Flash forward to the present. Tapioca Toronto is known for their stellar cheese buns and addictive brownies as well as their crèpes, and they have expanded their selections immensely. It has taken years of hard work, but now Anna and Rafael have a nice little shop on College near Lansdowne. Last week someone smashed in the front door.
I want to share Rafael’s statement about what happened with you:
“Our break-in happened early on Sunday morning, The door was smashed, but whoever came in only took a bit of cash that was there. We don’t know exactly who did it, but based on what some neighbourhood residents have said we have reason to believe it may have been one of the people experiencing homelessness who are often hanging around the nearby corners.
We see this as a community and society issue more than anything. This was not my door that was smashed, it is our neighbourhood and community’s door. In my eyes it’s an indicator of how we are failing to help those most in need of support, as a community and as a society. This is about mental health support, the public health system and many other things.
We aren’t hoping to necessarily ‘catch the guy’ because it won’t help us or the person who did it in any way. Our business philosophy has always been based on building community and we are approaching this situation the same way.”
A crowdfunding campaign quickly raised the money for the repairs to the door, but we encourage you to buy some brownies, cheese buns, or other delicious Tapioca Toronto products to show your support, and also to think about how all of us can contribute to building community.
Before I leave this theme, an invitation to thoughtful and curious gardeners:
At the U of T Art Gallery in September, there will be an exhibition about plastics. Part of the exhibition is a community plant project. The artist, Christina Battle, is offering a community seed packet to anyone who would like to take part in a planting project that considers the ways that plants help remediate the impact of plastics on the environment.
Intrigued? Visit THE COMMUNITY IS NOT A HAPHAZARD COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS.
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