Zachary Grant sits on the steps of the Church of the Holy Trinity in downtown Toronto
“loving justice in the heart of our city” – Quote from the Church of the Holy Trinity’s website
(Note: Zachary Grant has asked me to use the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” and I have agreed.)
Zachary Grant gets the irony.
They are the community director of downtown Toronto’s the Church of the Holy Trinity just a few steps away from the massive, glitzy shopping mecca: the Eaton Centre.
Zachary doesn’t mince words: “We’re surrounded by bastions of capitalism – the Eaton Centre, Cadillac Fairview, Hydro One, mining companies and Bay Street. We’re right in the middle of colonial imperialism – entities that are interested in possession and dispossession.”
I am interviewing Zachary in their cluttered but cozy office located in the former rectory near the church. It is piled high with boxes of clothes and PPE kits and softly lit with two lamps.
They speak quickly, calmly and turn to the church in general, “Catholic, Anglican and United churches operated residential schools. Families were separated and indigenous people were pushed off the land.”
Zachary paints a dark image but they have a positive intent. “We have been asked to stand up for people who have been pushed off the land – people who have been excluded from capitalism. We have given an opportunity to do things differently and to re-distribute the power to people that we have robbed.”
Zachary has a history of social justice advocacy in oppressed and marginalized communities. Their heritage is Italian and Mennonite. They grew up in the Lutheran church among pancake dinners, quilting bees and harvest festivals in New Hamburg – a small rural community in southern Ontario.
They are bilingual and worked for several years in a grassroots community in the east end of Montreal. “It was the height of HIV. We were taking care of communities when the world rejected them.”
Zachary continues, “I am a trans person. I care deeply about justice, about friendship – most importantly, I’m against monoculture.” They explain that the political system of monoculture results “in a world of little joy. It empowers policing one another. A police state is harmful to all people, especially black, indigenous and poor people.”
They crave difference. “Difference is a beautiful part of our communities.” In our society “consumerism and control dictate very minute details of our lives.”
Zachary wants “a funky world. I’m for celebrating the infinite parts of creation.” They have worked with prisoners, migrants, LGBTQ and homeless people. They are kind and they have empathy but they are strong.
I ask them about seeing suffering every day. “We see people who are traumatized – family breakdowns, community breakdown, residential school abuse, foster care abuse …” On addictions: “They’re self-medicating in a white supremacist society. We treat these people as useless but they are not useless – they have gifts.”
As a Christian, Zachary has a mission. “My Christian values are to lift up a wounded Christ who was murdered by the State for resisting colonial rule.” Zachary feels they have a responsibility to witness the suffering around them “both in sorrow and in love.”
During the pandemic, they are “very numb” and “overwhelmed” at times. “The police and the City worked very hard to harass people, to ruin our reputation and scare out of we are doing.”
On housing: “Folks on the street are intentionally excluded to demonstrate scarcity. Homeless people are excluded from housing so that condos have value.”
They continue: “Houseless people resist the system by taking up space in parks, in plazas and around our church. They are activists and agents of change.”
Zachary has hope. “Young people want to see change – they will demand change.” They add,”We’re creating a loving community and to be a loving force in the world. We care for each other. We are working to change our city.”
On the sad side, they say 20 people die on the streets every month. The Church of the Holy Trinity commemorates them at the Toronto Homeless Memorial every second Tuesday of the month at 12 noon at the entrance of the church. The memorial is streamed live on the church’s Facebook page.
The Church of the Holy Trinity helps vulnerable people. They give out tents, sleeping bags, clothes, hygiene supplies and they serve take-out meals every lunchtime four days a week. They currently don’t have dine-in meals in the church – they used to – because it is being renovated. It will be open in early 2022.
When I finished chatting with Zachary, I entered the spacious Unity Kitchen – a former café adjacent to the church.
Sinclair Bletcher-Lowman was co-ordinating the operation and about 20 volunteers were working preparing food for the next day. Tara Currie, the self-taught head cook, explains: “It’s very personal for me. People who are on the street deserve respect and fresh food.”
Each day, they have a changing menu – take-out for now. The line-up begins at 11 a.m. They serve about 150 people. Today it is Pesto Pasta, garlic bread with cheese, ice cream and baked goods.
These Nanaimo Bars are typical of the baked goods the Unity Kitchen offers as dessert.
Nanaimo Bars
This recipe is written on a tea towel that a Facebook friend sent from his home in Nanaimo – I’ve tweaked it a little. I use table cream in the second layer. I used a PC 100-gram bar of good quality dark chocolate for the third layer. You can find graham cracker crumbs in the baking section of supermarkets. Be careful to measure the dry ingredients thus – use a scoop and level it off with a knife. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with one piece of parchment. The bars are easy to make and delicious! I’ve tested them three times – this recipe is perfect! You’re welcome.
Bottom Layer
½ cup butter (1 stick)
¼ cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp cocoa
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup finely chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
Second Layer
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
3 tbsp cream
2 tbsp Bird’s custard powder
2 cups icing sugar
Third Layer
4 oz/115 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp butter
Lightly grease bottom and sides of an 9 x 9-inch square pan. Line bottom and sides with one piece of parchment paper
Bottom Layer: Melt butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler or a metal bowl on top of a saucepan. (Or you can do it on the stovetop in a regular saucepan over low heat.) Whisk in egg; stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat; stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press mixture into the parchment paper-lined pan. Cool.
Middle Layer: Cream softened butter, cream and custard powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a standing mixer. Gradually add icing sugar; beat until smooth and spreadable.
Top Layer: Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. When cool but still liquid, pour over middle layer and spread evenly. Refrigerate until chocolate is almost set, about 30 minutes. With tip of knife, score into squares or bars. Refrigerate until chocolate is completely set, about 30 minutes.
Cut into squares or small bars. Important: Serve them at room temperature.