Greenest City is an award-winning charitable organization that grows local organic food, youth leaders and healthy, sustainable communities with a focus on Toronto’s Parkdale-High Park neighbourhood. Our animated, community-driven initiatives are grounded in urban agriculture. Greenest City has been focusing on building relationships with members of the South Parkdale community since 2006. South Parkdale is a high-density urban area and home to one of Toronto’s most diverse populations. Approximately 90 per cent of its 25,000 residents are renters, and more than 46 per cent are low-income families. Over 52 per cent of all families self-identify as immigrants, and 42 per cent speak a language other than English or French at home. South Parkdale is also home to a significant proportion of one of Toronto’s most vulnerable populations, people struggling with mental illness. These realities present some specific concerns, among them access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food, opportunities for meaningful work and skills development, and activities that encourage and support engagement and positive connections within the community. To help address some of theses issues Greenest City has developed activities, which include community gardening, community kitchens, after-school programming, a youth summer employment and mentoring program, interactive workshops on organic gardening and other environmental topics.
