North York Harvest Volunteer awarded Diamond Jubilee Medal

Richard Kennard has been volunteering with North York Harvest Food Bank ever since he retired 19 years ago in 1994. Coming in on most week days, he contributes, on average, 90 hours per month to volunteering. As North York Harvest’s Master Food Sorter, Richard also trains and supervises other volunteer food sorters, ensuring that these volunteers follow safe and appropriate food handling practices. Volunteers and staff enjoy working with Richard and they love to hear him recounting stories about North York Harvest’s past. Richard plays a significant role in helping North York Harvest realize its operational goals of collecting, sorting and distributing just under 2 million pounds of food to 60 food programs located in northern Toronto.

Commemorating the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is awarded to Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities. Richard is definitely one of them!

Richard's unwavering commitment to helping his community members is evident with his 19 years of association to North York Harvest. He is an exemplary volunteer who teaches us by example the importance of giving back to community, from working towards a common purpose to encouraging community engagement.

Congratulations, Richard!