Winnie Czulinski –
After Covid-19 closed the innovative downtown deKEFIR food biz of South Riverdale resident Valerie Remark, she still yearned to connect food and people. With a B.Sc. in food science and years as a product-development/consumer-marketing expert, Remark envisioned a new kind of instant nourishment to address extreme food insecurity.
At Little Trinity Church in fall 2023, she developed prototypes “for healthy shelf-stable meals that could be easily distributed and accessible to people in Toronto all year round” – and don’t need cooking facilities (just hot water).
Remark launched this initiative with her husband Simon, a professional photographer with over a decade in social work. They’ve created meals in poly-lined kraft boxes displaying nutritional info: Coconut Curry Brown Rice Noodles, Lentil Bulgur Wheat Pilaf, Cream of Rice and Vegetable Soup, Hot Oats with Peanut Butter and Dates and the newest, Hot Oats with Apple & Flax (nut-free).
“To date, we’ve made 1335 meal boxes, [and have] distributed approximately 960 meals since mid-May via Little Trinity Anglican’s weekly FoodShare community produce market and their pantry box, and also personally by Corktown community members to individuals in need.”
Further donations in 2024 will allow the Remarks to produce another 1250 meals in the first half of 2025.
Valerie and Simon have partnered with local initiatives such as Yonge Street Mission, and Grace Toronto Church (at Jarvis and Carlton Streets), which is including the meal boxes in its community work this fall. Some of these donated meals come from the Remarks’ Team Building for High Social Impact program, which helps a corporate workplace understand the impact of poverty on food insecurity in its community.
In commercial kitchen space at King and Parliament Streets, groups pay to assemble 100 to 300 nutritious meals to be distributed to a charity of their choice (or a Provisions by Valerie partner organization), while fostering team chemistry and relationship-building.
Valerie Remark says, “We’re excited to see that side of the venture grow, as it can be so meaningful to build camaraderie with fellow teammates and colleagues while working on something really meaningful together!”
www.provisionsbyvalerie.com/
