Regardless of how you choose to celebrate (or not) the upcoming holiday season, it’s hard not to embrace a spirit of generosity that seems unique to this time of year. Students from the Ontario College of Art & Design’s Think Tank program are hoping that giving mood will be alive and well among restaurant patrons on Thursday, December 6, as they unveil the inaugural Bread Project.

A joint project between OCAD’s Think Tank and the Daily Bread Food Bank, the Bread Project is a one-day event wherein restaurant patrons are encouraged to add one dollar to their restaurant bills in order to pay (symbolically) for the bread accompanying their meals. All proceeds raised by the Bread Project will be donated directly to the Daily Bread Food Bank, an organization designed to help anyone struggling with hunger across the GTA.

Unfortunately, thus far only a few restaurants have been recruited to participate. Among them is high-profile chef Jamie Kennedy’s Wine Bar, as well as Kennedy’s restaurant at The Gardiner. "What I like about The Bread Project is that it is a simple idea that is easy for us to get involved in and that can have a great impact," says Kennedy. "No one is being asked to do too much, and we know it's going to make a difference. The project addresses the issue of hunger in Toronto in a way that is actionable. It's a brilliant idea and we applaud the students of OCAD for coming up with the idea and we hope people will get involved."

The Bread Project is hoping for more participation from local restaurants, so if you would like to get involved or receive more information, contact Sandra Barnes, Assistant, Faculty of Design, OCAD, at sbarnes@ocad.ca or 416-977-6000, Ext. 352.

Devised as a cumulative year-end project for the second-year Think Tank program—a subsidiary of OCAD's design faculty—the Bread Project has developed out of course work throughout the term. Joan McArthur, the course’s director, says, "It doesn't matter where [a great] idea comes from. What matters is that it's relevant, exciting and is capable of creating change. If my students come out of my class learning nothing more than that, they will be an asset not only to the design community, but to the world community."

Photo by jbcurio from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.