For Rick, the head chef at the Ingersoll 50+ Centre, feeding people has become more than a job. “I love to feed people,” he says, with the kind of enthusiasm that makes it clear this is about much more than cooking. Rick is constantly encouraging staff, volunteers and visitors to eat something. For him, there is something deeply rewarding about watching someone enjoy a meal he has prepared. What’s even better is that much of the food he can provide is made available through the food that is rescued by the FOOD Project.
Rick’s path to the kitchen was anything but traditional. He spent most of his career in the corporate world, eventually becoming executive vice-president of a large trucking company in Toronto. A self-described workaholic, he retired at 52—only to discover that he hated retirement. To keep himself busy, he started volunteering. At a Legion in Port Burwell, he began making breakfast every morning, and along the way he discovered a new passion: cooking for people. A friend later bought a restaurant, and Rick found himself in the restaurant business. He has loved every minute of it.
That same passion now fuels his work with the FOOD Project, which rescues food and gets it into the hands of organizations serving people in need. Food that would otherwise be thrown away at grocery stores and farms makes its way to the shared warehouse that has been renovated to collect and house hundreds of pounds of food and everyday essentials. From the warehouse, the food finds its way to places like the Ingersoll 50+ Centre, Cycles of Life, STICH Supper Club, Operation Sharing and other less official food cupboards in libraries and churches across Oxford County. The FOOD Project also makes it possible for Rick to serve hearty meals at the seniors’ centre for just $10. The savings that are realized through the food provided by the FOOD Project have made a noticeable difference to the centre’s budget and that allows Rick to put more food on more tables.
One of the items that the FOOD Project receives plentifully is bread. When Rick first heard about the supply of rescued bread, he wondered whether there might be a need at the seniors’ centre. Every day, cases of bread are made available to anyone passing through the lobby. Knowing how hard it can be for others to know you need help, Rick found a way to provide a gentle nudge. “Take it and give it to someone who needs it,” he tells people with a warm smile.
What began with a few boxes of bread has grown into a food-sharing program that provides at least 40 bags of groceries a week to seniors, families and anyone who needs them. Volunteers pack an assortment of what’s available at the FOOD Project warehouse and provide them for pickup. Rick’s approach to getting the food out is especially mindful of dignity. The bags are small and packed to look like a regular grocery shop, so people can take them home without feeling singled out. Every Saturday morning, people know they can come to the centre for food. There are no judgments and no age limit.
But perhaps what matters most to Rick is the sense of community that grows around the food. Seniors come not only to eat, but to talk and make friends. Volunteers deliver food to people who can’t get to the centre, and others show up because they want to help.
Rick has spent his life working hard. Now, he says, he wishes he had discovered this passion sooner. “I don’t have a problem getting up in the morning and coming to work,” he says. “It’s just so rewarding. Every single day.” For Rick, nourishing the community means more than filling an empty stomach. It means creating a place where people can ask for help, share a meal, lend a hand and feel like they belong.