Even before we were formed, there was a vision that Grace Church in Scarborough would be a mission-focused church, catering to the needs of the diverse community of South Scarborough. To carry out this vision, we have identified a strong need and desire have begun the following several outreach initiatives with the focus on “feeding the community”.
Free Community Soup Lunch
Our monthly community soup lunch ministry began last August, and takes place on the 
second Saturday of each month. We started with only about 6-10 people coming out to be fed, however our last one in April served over two dozen people, many returnees but also new faces. We look forward to continuing this ministry, which relies on the support of volunteers to help set up, clean up, serve and make soup. CONTACT US if you are able to help.
Free Hotdogs
Last summer, Grace Church began the community ministry of providing free hotdogs every Wednesday out in front of the Church on Kennedy Road. We handed out 60+ hotdogs each week to people passing by, and returners who were in need of a meal. It was received very well by those in the community. We will be continuing this ministry in June.
The Good Food Box
Grace Church has partnered with Food Share – “a non-profit organization that works with communities and schools to deliver healthy food and food education” to provide the community with The Good Food Box. Last Wednesday, (April 13th) was the first week participating, and there were 23 boxes delivered. The church is subsidizing $3 per box, making the already affordable fruits and vegetables more affordable. Rev. Graham McCaffrey, the Priest-in-Charge at Grace Church in Scarborough, expresses his thoughts on the value of this ministry:
“Food is at the heart of what we do as church when we gather to share the Eucharistic meal together. Being able to help serve the community by offering affordable healthy food, is Good News, this is a Gospel ministry.”
“Pay-What-You-Can” Community Dinners
To make our church events more accessible and affordable for all, we have switched our community dinners from a fixed ticket price, to a “pay-what-you-can” model. We tried this for the past two years with our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, which was a great success, and plan following the same model for our Turkey Dinner this fall.
Grace Church Cooking Club
Next Wednesday (April 27th), Grace Church is beginning a cooking club, where people have the opportunity cook together and eat together. We will alternate the hosting responsibilities and learn how to cook from each other. The meals will be made with whole, not processed foods, and the recipes will be relatively simple and easy to put together. Andrew Kaye, Lay Pastor and coordinator of this ministry, reflects on the importance of this ministry:
“I believe cooking and eating together is an extremely important act. We as people are increasingly distanced from our food – where it comes from, how it is made, how it is served – and as a result we are increasingly distanced from one another. So I think it is important that as a church we begin to share meals together. Not simply to serve food to those in need, but to cook good food in approachable and wholesome ways together. In this way we will not only benefit from the good farm-given food but also in our sharing of time together.”