rooms along the opposite wall and an incredibly large commercial kitchen at the back: \u201cIt does the trick when you\u2019re cooking meals for 200 people,\u201d Mr. Saul says with a grin.<\/p>\n

On the second floor, there is a more intimate kitchen and dining area where small community groups can hold events. \u201cWe had a program called \u2018Mind Your Food\u2019 in here this week \u2013 it\u2019s about youth and resiliency,\u201d says Mr. Saul. There\u2019s also flexible space, a small children\u2019s area (there are tiny stools with bites taken out of them and carrots for legs), and offices.<\/p>\n

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The second floor includes a small children’s area.Simon Liao\/Supplied<\/p>\n

The third floor contains Right to Food\u2019s warm and welcoming offices. Here, history continues to shine via pockmarks on the old brick walls and deep window sills: \u201cThey\u2019re about 40 centimetres thick,\u201d says Ms. Cartwright. \u201cOn two walls we did interior insulation and then two walls we did spray foam on the outside so we could keep the exposed brick.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of care and respect paid to built heritage might not be the first thing on the minds of those who come here to dine. But in a space that looks more like a member\u2019s-only supper club than a community kitchen, people will reclaim some dignity, says Mr. Saul: \u201cWhen you\u2019re feeling [like crap], and you walk in and eat a great meal \u2013 there\u2019re linens, someone is taking care of you \u2013 it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever underestimate the power of a great meal, cooked with love and shared with others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Right to Food\u2019s new headquarters are inside a building that previously housed a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[967,49,48,968,3302],"class_list":{"0":"post-575282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-architourist","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-real-estate","12":"tag-toronto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}