Drake in the Community
From free neighbourhood pancake breakfasts to promoting local artists and musicians, supporting our friends, neighbours and many of Toronto’s iconic cultural institutions has been a big part of our mission since day one.
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Love thy Neighbour
We think being an actively engaged neighbour is simply the right thing to do. We give back in meaningful ways to charitable organizations we believe in, who work tirelessly to support the community and culture we love.
From local schools, to community outreach groups, such as the Parkdale Community Food Bank, we are proud to engage our passionate staff in these causes, both with time and resources.
SOME OF OUR FABULOUS NEIGHBOURS INCLUDE:
Alexander Muir/Gladstone Ave Junior and Senior Public School
The Grove Community School
Parkdale Community Food Bank
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NEIGHBOURHOOD + COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Drake provides a place for our community to gather and engage. This may take shape as a lively sidewalk sale on the Café patio, a chili cook-off with local chefs in our Lounge or a charity dance party in the Underground.
CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR UP TO DATE LISTINGS:
86'D Mondays
Charity House Party
Drake Fall Market
Drake Spring Market
Holiday Toy Drive
Pancakes + Playtime
Permanent Art Collection Tours
Style Spins
Urban Garden planting
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Shop Local
We don’t just eat local - we also shop local. All three of our General Stores proudly supply Canadiana alongside merch by local designers and Canadian companies.
GENERAL STORE SHOP BUDDIES
Biko
Fortnight Lingerie
Hudson's Bay Co.
Imm Living
Kid Icarus
Red Canoe
Shannon Gerard
Shared
FOR MORE GREAT FINDS NEARBY
69 Vintage
99Sudbury
A to Zane
Black Dog Video
Cabaret Vintage
Chasse Gardee
Come As You Are
Coriander Girl
Fawn Boutique
Inabstracto
Jacflash
Klaxon Howl
The Knit Café
LAB Consignment
Made You Look
Magic Pony
Monkey's Paw
MOOG Audio
Penny Arcade Vintage
Poppies
The Public Butter
Thieves Boutique
ShopGirls Boutique
Sweetpea Blooms
Sydney's
Woolfitt’s -
Good Food
There’s a reason our food tastes so good. Our kitchen team creates seasonal menus from produce sourced from local Ontario suppliers, farms and quality purveyors – many of whom have become friends + keep us connected to the land we share.
FOOD FRIENDS
100km Foods
Acadian Sturgeon
Akiwenzie’s Fish
Cheese Boutique
Cookstown Greens
Cumbrae Farms
Diana’s Seafood
Dolce Lucano
Evergreen (we support)
Ewenity
Fifth Town
Fred’s Bread
Gordon Food Service
Hilite Fine Foods
Hooked Fish and Shellfish
Kawartha Ecological Growers
Kernal Peanuts
Kerr Farms (we use their ground beef for our burgers)
Marks Wild Mushrooms
Matchbox Garden (we buy seeds for our garden here)
Monforte Dairy
Mother's Dumplings
Northern Woods Mushrooms
Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
Organic Ocean
Oyster Boy
Perth Pork Products (all of our pork comes from here)
Pristine Gourmet
Provincial Fine Foods
Silverstein's Bakery
Soiled Reputation
Soma Chocolate
Sustain Ontario
The Stop (we support)
Tymek's Pickles
Vicki’s Veggies
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Green Beans
We’re not sure when the colour green became such a buzz word but we’ve always deeply respected our natural habitat and do our best to help the planet every day, learning with measured steps as we grow.
OUR GREEN TASKS
Compost kitchen waste (often in our own organic garden)
Conservation hydro + gas
Dispose safely of special waste like paint + electronics
Donate baked goods to Second Harvest
Grow own vegetables + herbs
Provide free bikes for hotel guests
Recycle fryer oil
Recycle glass, paper + plastic
Turn off the lights when not in use
Use low-flow showerheads
Use non-toxic, green seal certified housekeeping products
Use refillable soap dispensersNEXT STEPS
We are continually improving by looking for ways to enhance our environmental programs. Currently, we have a sustainability policy in the works.
GREEN PARTNERS
Dowhatyoucan.ca
Earth Day
Earth Hour/WWF
Good Foot Delivery
Green Aid
Green Planet Bio-Fuels
Malin + Goetz
Second Harvest
Wasteco
Young Urban Farmers
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BEYOND WQW
In addition to our support of this exciting neighbourhood, our fundraising and programming partnerships celebrate the many fantastic cultural organizations in this city and beyond who share our core values.
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Opera Company
Design Exchange
First Weekend Club
Gemini Awards
George Brown College
Indie Week
North By Northeast
Ontario Hostelry Institute
Polaris Music Prize
The Power Plant
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
STRUTT
Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week (FAT)
Toronto International Film Festival
Women in Film and Television
