A Year of Fresh Starts: Celebrating the Success of Rexdale’s Community Grocery Store
- necommunitycluster
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
by Moses Mwesigwa
A montage of photos from the launch of the Rexdale Community Grocery Market, held in Room A at the Rexdale Community Hub in North Etobicoke.
One year ago, May 29th 2024, something remarkable quietly took root in the heart of North Etobicoke. Tucked inside the Rexdale Community Hub, the Community Grocery Store opened its doors, not just as a place to shop, but as a beacon of dignity, care, and innovation in the fight against food insecurity.
Born from the collective vision of the North Etobicoke Cluster and the Rexdale Food Access Committee during the height of the pandemic, the store was imagined as a response to the urgent needs of over 700 local households who required food support. But rather than a short-term fix, the community rallied around a long-term solution: a dignified, culturally relevant, and welcoming space where everyone could access healthy food on their own terms.
One year later, that vision is thriving. The Community Grocery Store is not a food bank. it’s a social supermarket built on a cost-recovery model, offering affordable groceries, culturally appropriate items, and flexible support like discounts or free goods when needed. Each week, the store serves between 150 and 200 shoppers who describe it as “accessible,” “good quality,” and “a place where we have bargaining power.”
One year in, the Community Grocery Store is thriving. It is not a food bank, but a social supermarket offering affordable, culturally relevant groceries and wraparound supports. It’s also a vibrant hub for newcomer women, youth, and local seniors to build skills, connect, and take pride in a space that truly feels like home.
Beyond food, the store has become a hub for skill-building and connection. In partnership with the Rexdale Women’s Employment Centre, newcomer women have been trained in retail and customer service, gaining both confidence and economic opportunity. Local youth have also stepped in as interns, supporting outreach and learning event planning skills along the way.
The space itself reflects the community it serves. With a custom banner and logo co-designed by local seniors and artist MagicWong, the store wears its pride on its walls. It’s a place that feels like home; familiar, friendly, and built for everyone.
Since its soft launch, the store has completed a successful nine-month test phase and is now entering a three-year pilot. The work is deeply collaborative, guided by data and made possible through strong partnerships with the City of Toronto, United Way Greater Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, FoodShare, Zawadi Farm, North York Harvest, Al-Meezan Grocery & Halal Meats, OCAD University, University of Guelph, MITACS, the TRCA, and the many members of the North Etobicoke Cluster.
A feature from a local newsletter highlighting a discounted food retail outlet that offers a dignified shopping experience and vital social supports for lower-income households..
The social supermarket model is seen in other parts of the world such as England, United Kingdom. The drive to tackle the food crisis worsened by the pandemic finally pushed Rexdale's own community grocery store into existence. In fact, researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University’s “Centre for Studies in Food Security" are attentively following the project's success.
Step into the space and you will find a colorful array of fruits and vegetables like pineapples, mangoes, strawberries, citrus, tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers and plantain. “It is for a social purpose as opposed to a profit. We're trying to keep the prices low and provide food…It's going well!” says Russ Mitchell, Collaborative Services Lead at The Hub.
This first year has shown what’s possible when a community leads with care and vision. The Community Grocery Store is more than just a market. it’s a movement rooted in food justice, community empowerment, and the belief that everyone deserves access to food that respects their culture, health, and humanity.
As the store celebrates its first anniversary, the message is clear: in Rexdale, fresh starts are always on the shelf and the best is yet to come.
Interested in getting involved? Visit the Community Grocery Store, spread the word, and explore opportunities to engage as a shopper, volunteer, partner, or advocate.
Contact: Russ Mitchell at russ@rexdalehub.org for more.