VICTORIA -- Victoria's third annual Poutine With Purpose event returns to the city today, combining delicious Canadian food with community-driven philanthropy.
Poutine With Purpose is a week-long event where Victoria restaurants donate one meal to youth in need for every purchase of a poutine dish at their eatery.
The donations are made through Mealshare, a Canadian charitable organization that partners with restaurants to fund and distribute meals to those who need them most. According to Mealshare, roughly one million Canadian children are currently "food insecure," which can have significant impacts on their health.
To help reduce youth hunger, 17 local restaurants are participating in this year's Poutine With Purpose week.
The poutine dishes range from classic gravy and cheese curd recipes to exotic twists, like Varsha Indian Kitchen's Masala fries topped with marinated chicken and house made butter chicken sauce.
Victoria's Poutine Week runs until Saturday, Oct. 5.
The 17 restaurants participating in the food campaign, in no particular order, are:
- Varsha Indian Kitchen
- Swan’s Brewery Pub
- Garrick’s Head Pub
- Empire Donuts
- The Churchill Pub
- Heron Rock
- Q at the Fairmont Empress Hotel
- Maude Hunter's Pub
- The Rose Pub
- Clive’s Classic Lounge
- Floyd’s (James Bay location)
- Northern Quarter
- 328 Taphouse
- Very Good Butchers
- Hive Eatery
- Fifth Street Bar and Grill
- Beagle Pub
