our mission

The Great Oven provides sustainable food relief and creative community building by leveraging the power of cooking, art and music.

We do not follow the path of traditional food relief. We are not in the business of temporary handouts. Our ovens are designed to feed many people, by empowering communities to feed themselves.

We see a group gathering around a great oven as an opportunity to address more than an immediate need for food. As hubs for cooking, teaching and sharing a meal, our ovens bring people together from disparate backgrounds who would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet. Our family includes ex fighters, trafficked women, refugees and stateless youth.

We begin with cooking and move beyond, harnessing the power of art in its many forms from painting to music. Initiatives include the decoration of each great oven as well as the neighbourhoods they belong to, a process overseen by world-renowned artists who mentor local youth to help bring their vision to life.