Hundreds turn out for Tiny Home Takeout fundraiser amid rising demand

The Waterloo Region community is coming together for a crucial cause.

Hundreds gathered in downtown Kitchener on Sunday for the third annual Hunger No More fundraiser. Family, friends and local vendors all came out in full force to support Tiny Home Takeout's big mission of combating food insecurity in the region.

"We're having a great day today," outreach coordinator Michelle Lantink told CTV News. "We're raising money to help feed people in the community that are in need of a meal, a good meal." 

The local program operates out of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, serving up calzones and daily meals to the hungry five-days a week.

"We have had to increase the amount of food that we are sending out the door,” volunteer Nada Offak said. “We've had to really keep a pulse on what's going on, especially in our downtown community, which has now spread all over the region."

Organizers say the demand is growing as hundreds of people look for a helping hand.

"In the downtown core alone, here it's 700 portions [per day] and then we go out to some satellite locations as well and we distribute to a different demographic, more families in the other locations," Lantink explained.

The event featured local food vendors, live bands and a silent auction. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

The program relies on public donations to continue rolling out meals to the public, making the Hunger No More event an integral part of their work.

"This really hits close home for me at Tiny Home Takeout because I went through my own food insecurities about 15 years ago, now I’m in the position to really give back," volunteer Kal Kotecha said.

The event featured local food vendors, live bands and a silent auction. Volunteers say they are hoping to raise over $100,000 this year.

“We've grown, we're putting our name on the map,” Offak said. “A lot of people don't know we exist so we really relied on social media and all of our vendors to pump the event."

Kotecha says the annual event is a demonstration of the community’s compassion and determination to combat hunger.

"It feels fantastic to see a lot of the need being met here and all the great volunteers at Tiny Home Takeout and what they do, it's just fantastic," he said.

Tiny Home Takeout is open to serve anyone who needs a meal Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.