Building community through food at Alternative Scarborough Education
Posted: July 6, 2026
Categories: nourish to flourish
We are a small Alternative High School in the TDSB. Our student population is between 50 and 60 students, with 3 teachers and an Office Administrator that helps to coordinate our nutrition program. We are located in East Scarborough and serve a very diverse group of students. Our students are in grades 11 and 12. Most of our students are over 18 and all are either living independently or will be in the near future. This year was the first year that we applied for and received the “nourish to flourish” grant. Below, I will outline the impact that these funds had on our school community.
Because we are such a small school, community building is a major part of our program. We help students who have disengaged from school for various reasons and we work hard to help them achieve success. Building community is one of the strategies we use to re-engage learners and help them feel like a valuable part of the school. Using food, both cooking and eating, is an excellent way to build community. The “nourish to flourish” grant helped us achieve community through food in two ways. We did this through our World Cultures course and through a Cooking Club.
World Cultures included a food component. This allowed students to explore their own culture and others’ cultures through food. Using the grant, we were able to make recipes from all over the world so students could explore culture through food. This course allowed students to share their knowledge of food and their family histories in a way that created a deeper understanding of culture.
The Cooking Club took this idea a step further. It engaged any interested student in a way that allowed them to demonstrate their expertise. This created a confidence boost for so many of our learners. The students were able to become the teachers and show all of us the important recipes in their lives. Students who have struggled with attendance and engagement were excited to come to school and share their knowledge. Students who rarely spoke to other students were teaching their peers how to make food and sitting and eating with them. The impact on our community was immense.
The “nourish to flourish” grant provided us the opportunity to create this program for our students. It also allowed us to outfit our school with supplies to keep these activities in the future. We are very appreciative of the support we received.