Rodney Bowers of Hey Meatball! is launching a meal token program to feed the hungry

This spring, Rodney Bowers, the chef and owner of Hey! and Hey Meatball!, is starting a new program aimed at helping the underprivileged in Parkdale. Patrons at Roncesvalles’s Hey! will be able to buy low-cost tokens to give to people in need, who can then redeem them for a freshly made sandwich. The idea, which takes inspiration from a similar program in Vancouver, has been criticized by anti-poverty activists for undermining the dignity of the homeless and inadequately addressing the systemic problems underlying hunger in Toronto. Still, it’s at least an attempt to negotiate the rapid gentrification that’s been going on along Queen West and Roncesvalles, with a flurry of trendy restaurants pricing many people out of the dining market. [Toronto Star]