Community Action
The Community Action Program (CAP) is a program of The Stop Community Food Centre based in Toronto's Davenport West neighbourhood. The CAP empowers community members experiencing poverty and marginalization to challenge chronic income and food insecurity by facilitating stronger community support networks, raising political consciousness, and taking direct action.
What We Do
Community Action Training
CAP training is a 10- to 12-week course that helps members of the community learn about the root causes of poverty and inequality and learn about ways to fight it. Topics covered include:
- Housing Rights
- Media Skills
- Political Economy
- More
Community Advocacy Office
The Community Advocacy Office is a peer support project where community members team up with their neighbours to fight for basic entitlements and defend their rights.
The Community Advocacy Office can provide information and referrals for:
- Ontario Works & ODSP
- Housing and tenant rights
- Legal issues
- Immigration and settlement
- And more
The Community Advocacy Office is located in The Stop's Food Bank, at 1884 Davenport Rd. The office is open Mondays and Fridays from 12:00 to 3:00 and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 3:00. Advocacy also takes place at Wychwood Open Door, 729 St. Clair Ave. W., on Wednesdays from 11:00 to 3:00.
Bread & Bricks Davenport West Social Justice Group
Bread and Bricks is a local group that brings together community members and agency partners to take action on issues of poverty and other social, political, environmental and economic injustices. Bread & Bricks builds the capacity of community members to become effective change-makers through individual coaching and group workshops on group facilitation, critical media skills, direct action and public speaking.
The Bread & Bricks Group also creates spaces for political consciousness and awareness raising.
Social Justice Club
The Social Justice Club meets every Thursday at 1:00 pm in the The Stop’s Drop-in to talk about the pressing injustices that are happening in our community. We talk, learn, teach and have fun!
Movie Nights
Our free movie nights every second Wednesday of the month bring community members together to watch a film and afterward discuss the issues in the film such as labour rights, mental health, homophobia and violence. Keep an eye out for posters for the next movie!
Community Meetings
Every second Tuesday of the month, we gather in The Stop's Drop-in for a “town hall” style meeting where neighbours share their music, art, and discuss pressing social justice issues.
Campaigns
Fair Fare Coalition: In 2010, 242 people died from the heat in Toronto, many of them seniors and people living with disabilities. The city opens cooling centres on heat- and smog-alert days, but for those who don’t have $3 to take the TTC, those centres are difficult to get to. The Fair Fare Coalition is pushing for free TTC on these days to allow citizens to seek services essential to their well-being.
