- Reducing Hunger, Increasing Cultural Food Access , and promoting health and wellness through food and nutrition initiatives.
Increasing Cultural Food Access
Improving Health Outcomes Through Food and Nutrition Interventions
Since its founding in 1995, Afri-Can FoodBasket (AFB) has been a Black-Led, Black-Serving, and Black-Mandated (B3) organization pioneering a progressive food movement. We champion reducing hunger, enhancing cultural food access, and promoting health and wellness through food and nutrition initiatives within African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities across the GTA.
Households supported every month
Facts About Black Food Insecurity In Canada
The Numbers
Black Canadians
have the highest rate of food insecurity.
Black families are food insecure
when a female is the major income earner in a family.
Black Families
above the poverty line experience food insecurity
Black Children
live in food insecure households
Join Us in Fighting Black Food Insecurity
Every donation you make helps provide fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food to Black families in need.
Together, we can create a future where no child or family goes hungry.
Be the difference
Donate now.
Black Food Access Program
This program was developed to reduce food insecurity by providing individuals and families in Toronto’s African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities access to fresh, healthy, nutritious, and culturally sensitive foods.
Join us as we Nourish and Empower our Community
Join our team at Afri-Can FoodBasket and directly combat food insecurity in Toronto’s ACB communities.
Our approach is rooted in the
celebration of cultural diets
Our approach is rooted in the celebration of cultural diets, the promotion of sustainable urban agriculture, and the cultivation of collaborative efforts. We strive to contribute to developing a sustainable B3 food system in Toronto, emphasizing that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy, and culturally appropriate food. This commitment ensures a profound and enduring impact within our community.
People Driven
Our work is for the people, by the people
The right to food
Recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as part of the right to an adequate standard of living
Committed to Health & Wellness
Food-insecure adults are more vulnerable to chronic conditions, with the risk increasing with the severity of food insecurity
Programs And Services
Black-Led, Black-Serving, Black-Mandated
Black Food Access Program
Aimed at alleviating food insecurity within African, Caribbean, and Black communities across the GTA. Afri-Can FoodBasket provides crucial support to those in need through bi-weekly pop-up food pantries and free deliveries of fresh, culturally sensitive fruits, vegetables, and staples.
Ujamaa Learning Farm
Building on six years of partnership with the Toronto Urban Farm at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Afri-Can FoodBasket established the Ujamaa Learning Farm in 2013 in Toronto’s northwest. This 1-acre urban farm embodies our dedication to Black Food Sovereignty and the broader goal of creating equitable access to healthy, culturally relevant foods for Black children and youth.
Food As Medicine
Promoting health and wellness through food literacy and nutrition initiatives with a special focus on cultural relevance and accessibility. Through innovative programming, strategic collaborations, and a commitment to education and engagement within African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities across the GTA.
Meet Our Executive Director
Zakiya Tafari
Zakiya Tafari’s journey exemplifies profound dedication and visionary leadership in championing food justice and sovereignty within Toronto’s African, Caribbean, and Black communities. Deeply invested in the mission of the Afri-Can FoodBasket, Zakiya has been instrumental in pioneering a progressive food movement that underscores the importance of cultural diets, sustainable urban agriculture, and collaborative efforts to advance health, wellness, and social enterprise.
Zakiya has demonstrated remarkable adeptness in navigating the nonprofit sector, highlighting the value of lived experience and a deep-seated commitment to fostering positive change within the African, Caribbean, Black Community.
Sherwin Bylden - Afri-Can FoodBasket President
From Our Experience
News and Articles
Food and justice: Black Canadians and food insecurity
In 2022, according to Statistics Canada, 38% of Black families were food insecure, which was twice the rate for white families and even surpassed the rate for other racialized families. But this is just where the story begins.
Afri-Can FoodBasket (AFB) is a Toronto-based non-profit organization committed to reducing hunger, enhancing cultural food access, and promoting health and wellness through food and nutrition initiatives within African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in the GTA.
Quick links
Call us
416-832-5639
info @africanfoodbasket.ca
Ujamaa Learning Farm
4929 Jane St,
North York, ON
M3N 2K8
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