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Our Top 10 Moments of 2025!
2025 was a year of many firsts for North York Harvest Food Bank. Faced with record-breaking food insecurity and poverty year after year, our organization continues to build on our commitment to being more than a food bank, and more than a neighbour’s last resort.
It was hard to narrow it down, but here are the Top 10 Moments at North York Harvest in 2025 — each one made possible by all of us working together to make our community a better place for everyone.
1. Improved our Leadership in Logistics Program
We know full-time employment is a springboard to stability, but it’s often not the end of the story. That’s why, starting this year, graduates of our Leadership in Logistics program had the opportunity to continue working with North York Harvest to build on their success using the Sustainable Livelihood Model.
This model helps identify other areas, including health and basic needs that require additional support in order for people to thrive in our community.
Our staff will work with graduates to offer support with referrals and resources including healthcare services, housing, and more.
2. 40 Years of North York Harvest Food Bank
It started with our founder Loren at a Blue Jays Game asking a simple question: What happens to all the hot dogs that don’t get sold?
From that question sprang an idea: That everyone in our community should be able to meet their food needs. Over 40 years, countless individuals would join together to build on that mission because they saw hunger in their community and decided to do something about it.
This year North York Harvest Food Bank turned 40, and we celebrated in our brand new space at 4048 Chesswood Dr., with over 1,000 past and present staff, volunteers, donors, and community members stopping by to commemorate the day!
3. We Launched Our Most Ambitious Campaign Yet
North York Harvest Food Bank launched Crisis to Catalyst: A $6 million capital campaign to build a new 30,000+ square-foot Community Food Hub that will redefine what a food bank can be, and ignite a powerful shift in how we address food insecurity.
4. Get Out the Vote!
There are many barriers stopping people from making it to the ballot box, from not having a fixed address, to not having enough money for transportation to the polls.
So North York Harvest held a Community BBQ to Get Out the Vote ahead of the federal election!
Over 600 people attended, with free transportation taking attendees to the polls to cast their vote. We also shuttled over 100 clients from our Community Food Spaces to the polls, and ensured no one was turned away from exercising their right to vote.
5. Our Community Fought for Change, and Won!
Two months after the City of Toronto declared a food insecurity emergency in Toronto, we collected hundreds of petition signatures, sent dozens of letters and gave deputations to urge every City Councillor to pass a city budget that put people first.
On the day of the Toronto City budget deliberation, we brought 60+ people from our community food spaces and joined with other community organizations to rally outside City Hall. Afterwards we hand-delivered our petitions to elected officials, calling for:
- The expansion of the School Food Program
- More funding for drop-in meal programs
- More funding for renter supports
- A TTC fare freeze
Together, we won all those things!
6. Strengthening Community Roots at Albion
This year our Albion Food Space partnered with a mobile clothing bank and we launched our first green market at this space, bringing affordable produce to clients through our social enterprise, FoodReach, all summer long!
Thanks to a grant from Toronto Public Library, we were able to sell fresh fruits and vegetables about 40% cheaper than the grocery store, improving food access for our Rexdale community.
7. Partner Agency Conference
This summer we held a conference with our network of partner agencies and drop-in meal programs supported through Creating Health Plus that became a powerful day of community, learning, and shared purpose.
It was an opportunity to connect with one another through discussions and workshops around food access, advocacy, and community development.
8. Providing More Fresh Food
As grocery store prices continued to soar in 2025, fresh foods became even more out of reach for many of our clients.
Thanks to some incredible community partners, this year fresh produce and milk became two of our Top 3 most-distributed items! As of November 2025, we have provided more than 165,000 lbs. Of nourishing milk to our clients — 15% more than last year!
9. FoodReach Grows, Again!
Our social enterprise FoodReach continued to drive impact in the food access sector this year.
With the expansion of the Student Nutrition Program in Toronto, FoodReach grew from providing healthy food to 38 schools, up to 81! To support this growth, we expanded our infrastructure with a new truck, and two new staff.
As FoodReach continues to grow, we’re purchasing more food, which supports local businesses and creates employment opportunities, helping to keep money and jobs in our community. The revenue from FoodReach also supports North York Harvest’s operations; creating a long-term food solution for our sector and building community wealth!
10. Notice North York
Poverty and hunger in North York have gone unnoticed, underfunded, and underestimated for too long. This year, we launched NOTICE: A community-powered movement fighting inequality and building lasting solutions to hunger and poverty. Supported by North York Harvest Food Bank, NOTICE supporters have a collective voice that can’t be ignored.
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