FEWD is Launching a Food Truck!

After 4 years of incubation, testing, and learning we are starting our next chapter.

But we can’t do it without your help. That’s why we're inviting Guelph residents, businesses and community-minded individuals to become part of this impactful journey with us. And the first step on that journey is raising $25,000 to get the FEWD food truck on the road as soon as possible.

This is more than a fundraising campaign; it's an invitation to bring FEWD’s proven model to the next level of service to the Guelph community..

Community FEWD is the brainchild of Yasemin Zorlutuna and was launched in 2022 as a food security initiative in partnership with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition and the City of Guelph’s Our Food Future Project. From the start, our goal was to operate from a food truck, taking advantage of its efficiency and nimbleness. Now we are ready to take this next step..

The food truck will give FEWD a dedicated space to cook and serve out of, and create a more sustainable operation.

The truck will allow us to bring food directly to Guelph neighbourhoods and community events — especially to communities experiencing food insecurity — without having to find and set up spaces to serve from. As well, the food truck will allow us to expand our catering work, creating earned income that helps FEWD avoid dependence on competitive and restrictive grant funding. This would mean that we at FEWD can focus our considerable energies on what we do best - feeding people!

In the last 4 years, FEWD has served 75,000 meals and diverted over 50,000kg of food from landfill.

The food truck will be Pay-What-You-Want when serving Guelph neighbourhoods and community events. As always, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. This model also allows other individuals to subsidize meals, or Pay-It-Forward, to support their community.

FEWD will continue to be an operation that marries commercial food services with grassroots community organizing, outreach, and care.

This next iteration will be a social enterprise and stand-alone entity. It will retain its original name FEWD — Food Equity With Dignity — reflecting our foundational mission; to offer an equitable, dignified, and nourishing food source to community members, no matter their economic status.

We will secure storage and prep space, a much less complicated undertaking than securing or building dedicated kitchen space.

Our approach to food remains the same - using the farm-to-table-style of menu planning to transform raw surplus ingredients into delicious meals. As always, we are committed to continuing our work with partners to build an equitable and resilient food system that centres people, the planet, and all life on Earth.

Reaching our $25,000 launch goal will help cover:

Food truck acquisition, preparation & outfitting

Storage & prep space rental

Commercial equipment

Permits, licensing & insurance

Initial food & supplies

Please note: this new iteration of FEWD is not a registered charity, and contributions are not eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

We are also looking for Sponsors who are interested in maximizing social impact by contributing larger amounts. Please get in touch if you or your business/operation are interested, or go to fewd.ca to learn more.