Every Thursday since 2020, The Dale has held a breakfast-to-go outside, just south of Queen St West on Cowan Avenue. This means that people form a long line, often long before our start time, to receive a bagged meal. The contents of the paper bag routinely include a piece of fruit, a juice box, a muffin, and an egg sandwich. We have shuffled around our line over the years, finally settling on the area in front of the Masaryk Cowan Community Centre. 

One morning, not long before the winter, a staff person of the Community Centre came walking up to us. I admit that my first thought was, “we are going to be asked to leave this area”. Instead he surprised us with, “would you like to move your breakfast inside our building? It’s hard to see people standing in the cold”. That one question launched the process for The Dale to become a permit holder. On December 10^th, 2024 we launched our new indoor breakfast, now on Tuesdays. 

It was a connection through Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre (PQWCHC) that began our conversation with Toronto Community Housing (TCH) back in 2023. Our deep desire to move our Monday Lunch back indoors had, until then, been unmet. We learned that there was space TCH wanted to animate with programming, and that The Dale had come recommended as a partner. Fast forward to today, The Dale runs not just one, but two drop-ins in the recreation room of 245 Dunn Avenue.

PQWCHC has been a long-time and beloved partner of The Dale. Each week they allow us to park our outreach vehicle alongside their green space where we set up an outdoor drop-in and provide food and supplies. We also use one of their rooms for our art drop-in every Thursday. Over the years they have entrusted us to come alongside programming of their own, including spaces where we are asked to offer grief care. We are excited to collaborate with them on an upcoming Valentine’s Party for the community. 

Just today Joanna and I met with staff from Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC). Together we shared about what each organization is currently up to, and any visions we have for the future. We are excited about ongoing engagement with each other. It was a real encouragement, and a reminder that we are in each other’s corner.

I often talk about how important partnership is at The Dale. When others ask me how we have cultivated these connections I say that it begins with practicing presence. Our nomadic routine requires that we spend a lot of time walking through the neighbourhood. We also have kept a consistent schedule of events every week, which has increased our visibility. The way we do things is easily observable, a trait that also keeps us accountable to living out our core values. It is not lost on me how valuable a thing it is to be a trusted faith community, something that I believe is evidenced in the partnerships I have shared about here. 

I have many more stories about these and other partners. Our work is supported and enhanced by so many places and people, and we get to offer the same back. I love the mutuality of these relationships and that we each have an important role to play in them. I am grateful for our network and the regular reminder that we can’t do it all, and we certainly can’t do it alone.