{"id":1081,"date":"2012-02-02T16:49:50","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T21:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2019-02-09T16:48:09","modified_gmt":"2019-02-09T21:48:09","slug":"sistering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/?p=1081","title":{"rendered":"Sistering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sistering is a women’s agency serving homeless, marginalized and low-income women in Toronto since 1981. Their programs and services help women gain greater control over their life circumstances by focusing on changing the social conditions that put women at risk. Their service philosophy is to ensure that women\u2019s dignity is not eroded by poverty and homelessness.<\/p>\n

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Hot Meal For Lunch<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the ways Sistering advocates for the enhanced well-being of women is through their Food Security and Access program. Seven days a week staff and volunteers work tirelessly to prepare and serve both breakfast and hot lunches to more than 200 women everyday. Providing one of life\u2019s basic necessities \u2013 healthy food \u2013 addresses the social, physical and emotional needs of the women who come to the drop-in.<\/p>\n

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Chef Carol and Chef Trisha (Red)<\/p><\/div>\n

Chef Carol, the Kitchen Coordinator, and Chef Trisha (Red) are two integral members of the Food Access program. Both suggest having access to food is part of the peacebuilding process in the community they serve. Trisha articulates, \u201cIf someone is well fed, well nourished with a good meal, they feel a sense of security because their mental ability, their physical ability is taken care of. Having control of the most important factors of life \u2013 food and shelter \u2013 empowers women to continue to take care of their whole\u00a0<\/em>being.\u201d Carol concurs, \u201cHaving access to food sustains a sense of peace and respect for women. At Sistering, we accept women where they\u2019re at. By meeting them there, trust is created and brings women to the next level. It\u2019s capacity building.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Food Access program builds community in a supportive environment built upon trust and respect. Carol reflects, \u201cWhen you are hungry and someone gives you food, you know we care. That\u2019s what Sistering does \u2013 brings women together to nourish our community. The women who come to Sistering are not just another statistic. They feel safe and know they are nurtured. I am proud to be a part of bringing that support and encouragement to women through our Food Access program.\u201d Trisha respects women as \u201cthe nurturers. When women are nurtured through food they have the strength to nurture others and that builds peace. Peace means everybody getting along and cooperating for the betterment of human kind.\u201d She affirms, \u201cFood unites people and gives women self-worth especially if you haven\u2019t had enough food. Here at Sistering, everyone is equal. Access to food and the diversity of meals is fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Volunteer Serving Food<\/p><\/div>\n

Carol, Trisha and volunteers prepare healthy food daily for a racially, culturally and linguistically diverse population through their commitment to principles of equity and access. Trisha expresses, \u201cThe food is made with love and respect. We are committed to making meals from diverse cultures to respect every woman who comes to the drop-in.\u201d Carol agrees, \u201cDiversity \u2013 a must. Many of the women are refugees and immigrants, and can meet other women from their communities and other communities. Food can be a part of enhancing their quality of life.\u201d Carol and Trisha celebrate the diverse cultural holidays by preparing innovative meals for Black History Day, Chinese New Year, Sisterbana, Passover, Jewish New Year and Christmas Winter Luncheon.<\/p>\n

Thank-you to Chef Carol and Chef Red for opening up your kitchen and sharing your stories about how food builds peace. You are leaders in advocating for systemic change to improve the lives of women who have been impacted by poverty and homelessness.<\/p>\n

Chef Trisha\u2019s Stuffed Pepper Squash<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Ingredients<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • 2 cups brown rice<\/li>\n
  • 2 cups wild rice<\/li>\n
  • 2 cups vegetable broth<\/li>\n
  • 4 squash, halved<\/li>\n
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained<\/li>\n
  • 1 can black beans, drained<\/li>\n
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained<\/li>\n
  • 4 cans asparagus spears<\/li>\n
  • 1 large can diced tomatoes<\/li>\n
  • 3 cans corn, drained<\/li>\n
  • 3 onions, diced<\/li>\n
  • 3 carrots, diced<\/li>\n
  • 2 beets, diced<\/li>\n
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced<\/li>\n
  • Sprinkle of thyme, sage, savory spices, rosemary<\/li>\n
  • Feta cheese, cubed or preference<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Directions<\/span><\/p>\n

    Cook rice in vegetable broth. Let cool and place in large bowl.<\/p>\n

    Boil squash, drain and place in pan.<\/p>\n

    Saut\u00e9 onions, carrots, corn, beets, 3 types of beans, garlic and all spices.<\/p>\n

    Place in large bowl with rice. Add asparagus spears and diced tomatoes. Mix together.<\/p>\n

    Stuff each squash half with vegetable\/rice mixture.<\/p>\n

    Sprinkle cheese on top of mixture.<\/p>\n

    Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.<\/p>\n

    Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sistering is a women’s agency serving homeless, marginalized and low-income women in Toronto since 1981. Their programs and services help women gain greater control over their life circumstances by focusing on changing the social conditions that put women at risk. Their service philosophy is to ensure that women\u2019s dignity is not eroded by poverty and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[49],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1153,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interchange4peace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}