How Scott Mission is Expanding its Reach Through Spoke Partnerships
A common theme throughout the past year has been the rising prices Canadians are forced to pay at grocery stores. Prices for groceries of all kinds have risen higher than the rate of inflation and higher than wage increases or government assistance, causing many Canadians to feel the pinch. It has been particularly difficult for lower-income families or those barely making ends meet to keep up with rising prices, driving record numbers to turn to food banks to fill in the gaps. Scott Mission has seen record numbers turn to their food bank in downtown Toronto time and time again to help so families don’t have to choose between paying rent and going hungry.
As the number of individuals accessing the Mission’s downtown food bank have increased, it came to our attention just how far people are travelling to the food bank. The average travel time to the food bank on Spadina Ave. is over 1 hour each way! We knew that we needed to do something to help make our services more accessible to those in need, which is how we decided to transition to our new Hub and Spoke model. We decided to move our logistical shipping and receiving operations to a new logistics Hub in Toronto’s Rexdale community. At this new ‘Hub’, we would receive goods of all kinds, including fresh produce, pantry items, and more. After being sorted and processed our teams would send allocated goods out to distribution ‘Spoke’ locations, which includes all of our existing locations and future partner locations as well. The idea of this transition is to help bring our services to the communities where individuals are most in need so we can maximize our impact.
One such partner ‘Spoke’ location currently operating is Bayview Glen Church (BGC) right at the corner of Bayview and Steeles, just north of Toronto in Thornhill. Scott Mission and BGC have embarked on a strategic partnership to help reach those most in need in the North Toronto neighbourhood. Scott Mission is providing the food and household goods which are being distributed by BGC to those in need in their community. BGC’s Spoke location has been operating since early June 2023 and the experience has been amazing! Dozens of families local to BGC have registered to receive assistance and over 600 individual needs have been supported in the month of June alone.
Not only are guests grateful to receive much-needed assistance, but the impact has been felt by all involved. As the head of the BGC Spoke partnership, Evan Frith, said, “When God chooses to work, it is awe-inspiring to be in the same room.” God has been incredibly faithful through this whole experience, providing the partnership with Scott Mission to provide goods and expertise, a dedicated group of individuals to serve, and other logistical support. God has also helped touch the hearts of those being served and those who are serving. Guests have been so appreciative of the assistance close to home and having the opportunity to connect with people who genuinely care. Volunteers have been grateful to connect with those in need, with Evan stating, “Serving is a privilege that God uses to bring joy into your heart through the joy of new friendships, the joy of creating something together that has eternal benefit, and the joy of seeing hearts touched in practical and spiritual ways.”
We are so grateful to have incredible partners like BGC that are helping us expand our impact across Toronto to help meet the need wherever it presents itself. We are also thankful to our donor partners who help make Spoke partnerships possible. The need in Toronto is great and it is growing. As we seek to grow to meet the growing need, we ask that you prayerfully consider financially supporting us by becoming a donor or increasing your support. To donate please visit: https://donate.scottmission.com/page/84617/donate/1
