Community Kitchen Redevelopment Set to Build Skills and Much More

The Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church serves communities across Ontario through congregational and religious activities, as well as through community-service initiatives led by its Compassion/Community Services Department. The Department supports community service centres, food programs, prison ministries, including longstanding work with people who are incarcerated and their families.

At the heart of this work is the GTA Adventist Community Services Centre, located at 150 Bentworth Avenue in Lawrence Heights, one of the Conference’s many community service facilities. For decades, the Centre has provided practical support, including food assistance, clothing and household items, volunteer outreach, and other community services to individuals and families in need.

Building on this legacy, the Centre is now being redeveloped as a publicly accessible Community Kitchen & Learning Hub. The Hub will expand the Centre’s capacity to respond to identified community needs while welcoming people of all backgrounds. Its programs will operate independently of religious programming and will focus on practical community development and support.

Planned activities include food-security initiatives, learning and skills development, community gatherings, volunteer opportunities, and partnerships with organisations and groups serving the community. The vision is to create a welcoming space where people can access resources, develop skills, build relationships, and find opportunities to contribute to the well-being of others.

One of the initiatives planned for the Hub is the Toronto Community Reintegration Pilot. Building on the Conference’s established relationships with people who are incarcerated and their families, the program will extend support into the community by helping participants prepare for successful reintegration. Through employment training, workplace experience, mentorship, and employment pathways, the initiative will help participants develop practical skills and connections to support a positive transition back into community life.

Together, these initiatives reflect the Ontario Conference’s commitment to compassion in action—meeting practical needs, creating opportunities, and building stronger communities. The Community Kitchen & Learning Hub represents a new chapter in the Centre’s decades-long history of service, with a vision to make an even greater difference in the lives of individuals and families across the Greater Toronto Area.

For more information about this project and other community service initiatives, visit the Ontario Conference Community Services website or call 905-571-1022, ext. 111.