Ester Garcia, Owner, Immanuel’s Kitchen, “Together we can all contribute our bit in making the city of London a peaceful, loving and a caring community,”

Ester Garcia stopped running once she got to London. No more hiding, she decided, as she made peace with the unending physical, mental and emotional trauma she suffered in her childhood home and her abusive marriages. She credits these traumatic life experiences as the motivation for her work with the homeless in London. “That’s where I get my compassion,” she says, “because I know what it is to be rejected, abused and unloved. Now I know that I had to go through all of that to have the heart I have today.” 
Ester who is deeply spiritual, came to Canada  from Texas in 1986. Throughout her life her faith has given her strength and guidance, especially in difficult times. She started Immanuel’s Kitchen on Dundas Street as a Christian kitchen hiring people with disabilities, tying up with Hutton House Association for Adults with Disabilities and Leads Employment Services which provides specialized services for people with disabilities, to source her employees. She encourages all to get involved in helping each other and giving back, “Together we can all contribute our bit in making the city of London a peaceful, loving and a caring community,” she says. Her dedication has extended to mentoring young women with disabilities to pursue their education, using her own experience as an example. 
Throughout her life, Ester has been in and out of shelters, even being homeless for a while. She advises, “Don’t disrespect the homeless, you have no idea what has brought them there.” She lived at a women’s shelter with her children when she moved to London, where the London community helped her with housing, counselling, and provided a safe space for her and her children.    
As a way of returning her blessings to the community, Ester contributes 10 percent of the revenue from Immanuel’s Kitchen to run her recently registered charity “Immanuel’s Helping Hand” which feeds the homeless along Dundas Street. She has tied up with a number of local London businesses and private donors who support her work with the homeless. “I have provided them with meals, blankets, clothing, and other daily life essentials,” she explains.  
The building where Immanuel’s Kitchen was based was shut down during the pandemic, but Ester has continued to operate from a different location, finding ways to provide daily meals to the 25-30 homeless people who depend on her generosity. Immanuel’s Kitchen has partnered with United Sikhs, Old East Village Cares, and members of London’s Calvary Church in providing help to the less fortunate. 
“We can all learn from the homeless,” Ester says, “they are generous with each other. You give them a piece of bread and they will share it.” 

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