#tinyhometakeout — Public Fediverse posts

SERVING GOOD FOOD AND GOOD KARMA

Tiny Home Takeout, located at 56 Duke St. in Kitchener, has been serving the community since they opened four years ago.   

“Father Toby, the head pastor [at St. Mary’s] he was thinking about ways in which we could support the community, especially during the pandemic,” Jie-Soo Park, program assistant at Tiny Home Takeout, said.    

The restaurant works on a pay-what-you-can model to feed as many people as possible.   

“We want everyone to be welcome, whether it’s the mayor or somebody who’s sleeping on the street, to feel like they can come and grab food,” Park said.  

Originally the restaurant served pizzas, but a few years ago the menu switched to serving four different calzone varieties as well as a rotating flavour of the month. The stall also offers bites, smaller snacks that change every day.  

“We started off by serving between 10 and 100 people a day, and now we’re up to 300 sometimes 400 people” said Fr. Toby Collins one of the founders of Tiny Home Takeout.  

“[W]e want to eliminate the stigma behind accessing a great meal, and so even though we are really accessible to those who may not be able to afford take out or a restaurant quality meal, that doesn’t mean that that’s the only demographic we serve,” Park said.  

Many of the ingredients used by Tiny Home Takeout are grown in their own garden located at Resurrection College.   

“We also seek to build community through food, and we find that calmer environment and a respectful environment where people have just a delicious meal that they really appreciate day in and day out,” Collins said.   

On Sept. 14, Tiny Home Takeout will be running their Hunger No More event at St. Mary Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church at 56 Duke Street, Kitchener.   

“We’re going to have lots of food vendors come in and offer small free samples of whatever they serve. And there will also be a Kid Zone, live entertainment and there is a massive silent auction that is always really interesting and a great way to contribute to the community,” Park said.   

For those who are looking to get involved with Tiny Home Takeout, the restaurant takes donations on their site. They are also looking for volunteers in both their restaurant location and garden.   

“It really is changing this part of the downtown and when everybody pitches in and works together trying to deal with the issue of food insecurity in a new and creative way, it truly changes lives for the better,” Collins said.   

“We want everyone from the community to be in line, and we always make enough food so that regardless of who you are, you can come by and you can grab dinner with your family,” he said.  

More information can be found on their website as well as X, Instagram and Facebook at @TinyHomeTakeout. 

#AlexKinsella #charity #community #fatherToby #kitchener #localBusiness #payWhatYouCan #RachaelMacIntosh #sevenSorrowsRomanCatholicChurch #stMaryS #TinyHomeTakeout

THINGS TO DO DURING THE 2024 HOLIDAY SEASON

As someone who was born here, hated it, moved away, and then came back and loved it, a new realization I had about the Waterloo Region was just how much stuff there is to do. If you don’t find something on this list that sparks your fancy, get out there! Hang out at the local bookstore, go to that event you saw on a poster somewhere off the beaten path. Try it out; you might just surprise yourself.

Concerts and Parties
New Year’s Eve Punk Rock formal 
Dec. 31 
The Union  
(124 Sydney St. S.) 

The sweeties over at Pink Lemonade Records have a fun time locked and loaded for any punks or -adjacent people in your life for New Year’s Eve this year. DJ Chives will be spinning Emo hits and throwbacks all night long. And there’s a potluck before the show!   

Jeremy Ledbetter Trio  
Dec. 7  
The Jazz Room 
(59 King. St. N.)  

Jeremy Ledbetter Trio is anything but your grandfather’s jazz band (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Hot off the heels of their recent full-length album Gravity, released in September 2024, Ledbetter’s trio is a fiery explosion packed with a tight- knit group of jazz hard-hitters. It doesn’t hurt that Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy rounds out the band’s drum sound.   

One Big Gay Disco 
Dec. 14 
The Hub  
125 King St. S.   

One Big Gay Disco returns to The Hub! These guys always go all out. Great DJ sets, fun costumes, a stacked cast of dancers. The theme for this One Big Gay Disco, Love Saves the Day, is bright, bold and beautiful. It’s gonna be colourful, fun and rockin’. Huge love to the organizers, Noah Vella, Alex Hannides and KW Gays and Theys, .   
 
Cozy Stuff   
Date: Anytime you want! 
Board Games, J&J’s and The Adventurer’s Guild   

There’s nothing that can distract you from the harshness of winter or our current geopolitical climate like diving into a massive fantasy board game rule book with a couple of friends. Check out The Adventure’s Guild in downtown Kitchener if you’re into a sort of date night board game night.   

If buying a full game is more your speed, J&J’s Cards and Collectibles is the spot. These guys have everything, and they’re more than willing to help you out if you don’t know what you want.  

 My partner and I love going into J&J’s, finding a friendly sales rep and going, “So… we’re looking for a game for like… two people.” Our personal favorites include War of the Ring, Patchworks (perfect two player cozy game), Escape the Dark Sector, and Twilight Imperium (not for the faint of heart).   

Date: Nov 16 – Dec 22  Benjamin Tree Farm:   

When I was a kid, we got our Christmas tree from Benjamin Tree Farm every single year. We would all pile into the family 2009 blue Toyota Prius, slug around in the cold trying to find the perfect Christmas tree, and my dad would thanklessly cut the thing down and lug it back to the car. This was a time-honoured tradition for many years.

Eventually, me and my siblings moved out. Put your immediate family through pain to enjoy the holiday season! Forget to wear snowpants and get all wet and miserable! It’s worth it for the holiday spirit.

My favourite part of getting a Christmas tree when I was a kid was always the refreshments at Benjamin Tree Farm. They had the best warm apple cider and hot chocolate (for free! I think…) and bizarrely the orange drink from McDonald’s.

Don’t ask me what this orange drink is called—I don’t know! We just called it orange drink. Have yourself a merry little holiday season and enjoy the tidings and McD’s orange drink.  

Giving Back   

Giving back is as important to the holidays as indulging yourself. It is good to give. For a quick way to give during this holiday season, consider visiting the Tiny Home Takeout on Duke St. in downtown Kitchener. They accept basically any methods of payment, and their mission is to help feed people every single day. Next time you’re walking by downtown, make a stop by.   

Most importantly, have a good holiday season. Try to cherish your family, biological or found. This is a cold time, a time where the days are shorter than ever. Take care of each other and try to live lightly.   

Happy Holidays and lots of love from the Community Edition.  

#2SLGBTQIA_ #BenjaminTreeFarm #Concerts #jazzRoom #JeremyLedbetterTrio #localMusic #NewYearSEvePunkRockFormal #NewYearsEve #OneBigGayDisco #TheHub #TheUnion #TinyHomeTakeout