Grocer Metro Inc., is partnering with long-time collaborator Feed Ontario to launch the third facility in its Metro Shared Kitchen network at the Regional Food Distribution Association in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Feed Ontario brings together food banks, industry partners and local communities in its work to reduce hunger and poverty.

The new Metro Shared Kitchen will expand the RFDA’s culinary programming, education initiatives and community outreach across Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario.

Founded in 2023, the Regional Food Distribution Association secures and distributes emergency food throughout the region. It also develops and implements coordinated strategies to deliver donated food to community organizations that support people experiencing food insecurity. The program supports local food banks and soup kitchens through the distribution of emergency food assistance.

“These upgrades will help transform more surplus food into healthy meals while strengthening skill-building, community connection and food autonomy,” said April Mercier, office manager at RFDA, in a release announcing the facility.

As part of RFDA’s 5,000-square-foot Building Hope expansion, the new kitchen is a fully equipped, accessible space designed to support long-term, community-led solutions to food insecurity and poverty.

Supporting long-term sustainability

Metro, Canada’s third-largest grocery chain, said in a release the company has invested over $900,000 since the program’s launch. The Thunder Bay project was allocated $290,000 for the installation and operation of the RFDA training kitchen.

Investments from the program also support infrastructure upgrades, equipment purchases and staffing to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.

With upgraded commercial-grade equipment, expanded refrigeration and storage, and webcasting technology, RFDA will:

• offer more cooking and nutrition workshops;
• cultural programming; and
• employment-readiness training.

The enhanced kitchen will also increase the production and distribution of nutritious, precooked meals prepared for the community five days a week.

Common programming includes preparing healthy meals for diverse clients and offering culinary and educational workshops. Participants can also form collective cooking groups.

“With Metro’s support, this kitchen will help us reach more people across Thunder Bay and surrounding rural areas, reduce food waste and empower individuals through shared cooking, learning and belonging,” Mercier said in the release.

Providing health solutions in communities

The program launched in 2024 in partnership with Food Banks of Quebec. In 2025, it expanded to Ontario with additional Shared Kitchens at Renfrew Collegiate Institute in Renfrew, The Sharing Place Food Centre in Orillia, and Kerr Street Mission in Oakville.

“Our goal was to develop a program that enables us to respond to local needs in a meaningful way," said Marie-Claude Bacon, vice-president of public affairs and communications at Metro, in the announcement. "We are very proud of our collaboration with Feed Ontario in creating a tangible project for their food banks, allowing us to establish a lasting impact in the communities where we operate.

"This initiative brings to life Metro's purpose to nourish the health and well-being of our communities.”

The call for applications for the second round of the Metro Shared Kitchens program is underway with Feed Ontario member food banks.