Meals With Purpose is a student run initiative from the McMaster University students, with the goal of feeding anyone who is hungry in an open and respectful way. There are many vendors at the Farmers’ Market in Hamilton, that sell fresh produce on a weekly basis. Although a lot of the produce gets sold, there is also a fair amount or surplus that is disposed of every week. Our organization saw this as an opportunity to reduce food wastage, by using the donated food and respectfully serving it to anyone who is hungry. This mission is only possible with the help of student volunteers at McMaster University and the YWCA.

We serve bi-weekly (every other week) out of the kitchen at the YWCA. The fresh produce is provided to us by the Hamilton Farmers Market, and the kitchen staples are bought primarily with funds from OPIRG. We serve primarily to the women in transition living at the YWCA, however we encourage anyone wanting to share a meal with fellow members of the community to join us.

Even though we provide meals and groceries to the community, we are not a charity. Meals with Purpose is trying to inspire the public to participate in helping society and focus our resources on solving problems like hunger and food insecurity.