The Ontario Vegetarian Food Bank (OVFB)  is the only one of its kind in North America and was officially opened on May 11th, 2008. We provide fresh fruits and vegetables along with “vegetarian friendly” non-perishable food items to our clients. Along with these foods, we also provide counselling and referrals to other social services in the GTA.  Since our opening the community support has been overwhelming. We have been featured in Maclean’s Magazine, The Toronto Star and various ethnic newspapers.  We are indeed very grateful.

The donations lining the shelves are typical of any food bank - pasta, rice, canned fruits and vegetables - but there is one prominent food group missing.

There is no canned tuna or ham at this food bank. The Ontario Vegetarian Food Bank doesn't deal in meat. The vision of Malan Joseph, the food bank in Scarborough opened on Mother's Day 2008.

"That was a wonderful day, Mother's Day, to open a food bank," he said. "Mothers are all about food."

At the time Joseph was a meat-eating real estate agent with a burning desire to help the low-income vegetarians he'd come to meet through the charitable community organization he started, Universal Community Help.

Joseph's wife is Hindu (and a strict vegetarian) and when she began attending temple in 1998, he had an idea. A Catholic with a background in community service, Joseph wanted to make the temple more like a church with a strong community service and outreach program to help those in need with counselling, family support or whatever other help they needed.

While at the temple and running the program he met a lot of vegetarians and low-income families.

To read more, please click here (source: insidetoronto.com)