Goodbye Coffee Shops: We Have Office Space!

I walked into my favourite Downtown Kitchener coffee shop earlier this week and the barista, who knew me as a regular, asked, “Where have you been?”

I used to spend hours there, drinking coffee, having meetings, drinking coffee, working on my computer, drinking coffee… you get it. I told her I had been busy lately, working hard on reports and making presentations for Food Not Waste to secure more funding.

After I left, with my coffee to go, I pondered why I hadn’t stopped and stayed at my favourite little coffee shop in so long - then it hit me. The reason I hadn’t been there quite as much is because Food Not Waste recently got office space!

Jonathan and I are very excited to be a part of the MSCU Centre for Peace Advancement. The CPA provides a hotdesk incubator where we have the space to work in, get inspired and get stuff done.

I love that now I get to come to work and sit beside people working on projects that they're incredibly passionate about, making a positive impact on our community. Jessie and Chris, Co-Founders of PiE sit beside me and John Wideman and crew from Theatre of the Beat sit behind me, with Katie Gingerich working on Peace Camp and Engin from Intercultural Dialogue Institute sitting against the opposite wall.

The potential for collaborations in this room are epic and I'm excited to see how they unfold (it’s only our 3rd week here!). I've already worked with Katie and the Peace Camp folks this past summer, speaking about Food Not Waste with their youth and talking about the difference between charity and justice.

Although I haven’t been sitting in my favourite little coffee shop as much lately, the results have been positive - decreased coffee consumption and increased opportunity for collaboration.

Peace,

Elle