About Feed It Forward



Chef Jagger Gordon is showing Canada that we can help to end hunger by utilizing the 53% of all food that ends up in landfills and putting it onto the tables of the food insecure in our country.

About Feed It Forward


Chef Jagger Gordon is showing Canada that we can help to end hunger by utilizing the 53% of all food that ends up in landfills and putting it onto the tables of the food insecure in our country.

How It All Began


Feed It Forward was created as a social enterprise by Chef Jagger Gordon, a Toronto chef and caterer specializing in gastronomy. It was Chef Jagger’s grandmother that initially gave him a love for food. Through her, he realized that food not only fills your belly but nourishes your soul too. Much of Jagger Gordon’s work began in 2014. As an ex-service man who had travelled to 32 countries fighting wars, Gordon later landed in Toronto. He attended culinary school, traveled the world again to work with some great chefs, and thus began his philanthropic and entrepreneurial adventure. As he spent more time in the kitchen, first in the Marine Corps and later as a caterer, he became acutely aware and profoundly disappointed in the amount of food that was wasted. Exhausted by seeing so much good food thrown away, he soon made it his personal mission to find a solution to end food waste and feed those who need it. Feed It Forward is part of the solution to tackle this mission. What started as a freezer program, grew to opening a soup bar and later a grocery store, all fueled from food that would otherwise be thrown out.

How It All Began

Feed It Forward was created as a social enterprise by Chef Jagger Gordon, a Toronto chef and caterer specializing in gastronomy. It was Chef Jagger’s grandmother that initially gave him a love for food. Through her, he realized that food not only fills your belly but nourishes your soul too. Much of Jagger Gordon’s work began in 2014. As an ex-service man who had travelled to 32 countries fighting wars, Gordon later landed in Toronto. He attended culinary school, traveled the world again to work with some great chefs, and thus began his philanthropic and entrepreneurial adventure. As he spent more time in the kitchen, first in the Marine Corps and later as a caterer, he became acutely aware and profoundly disappointed in the amount of food that was wasted. Exhausted by seeing so much good food thrown away, he soon made it his personal mission to find a solution to end food waste and feed those who need it. Feed It Forward is part of the solution to tackle this mission. What started as a freezer program, grew to opening a soup bar and later a grocery store, all fueled from food that would otherwise be thrown out.

About Jagger Gordon

Chef Jagger Gordon Launched Feed It Forward in 2014 because he could not bear the copious food waste created each time he catered an event.

After visiting 32 countries around the world and learning from each of their individual cultures and culinary pallets, Jagger attended culinary school in Toronto, then gained additional experience by working alongside experienced chefs.

These experiences — service to others, an appreciation of our global interconnectedness, and joy in food preparation — were the seeds of Feed It Forward. Since its launch, Feed It Forward has fed hundreds of thousands of people by rescuing food from restaurants, cafes and bakeries, as well as unsold grocery store food.

Chef Jagger Gordon

Chef Jagger Gordon's work has garnered recognition and numerous awards. His innovative approach to addressing food waste and food insecurity has inspired others to take action and make a positive impact in their communities.

In addition to his work with Feed it Forward, Chef Jagger Gordon has appeared on various television shows, sharing his culinary expertise and promoting his mission. He continues to advocate for sustainable food practices and social change, using his culinary skills as a catalyst for a better world.

Feed it Forward is a non-profit organization founded by Chef Jagger Gordon in Toronto, Canada. The organization's primary objective is to tackle food waste and food insecurity in the community. Feed it Forward operates on the principles of rescuing surplus food, transforming it into nutritious meals, and distributing it to individuals and families in need.

The organization works with various partners globally, including restaurants, grocery stores, farms, and food producers, to collect excess food that would otherwise go to waste. This rescued food is then taken to Feed it Forward's kitchens, where Chef Jagger Gordon and his teams of volunteers and culinary trainees transform it into delicious and healthy meals.

Feed it Forward goes beyond traditional food banks by focusing on providing high-quality meals, rather than just non-perishable food items. This approach aims to ensure that individuals facing food insecurity have access to nutritious and satisfying meals, promoting their overall well-being.

In addition to its food rescue and distribution efforts, Feed it Forward also emphasizes the importance of food education and community engagement. The organization offers culinary training programs and workshops, empowering individuals with valuable cooking skills and providing them with employment opportunities in the food industry.

Chef Jagger Gordon's vision for Feed it Forward extends beyond immediate hunger relief. He aims to create a sustainable and inclusive food system that reduces food waste, addresses food insecurity, and fosters a sense of community.

Through his work, Chef Jagger Gordon inspires others to take action and make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and families facing Food insecurities.

PAYMENT & POINT SYSTEM:

How it works:

We want you to have complete ease and comfort in shopping for the food you want, so we have developed a point system that makes things easy and allows everyone to shop with dignity.

Each item of fresh food or dry good is on a point system.

Here is a simple example:
1 point = 50 cents

Pay or donate $5 and purchase $20 of food

For example:
Box of Salad: 2 pts or $1
2 Large potatoes: 1 pt or 50 cents
Large cucumber: 2pts or $1
Peppers: 1 pt – 50 cents
Canned Sauce: 2pts or $1
Package of pasta: 2pts – or $1
Onion: 2pt or $1
Bread: 2pt or $1

BECOME A MEMBER and GET AN ONLINE WALLET
If you are new to Feed It Forward, once you are in store, ask an employee to help you sign up in our computer system

ONLINE WALLET
If you intend to shop here regularly, we recommend that you get an online wallet
It tallies what you spend, how often you shop with us and what you buy, which helps us provide favorite items for the store
If you do offer $ in exchange for the food and there is a balance left over; we leave that in your account until the next time you shop.


DONATIONS
We also welcome donations in cash and in-kind – these go into a TOKEN POOL that supports our operations
PAYMENT & POINT SYSTEM:

How it works:

We want you to have complete ease and comfort in shopping for the food you want, so we have developed a point system that makes things easy and allows everyone to shop with dignity.

Each item of fresh food or dry good is on a point system.

Here is a simple example:
1 point = 50 cents

Pay or donate $5 and purchase $20 of food

For example:
Box of Salad: 2 pts or $1
2 Large potatoes: 1 pt or 50 cents
Large cucumber: 2pts or $1
Peppers: 1 pt – 50 cents
Canned Sauce: 2pts or $1
Package of pasta: 2pts – or $1
Onion: 2pt or $1
Bread: 2pt or $1

BECOME A MEMBER and GET AN ONLINE WALLET
If you are new to Feed It Forward, once you are in store, ask an employee to help you sign up in our computer system

ONLINE WALLET
If you intend to shop here regularly, we recommend that you get an online wallet
It tallies what you spend, how often you shop with us and what you buy, which helps us provide favorite items for the store
If you do offer $ in exchange for the food and there is a balance left over; we leave that in your account until the next time you shop.


DONATIONS
We also welcome donations in cash and in-kind – these go into a TOKEN POOL that supports our operations

Our Work

North America's first “pay what you can” grocery store


Feed It Forward has been operating Canada’s first and only Pay-What-You-Can Grocery Store, bakery and coffee shop since June 2018 in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto. All of the food rescued by Feed It Forward is diverted to the grocery store where it is sorted and organized by volunteers, and then put out on the shelves for customers. Customers pay what they can afford based on their budget or can take what they need free of charge. Many of the grocery store customers choose to give back by donating their own food or volunteering at the store or with Feed It Forward’s other programs.

North America's first “pay what you can” grocery store

Feed It Forward has been operating Canada’s first and only Pay-What-You-Can Grocery Store, bakery and coffee shop since June 2018 in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto. All of the food rescued by Feed It Forward is diverted to the grocery store where it is sorted and organized by volunteers, and then put out on the shelves for customers. Customers pay what they can afford based on their budget or can take what they need free of charge. Many of the grocery store customers choose to give back by donating their own food or volunteering at the store or with Feed It Forward’s other programs.

Humber College Soup Bar


We have created a “Humber College Soup Bar” concept restaurant at several local university campuses in Toronto. The on-campus restaurant offers students healthy, bottomless soup two days a week. Almost 40% of Canadian post-secondary students are food insecure. Feed It Forward aims to help this struggling demographic across the GTA and is always looking for partners to expand the Soup Bar concept to other post-secondary campuses. In its pilot year, Soupbar served close to 9,000 meals.

Humber College Soup Bar

We have created a “Humber College Soup Bar” concept restaurant at several local university campuses in Toronto. The on-campus restaurant offers students healthy, bottomless soup two days a week. Almost 40% of Canadian post-secondary students are food insecure. Feed It Forward aims to help this struggling demographic across the GTA and is always looking for partners to expand the Soup Bar concept to other post-secondary campuses. In its pilot year, Soupbar served close to 9,000 meals.

The “Feed It Forward” Farm


Greenwood Farm has generously provided us with the use of some of their farmland. Here our volunteers plant, grow, maintain, and harvest fresh food that makes its way into our pay what you can grocery store.

The “Feed It Forward” Farm

Greenwood Farm has generously provided us with the use of some of their farmland. Here our volunteers plant, grow, maintain, and harvest fresh food that makes its way into our pay what you can grocery store.

Blazing Kitchen


Blazing Kitchen is now the operational center of all Feed It Forward Food production. We also utilize Tibetian Canadian Community Cultural Center the Food Hamper storage and meal preparations and distributions.

Blazing Kitchen

Blazing Kitchen is now the operational center of all Feed It Forward Food production. We also utilize Tibetian Canadian Community Cultural Center the Food Hamper storage and meal preparations and distributions.

Vehicle Fleet


We now have a full fleet of 33 vehicles, including food trucks (distribute food around the city) and food rescue vehicles go out around the city. We also have a warehouse which is where all our dry product is stored, and also Confederation Freezer in Brampton that holds tens of thousands of Feed It Forward meals.

Vehicle Fleet

We now have a full fleet of 33 vehicles, including food trucks (distribute food around the city) and food rescue vehicles go out around the city. We also have a warehouse which is where all our dry product is stored, and also Confederation Freezer in Brampton that holds tens of thousands of Feed It Forward meals.

Where We're Headed

Feed It Forward has grown tremendously with Chef Jagger Gordon at the helm, but he isn’t stopping here. Gordon wants to see this concept implemented both nationally and globally. In addition to our major programs, we are in the process of developing a food sharing app that we hope to launch during the 2020 holiday season. The purpose of the app is to connect food insecure individuals across Canada with nutritious meals and eliminate food waste. Users can share food and meals with one another.