parkdale community food bank (pcfb)

RENOVATION . toronto, ON . work in progress

We started our work with the Parkdale Community Food Bank (PCFB) shortly after they purchased a permanent home for their operations located at 5 Brock Ave Toronto, ON in the Parkdale community. Like many food banks, PCFB had struggled to find a permanent home in the area as increased rents and their own internal growth had required multiple moves, as well as splitting their operations between two locations. PCFB is now in an enviable position in which they now have a permanent home.

In our meetings and walkthroughs with personnel from the PCFB we started to understand that there was much more involved in just the storage and distribution of food when it comes to the services that they provide. Issues of long line ups in inclement weather, lack of washroom facilities, kids areas and space to have other community outreach services in the space began to shape our approach to designing the space.

The food bank was not an empty vessel for food, but it was a community hub where members of the Parkdale community could gather, socialize etc. We quickly realized that they have been expanding their services and members served at an exponential rate and we started to think about how their needs could differ in not only the next couple years but 10 and even 20 years from now. As Architects, we've been privileged to partner with PCFB in envisioning not just their immediate needs, but a transformative future that serves the evolving Parkdale community.