541 Eatery & Exchange
Non-Profit & Pay-it-Forward Cafe A faith-based non-profit organization that seeks to create a diverse community of belonging around good food at the table. We do this through our pay-it-forward cafe, youth programming, and volunteer opportunities. Every week, we serve hundreds of meals and bring people together around food, fostering connection and community care in the process. We create opportunities for people to help others pay for their meals by "buying buttons". Each button is worth $1, and anyone can use up to 5 buttons a day to buy whatever they would like from our menu. We believe there is dignity in choice, that warm hospitality reminds us of our value, and that a diverse community can be built by sharing a table. We use our space and proceeds from food sales to host free community groups and youth programming.
http://www.fivefortyone.ca/

Rebecca Sylvestre
Birch Narrows Community Kitchen Leader Rebecca came out of a lifestyle of abuse. After finding hope in Christ, Rebecca felt compelled by her Creator, her family, and her community – who’ve stayed beside her throughout her sobriety journey, and many challenges – to start a community kitchen to help others within her community. The community kitchen allows them the opportunity to teach lessons to one another as they work together to fight diabetes using traditional ways. Today the kitchen has brought the community together; they are able to grow their own vegetables and spices; and now the elders have a beautiful place to gather and spend time with all ages.