With one in four households in Toronto affected by food insecurity1, hunger and access to nutritious food is a serious and pressing social issue in the GTA.
An experiential course offered through Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology examines how ministries and community organizations are stepping up to address issues and how urban spaces in the city are being reimagined to feed our neighbours.
Food/Justice, Farming and Eco-Theology in the City, taught by Prof. Hilda Koster, Director of the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology at the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, combines theological and ethical perspectives with Indigenous knowledge and community initiatives to address a range of social justice issues related to food.
“Food is a part of the theological tradition; we are all fed by the Lord’s table, but [food] can also be examined through our outreach ministries. Nutritious food is a basic necessity and human right, and it’s important for students to make this connection,” said the course’s instructor, Prof. Hilda Koster, Director of the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology at the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology.
In the course, Koster includes site visits across Toronto that demonstrate how food, faith, justice, and ecology come together in practice.
Rooted in Indigenous Knowledge
Koster’s course shows how educational and Indigenous spaces are meeting this need as well.
The course’s visit to Toronto Metropolitan University’s Indigenous Foodways Program showed students how food can be a vehicle for grassroots advocacy and Indigenous food sovereignty.
Samantha Williams, Indigenous-Led Programs Coordinator for the Indigenous Foodways Program, led a tour of the program’s Medicine Garden and Three Sisters Garden. Situated on the roof of the Daphne Cockwell Complex, the space is dedicated to traditional land stewardship. Indigenous wisdom and traditional agricultural practices are integrated into every step, from deciding what plants to grow to the garden’s design and growing methods. It has become a space for knowledge exchange and community engagement.
“One part of the course looks at decolonizing our food systems, and the tour of TMU’s Indigenous Foodways Program fits into that. This visit relates to food sovereignty and Indigenous foodways,” says Koster.
Nkemjika Azuma, a student working mostly online toward her Master of Divinity at Regis St. Michael’s, travelled from Winnipeg to Toronto to take this course in person.
“Something that stood out to me was when she was talking about the sweetgrass braid, which is made up of three groups of seven strands each representing the past, present and future. It reflects that the actions we take today will shape our future,” she said.
Opportunities for Experiential Learning
The visit to TMU also included a tour of their rooftop farm, an urban agricultural space that produces 3,000 kilograms of food a year on a quarter-acre lot on the roof of the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre. The farm uses ecological, spray-free methods, and the food is sold locally at market value, used by campus food services, or donated to community programs.
The course also visited faith-based organizations across the city who are similar taking actions by feeding those in need and urban gardening, including St. Basil’s Food Ministry and the Common Table at the Church of the Redeemer. “For faith organizations to engage in these kinds of food justice community activism means they must explore what it means to be a church in the city,” Koster explains.
“Food security affects so many different populations. We’ve visited a range of projects, including church-based farms and gardens, that help grow nutritious food, connect people with the land, and deepen understanding of where our food comes from. There is a great deal of practical learning involved, from cultivation and stewardship to questions about what foods best serve a community’s needs. At the same time, these initiatives invite reflection on the ecological dimensions of food and our responsibilities to one another and the earth,” she said.
The Student Experience
For students, the course is a chance to see how food connects faith, social justice, and action in tangible ways. “Witnessing how organizations are thinking outside the colonial box is inspirational,” said Heather Hurst, who is in the Master of Psycho-Spiritual Studies program at Emmanuel College.
“When I’m by myself thinking about the issues surrounding food justice, it feels very isolating. Being able to see how different organizations are taking action is hope-fueling. It’s an experience that tells me I’m not alone in my thinking, that there are people actively putting out energy and financial and community support to make this happen,” she said. “I’m left thinking if this can happen here, what else can we do?” she said.
[1] According to Daily Bread Foodbank Hunger Report
