By Fred Alvarado (Fred is a journalist with the Focus Media Arts Centre, funded by the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative)

The Corner@240 Wellesley St East is a multipurpose innovative space for community health and social services, as well as other robust program offerings. The Corner is a hub that is a unique partnership between service providers and residents.

Since 2011, The Corner has been central to St. James Town’s health, well-being, and overall sense of community.

Two of their existing and well-received programs are the Green Café, serving hot, fresh and vegetarian meals, $5 a combo, every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and also The Corner Re-Store providing gently used clothes to the community at affordable prices, every Monday from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

For the entire month of February, The St James Town Green Café offered vegetarian dishes inspired by African and Caribbean cuisine to experience different cultures and flavours with refreshing meals and fun conversations. This initiative was led by the Black community in St James Town neighbourhood to celebrate Black History Month. The meals were offered to dine-in or take-out.  

In our visit to the Green Café we had a friendly chat with Yanique Stirlin and Darrell Jenya, both staff members of the Corner.
 
Another fabulous program at 240 Wellesley St East is The Corner Re- Store where residents can find quality and gently used clothes at very affordable and accessible prices - prices from $2 and up.
Residents can find vintage clothes in good condition. Re-store’s selection promises great finds and hidden gems.They also have jackets and coats to keep you warm at $10 each.This is a great way to try on a new style without breaking the bank.

In our visit to the Re-Store, RPTV was welcomed by the St James Town community corner staff Alaa Mohammed to share with us about this reducing waste initiative.

“The Corner always helps clients with social services. The Re-store provides vintage clothes at minimum cost. We started last year as part of waste management week in order to reduce waste and sell good condition clothes available to our community. This is helping a lot of people because it is affordable and accessible for the community. Clothing is actually essential for people” said Alaa Mohammed, Client Engagement Worker at The Corner.