Annex residents are meeting and eating their way through the neighbourhood. In an initiative launched early this year, the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) is inviting neighbours to gather at a different local restaurant every month to enjoy some food, support local businesses, and get to know people. 

The ARA hopes that initiatives like this can help neighbours develop closer relationships, creating a sense of local warmth that melts away the isolation that can sometimes occur in big cities. As one Toronto-bashing Conservative MP stated, when you live in downtown Toronto, no one would dare knock on a neighbour’s door to ask for a cup of sugar. In case others feel the same way, the ARA hopes that get-togethers like these can shift the dynamic.

If you’re interested in learning more about the ARA or getting involved in community-building initiatives, there are plenty of ways to get in touch online. There’s a website (theara.org), a Facebook page, mailing list (theara.org/Sign-up-for-the-ARA-Newsletter), and Twitter handle @AnnexResidents. While the ARA welcomes your online engagement, they think meeting in-person is even better. The next Meet’n’Eat is on April 3.

—Terri Chu, Gleaner News