Nourish East End is a volunteer-led community program that provides food and care to people in Toronto’s East End. Two Nourish staff members work alongside over 130 volunteers to welcome clients and neighbours, receive, organize and safely store food donations for distribution at our weekly market-style food bank, and prepare and serve meals at monthly community dinners.
As a program of East End United Regional Ministry (EEURM), Nourish is supported by a Managing Committee of volunteers from the EEURM faith community who help manage funds, communicate with donors and food partners, guide program decisions, and report to the church. The Managing Committee works closely with volunteer teams who run the day-to-day program.
Ryan Galloway (he/him) is Nourish’s Resource Manager. He works to secure diverse and nutritious food stocks, to manage inventory and safe food storage and to build relationships with in-kind food donors across our community. Ryan brings his passion and advocacy for food security from a variety of mutual-aid organizations across the GTA. He believes that “food, in so many ways, is a magical way to build community cohesion and solidarity.”
Marie-Pascale D’Aoust-Messier (she/her/elle) is Nourish’s Coordinator of Volunteers. She has a passion for food sovereignty and mutual aid, and translates those passions into action by volunteering at food-based programs throughout the city (it’s how she found Nourish!). Marie identifies herself as a “lifelong student”; she loves to learn and can often be found having in-depth conversations about any and all subjects with our volunteers. She values the opportunity of working with such a diverse team of volunteers who are instrumental in helping her to learn from their various lived experiences and allow her to grow as a better community member and volunteer.
Cathy Forrest
Cathy is a retired journalist and long-time community volunteer with over 25 years of experience managing staff and volunteers. Since 2020, she has held several roles at Nourish East End, including Coordinator of Volunteers, Food Bank Lead and all-round, multi-purpose volunteer. As a member of the Nourish Managing Committee, Cathy supports the communications team and helps expand client referrals and resources through the ClientResource Volunteer program.
Lori Lyons
Lori is a longtime volunteer with the outreach ministries of East End United Regional Ministry including Nourish East End, Out of the Cold East End and the Refugee program. She volunteers with Nourish during Monday deliveries and is the liaison to the Food Bank Leads as well as a link between the administrative and financial processes of Nourish and the church. She also holds a volunteer position as Outreach Finance Officer with of East End United Regional Ministry and was recently appointed to the church’s Community of Faith Council. Lori worked as a health writer/grant manager in the non-profit sector prior to her retirement.
Anne Premi
Anne worked as a sidewalk volunteer at the Nourish Food Bank for several years helping to welcome clients into the space before becoming the Coordinator of the Nourish Community Dinner program in 2024. As part of the Managing Committee, she continues to work with the Community Dinner team and is part of efforts to build program collaborations with the East End Food Hub partners. She is a retired Ontario Government public servant, having worked in social and health policy in a variety of ministries. She is also a board member of East Toronto, East York Family Services. Anne has lived in the East End of Toronto for many years and raised her family here.
Rev. Bri-anne Swan
Bri-anne is the lead minister at East End United Regional Ministry. She is a diaconal minister, writer, singer-songwriter, and digital creator. Bri-anne’s role at East End United has a large focus on community ministry and she is deeply committed to reaching those who have been told they do not belong, especially in spaces where traditional church models feel inaccessible. As part of the Nourish Managing Committee, she helps us connect to the mission of the church and to advocacy around reducing poverty and injustice.
Three volunteer teams make our work possible:
More volunteers help us manage our resources and connect with our community and donors. Our volunteers bring a passion for social justice and a commitment to their community. Many have their own experiences of food insecurity ensuring that Nourish stays focused on the needs and experiences of the neighbours who come to us.
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