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Hello everyone!
My name is Sterling, and last year, my best friends Ethan and Madhav and I started Common Grounds, a completely student-run nonprofit making meals for the food insecure and homeless in London. Thanks to your incredible support, what began as weekend sandwich-making sessions in our apartment has grown into something we never imagined possible.
We’re back today not just to ask for your continued support, but to share how far we’ve come and where we’re headed next.
We started Common Grounds after seeing London’s severe food insecurity and homelessness crisis. The numbers tell a stark story:
- Since 2022, food insecurity rates have doubled
- As of 2024, 28.2% of the Middlesex-London region faces household food insecurity (Public Health Ontario )
- As of March 31, 2025, nearly 2,000 experience homelessness - a number that’s grown by 400 people just since January.
These numbers are overwhelming, but they remind us why this work matters. Since our last campaign, we’ve been able to grow Common Grounds in ways we’re proud of:
- 2,346 sandwiches delivered to the London community
- Partnerships with 6 local organizations across the city (wonderful organizations such as the Ark Aid Mission, My Sisters’ Place, Unity Project)
- Cut our cost per sandwich in half from $1.40 to $0.70 through wholesale partnerships
- Grown our volunteer base to 30+ amazing students who kindly give their Saturday and Sunday mornings to this cause
Building on last year, we’re aiming higher. For the 2025-2026 season, our goals are to:
- Deliver our 5,000th meal
- Expand donations beyond sandwiches with soups, fresh fruit, pasta, and care packages (clothing, blankets, hygiene supplies)
- Secure sustainable ingredient sources and reduce costs - with the long-term goal of bringing the cost per sandwich as close to $0 as possible
- Strengthen existing partnerships, and establish new ones to reach more people across London
This year, our primary mission is to build sustainability. While we’ve cut costs in half, our goal is to eliminate them entirely. To get there, we’re working on long-term solutions that will keep Common Grounds alive past our time as students. This year, that translates to:
- Partnering with local suppliers and organizations to secure reliable, low-cost, and ideally donated or rescued ingredients
- Exploring grants and partnerships that reduce our dependence on fundraisers
- Securing access to an expanded space so we can prepare meals at larger scales
But in the meantime, community donations are what keeps us going week after week. Every single dollar goes directly into ingredients, and just $0.70 covers the cost of one sandwich.
Whether you’re donating for the first time or continuing your support, your contribution helps us feed more people, partner with new organizations, and grow this little initiative we started last year into something lasting. And if donating isn’t possible, sharing our story with friends and family makes a tremendous difference too!
Thank you again for being part of this journey with us. We’re so excited go further :)