One day, while walking through her Toronto neighbourhood, Tracey Lacroix, Administrator with Nicola Wealth Private Giving Foundation, realized that what she’d assumed was a weekend summer produce market nearby was much more than it seemed. In fact, the Moss Park Market is a pay-what-you-can project, run out of a converted shipping container by the Growing Neighbourhoods Foundation—known more familiarly as Building Roots.
“I thought it was just a market where you go and buy your fruits and veggies,” Tracey recalls. “And then I noticed the sign. When I went home, I researched the organization and what they do. Their cause really resonated with me, and I wanted to be able to help out.”
With a mission to create socially cohesive communities, Building Roots provides access to fresh food for people in the Downtown East community, but that’s not where the support ends. The organization also creates opportunities for connection in a number of other ways: its Coffee & Conversations project, which provides free beverages and snacks alongside critical community materials next to its market; a BookShare program; a Food Bag delivery program; and other outreach initiatives.
The organization is a natural fit for Tracey, whose spirit of giving is reflected in the work she does at Nicola Wealth, helping to disburse funds to charities on behalf of clients. Since December 2022, she has spent almost every Saturday morning helping pack grocery bags or taking part in the Coffee & Conversations. “While the people are in line to pick up their bags of groceries, we have a table set up with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and goodies,” she explains. “We encourage people not to just come, get in line, get your bag of food, and go home. The idea is that we encourage people to have a cup of coffee, sit around, reconnect with each other, and maybe meet a new neighbour.”
Bridging barriers
As the surrounding neighbourhood includes Toronto Community Housing apartments, Tracey notes that there’s a sizable immigrant population being served by Building Roots programs. “Many new Canadians live here, and this way they can drop by and receive fresh fruits and veggies, healthy food to feed their families, and also meet their neighbours,” she says. “Often in the summertime, there are informal gatherings of many different cultures. You’ll hear different languages being spoken everywhere, and the kids are all trying to speak English and get everybody communicating together.”
For Tracey, connecting with the market’s visitors is particularly fulfilling, and while she’s there throughout the seasons, she looks forward to the summer months when Building Roots hosts a variety of activities. “Last summer, we had kids’ activities including soccer and badminton,” she shares. “One organization shared children’s books, and we encouraged people to select them for their kids or their grandkids.”
Tracey doesn’t see the hours she spends with the organization as a toll but as an enriching part of her life. “It does make me feel good at the end of my shift,” she reflects. “I always feel like I've done something and brought a little bit of joy to somebody. There will always be at least one person who says how much they appreciate that we're here. It brings me satisfaction to know that I'm helping in my own neighbourhood.”
