KITCHENER -- A free meal program at a local Kitchener church that bridges the gap for those facing food insecurity is celebrating its first anniversary.

“I can’t believe it’s already been a year and neither can the volunteers,” said Amy Cyr, the head chef and kitchen coordinator at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church who runs the Tiny Home Takeout. “It seemed like we just kind of blinked and here we are.”

Cyr said the program started offering about 150 portions of food a night, but that quickly grew to 300 and then 400 to now 600 portions a night.

A regular item on the menu is hot pizza, which was served up Wednesday evening.

Cyr noted menu options often change to give people more autonomy over what they eat.