Author Archives: Michelle Rowe-Jardine

1. Food for Thought: How local procurement builds community wealth

   September 29, 2025 1:20 pm Comments Off on Food for Thought: How local procurement builds community wealth

   Food for Thought: How local procurement builds community wealth

   In our Food for Thought series, individuals within North York Harvest Food Bank will share their experience in matters pertaining to food insecurity and poverty. This series will share ideas, perspectives, and lessons learned as we work toward our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

   Written by Lianne Holland, Senior Manager of Social Enterprise and Community Wealth

   When meeting with first-time FoodReach customers, I’m often asked, “How is it that you get the cheapest prices on food?”

   The short answer is, we don’t.

   Because FoodReach is a non-profit food supplier to the community food sector, there tends to be an expectation that we will sell food at bargain-basement pricing. But we take a different approach to procurement. 

   Consider for a moment the food in your fridge

   • Is it filled with food that nourishes you?
   • Does it meet your cultural and dietary preferences?
   • Is the food fresh? 
   • Did you buy it from a store you can rely on to stock what you need?
   • Can you get similar foods cheaper elsewhere, but you’re more concerned with quality over price?
   • Where did it come from?

   These are all of the same questions we ask ourselves when we’re building FoodReach’s catalogue. We want to leverage economies of scale to lower food costs for our customers, and we want to create a long-term food solution.

   Part of creating a long-term food solution is sourcing quality, nourishing, culturally relevant food from reliable suppliers we can count on, so our sector can count on us. 

   But how can we make our impact even greater? That’s where our Community Wealth Building mindset comes in. We’ve been focusing a lot on the question: “Where does the food come from?” 

   At any given time, FoodReach’s catalogue sells a minimum of 50% locally sourced products. This fluctuates to a higher number seasonally as a result of the supply and demand of produce. The more we’re procuring products from the local economy, the more we’re strengthening our community because it’s creating jobs. 

   

   Sourcing locally also makes our supply chain more reliable, and less susceptible to disruptions like we are seeing with this year’s tariffs, and back in 2020/2021 with the pandemic. 

   And as we make big plans for our future Community Food Hub, we’re looking at how we leverage our resources further to strengthen and support local, small businesses by supplying warehouse space and connections to a consistent demand from our customers. 

   When we look back in our fridges, not only are we nourishing ourselves, every purchasing choice we’re making is positively impacting other people’s lives so they can nourish themselves, too.

2. Welcome to Albion Library Community Food Space

   11:47 am Comments Off on Welcome to Albion Library Community Food Space

   Albion Library Community Food Space in Photos

   

   Albion is our smallest Community Food Space—but it still has a big impact in the Rexdale community!

   During the pandemic in 2020, many food banks shut down to maintain public-health protocols. Toronto Public Library (TPL) stepped up to ensure people could still get food support by setting up outdoor food banks across 9 TPL locations.

   North York Harvest Food Bank worked with TPL to open a distribution site in the parking lot of Albion Public Library. The pandemic restrictions eased, but the need in the community soared as the affordability crisis worsened.

   Today, we continue to partner with TPL to run our Albion food space out of two shipping containers, serving 2,400 client visits every month.

   Despite its size, Albion is an important hub of support and community connection.

   Our Community

   

   We hold two community food programs every week, serving individuals and families in the Rexdale area.

   Our Albion food space serves a large number of seniors, newcomers, and single-parent families.

   • 31% of clients are children and youth
   • 49% of clients are from 1-2 person households
   • In the past 6 months, 25% of clients have been new

   Meet Chashma!

   

   Chashma is the new Food Space Manager of Albion, but she’s been working with North York Harvest since 2023, when she started as a volunteer.

   “Something I’m happy to see us do as an organization is implement our own clients as ambassadors for our Albion Food Space to support the community engagement work we do,” she says. “I think a key part in our mission, and what we are fighting for, can only be pushed forward by the voices of our own clients and community members.

   “I am happy to learn how important this influence is at North York Harvest, and happy to be a part of our mission.”

   Community Partnerships

   FoodieFest

   

   Every June North York Harvest participates in Rexdale Community Health Centre’s Foodie Fest, which draws hundreds to the Albion Library for live entertainment, information on community resources, and, of course, food.

   We purchase fresh produce through our social enterprise FoodReach and distribute it to our community, which has become a huge hit!
   
   From You to Them

   

   Clothing is a big need among our community members, but taking transit to a clothing bank can be a barrier for clients. This year we’re grateful to partner with From You to Them – a mobile clothing bank that comes to Albion once a month.

   The Career Foundation

   

   The Career Foundation joins us in the summer to help reduce barriers to employment in our community. Every week, they’re onsite to provide information on free workshops, resources, and employment opportunities.

   Summer Green Market

   

   For the first time this year, we launched a green market at Albion to make healthy food more affordable for everyone! 

   Similar to the green markets at our Bathurst-Finch and Lawrence Heights food spaces, we order fresh produce from FoodReach and then sell it at cost to our community.

   Thanks to a generous grant from Toronto Public Library, we were able to lower food costs even further.

   On average, our Albion community paid 40% less for fruits and veggies than they would at the grocery store!

   Meet Leila!

   

   Leila (left) is a placement student from Northern College in Timmins, and she’s been volunteering with us since the beginning of September.

   “Working at North York Harvest Food Bank has been nothing short of incredible, I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” she says.

   “It’s been fulfilling, challenging, it’s been enlightening … food insecurity does not discriminate, that’s something that has been a huge eye opener for me since I started working here – it could impact any one of us.”

   Thank you for joining us at Albion Library Community Food Space!

   

   And thank you to our donors, community partners, staff, and volunteers who help make this critical work possible every day.

   Together we are working toward our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

3. The many homes of North York Harvest Food Bank

   August 29, 2025 1:18 pm Comments Off on The many homes of North York Harvest Food Bank

   Over the past 40 years the roof at North York Harvest Food Bank has changed, but our foundation stayed the same: Work toward a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.
   
   Every time North York Harvest has moved, it allowed us to expand not only the space, but also our programs, our community partnerships, and our advocacy work to fight the underlying causes of poverty.
   
   As we prepare to move again into our new Community Food Hub at 4050 Chesswood Dr., here’s a look back at how we’ve turned every new home into an opportunity for growth and deeper connection with our community!

   1986-1991 – 3640 Weston Rd. Unit 11

   

   North York Harvest Food Bank moves into its first humble home: A 3000 sq. ft. warehouse. That year, 158,337 lbs of food were distributed to the community.
   
   The food bank grew rapidly, and by 1990 North York Harvest expanded its space to include both Units 10 and 20, and rented an additional 2,700 sq. ft. space next door to keep up with the need in North York.
   
   Key milestones

   • Welcomed 43 partner agencies
   • Installed 2 walk-in fridges, vastly expanding food distribution
   • Published our first annual report and monthly newsletter sharing low-cost recipes and information about local community programs

   1992-2002 – 4478 Chesswood Dr., Unit 16

    

   This new space opened the door to more food served in our community, and in our first year we distributed 1 million lbs of food!
   
   This home also represented a shift in focus beyond emergency food support to addressing the underlying causes of poverty.

   Key milestones

   • Through the Who’s Hungry survey of over 800 food bank users across the GTA, North York Harvest helped reveal that chronic food insecurity was deeply tied to poor health outcomes
   • Launched community initiatives including Making Connections, which brought fresh food from local farms into the city that would otherwise go to waste
   • Partnered with the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants to launch free tax clinics for low-income individuals

   2002-2015 – Bathurst Heights Secondary School – 640 Lawrence Ave. West

   

   North York Harvest relocated to the back of the former Bathurst Heights Secondary School. This came with three loading docks and a completely rebuilt walk-in freezer/cooler, which doubled our capacity for food distribution.

   For the first time ever, North York Harvest could accept and distribute large-scale donations of perishable food — and by 2014, 75,000 lbs of fresh foods were distributed in a single year.

   Key Milestones

   • Expanded our in-house hamper program into the Community Action Resource Centre, providing not just food, but referrals to ESL programs, newcomer settlement services, employment services, and more
   • Founded our Bathurst-Finch and Oriole Community Food Spaces to deepen our impact across North York
   • Implemented the choice model, which moved from prepacked hampers to dignified food assistance by allowing clients to choose the food they wanted

   2015–Present – Learning Enrichment Foundation – 116 Industry St.

   

   By 2015, 13,000 individuals relied on North York Harvest Food Bank for support in meeting their food needs. Our home at 116 Industry was not only larger, but it came with additional food racking, a walk-in fridge 3x larger and a freezer 2x larger than our old space.

   But equally important was the work that went on to challenge the underlying causes of poverty. This included formally adopting ‘focused advocacy’ into our mission, creating real pathways out of poverty, and providing platforms for our community members to have their voices heard and push for lasting change.

   The food support we provide remains critical, but the job creation, the innovation, and the advocacy is essential to achieving our vision of a community where all members can meet their food needs.

   Key milestones

   • Creating our workforce and training program Leadership in Logistics, which provides practical experience and pathways out of poverty into full-time employment
   • Running our FoodReach social enterprise, which helps provide more affordable food to non-profits across Ontario while supporting North York Harvest’s operations
   • Forming the Community Advocacy Group, which unites clients to organize around key issues, including affordable housing and social assistance, through rallies, deputations, petitions, and more

   2026– 4050 Chesswood Dr.

   

   With 30,000 clients depending on North York Harvest Food Bank every month, and the lease at our current space ending next year – North York Harvest is preparing to move again to meet the growing and changing needs of our community.

   Our next move will be a transformational one. This 30,000 sq. ft. Community Food Hub will expand our Leadership in Logistics program and FoodReach, triple food storage capacity, and bring our community together to develop initiatives that fight the root causes of poverty.

   This isn’t just a new food bank, it’s a launchpad for a more resilient, equitable, and empowered community. 

   Learn more about our Crisis to Catalyst campaign to support this bold next chapter.

4. Commemorating 40 years of community care

   11:19 am Comments Off on Commemorating 40 years of community care

   

   On Friday August 8th, we celebrated our 40th anniversary by opening the doors to our soon-to-be home at 4050 Chesswood Drive!

   Throughout the day, 1000 attendees showed up to tour the space and reflect on what four decades of community care has meant for North York.

   We were delighted to welcome past and present staff and volunteers, community partners, and donors who have each contributed to transforming North York Harvest into what it is today.

   

   Guests followed a timeline of our progress from the moment they walked in, with photos and milestones capturing four decades of food served, voices heard, dignity preserved, jobs created, connections forged, and real change fought for every single day.

   North York Harvest Food Bank would not be possible without the generosity, passion, and dedication of our community. 

   We thank everyone who joined us to commemorate our past and look to the future at our most transformative chapter yet: A Community Food Hub that will reimagine what a food bank can be, and redefine how we fight food insecurity.

   But we can’t do it alone. That’s why we recently launched a bold $6-million capital campaign that will turn an empty warehouse into a vibrant hub of food distribution, workforce development, and social enterprise.

   Support this campaign to help create real, lasting change that will be felt for generations.

5. It’s been one year since the flood

   July 31, 2025 1:27 pm Comments Off on It’s been one year since the flood

   What we learned and what we did after the flood

   

   

   It’s been a year since North York Harvest Food Bank faced one of the biggest challenges in our 40-year history.

   On July 16, 2024, a torrential downpour hit Toronto. Nearly 100mm of rain fell in just three hours, leading to massive flooding and blackouts across the city.

   At North York Harvest, our loading docks flooded, rain poured into the warehouse, our delivery truck was damaged, and our freezer broke.

   The power outage caused us to lose a significant amount of fresh, refrigerated food intended to nourish our community — at a time when we were already running low on essential items.

   Between the food and damages to our infrastructure, North York Harvest was faced with a devastating $50,000 loss.

    

   But thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community, we were able to rebound quickly to continue providing emergency food support to individuals and families in need.

   Many of our partner agencies were also reeling from the flood. Because of the support we received, we were able to help our network with water damage repairs, and purchase new fridges and other equipment to ensure they could run community food programs safely again.

   A Community Victory

   

   We knew it wasn’t if we would flood again, but when.

   North York Harvest worked with our partner agencies, residents, and community organizations to discuss the effects of the flood, and how we could move collaboratively toward solutions.

   We were joined by then-Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who amplified our concerns and supported our call for long-term solutions in a letter addressed to the prime minister.

   On August 30, 2024, an investment of $323-million from the City of Toronto and the federal government was announced to bolster the Rockcliffe-Smythe area against future flooding!

   

   Looking Ahead

   In reality, the flood was a wake-up call.

   This disaster made it clear that North York Harvest had outgrown our current space at 116 Industry St. — a place we have called home since 2015.

   In 2015, we supported over 13,000 clients every month, now we serve 30,000 — a 130% increase.

   On top of this, our social enterprise FoodReach supports 175 essential drop-in meal programs, food banks, school snack programs and other non-profits in delivering affordable food to communities that need it most.

   Our warehouse is bursting at the seams with insufficient freezer, refrigeration and dry storage space, while we’re grappling with a leaky roof and broken equipment.

   All of this is hindering North York Harvest’s ability to operate at full capacity and compromises a critical supply chain that supports 30,000 clients every month.

   A Bold Path Forward

   

   We can’t hold our breath every time it rains, and we can’t meet the rising needs of our community in our current space.

   That’s why North York Harvest has launched a $6-million capital campaign to build a 30,000 sq ft. community food hub that will reimagine what a food bank can be.

   We’re building a home for our community that can nourish thousands, provide stepping stones to stability, and power innovation and long-term solutions.

   It will allow us to distribute more food, create local jobs, and build long-term solutions to food insecurity and poverty in our city.

   What we learned from the flood

   In times of crisis, community care is crucial: Compassionate people stepped up any way they could to ensure North York Harvest could continue distributing emergency food.

   When we fight for our community, we win: Residents and community organizations have been raising the alarm bells about flooding for years. Together we made change happen.

   Turning a crisis into a catalyst: The lease in our current space is ending, our infrastructure is failing, and the City of Toronto declared food insecurity an emergency. Instead of losing hope, we’re meeting the moment in the most transformational chapter in North York Harvest’s history. Join the movement today!

6. Welcome to Lawrence Heights

   11:34 am Comments Off on Welcome to Lawrence Heights

   

   Lawrence Heights in Photos

   Did you know North York Harvest Food Bank’s very first Community Food Space was in Lawrence Heights?

   Finding a long-term permanent space has been challenging, but for the past three years, our Lawrence Heights Community Food Space has been located within the Lawrence Heights Community Centre — nestled in the small dance studio.

   We’ve been here for a few years, but our history in Lawrence Heights goes back much further.

   

   Our History in Lawrence Heights

   The neighbourhood of Lawrence Heights was planned in the 1950s as the first large-scale public housing project located outside of the former City of Toronto boundaries. It’s spread across 100 acres in an area north of Lawrence Avenue between Bathurst and Dufferin.

   In 2002 North York Harvest moved into Bathurst Heights Secondary School at 640 Lawrence Ave. West, where we launched the Community Action Resource Centre (CAR-C): An in-house emergency food program providing groceries to nearly 6,000 Lawrence Heights residents each year.

   In 2005, the City of Toronto identified Lawrence Heights as one of 13 ‘priority neighbourhoods’ that required more investment to address high levels of poverty, lack of affordable housing and social infrastructure including libraries and schools, and community programs like employment services and food banks.

   CAR-C evolved to meet the needs of the community by supporting clients with referrals to English programs, settlement services, healthcare, and tenants rights organizations.

   While North York Harvest moved to 116 Industry in 2015, we continued operating a food space to serve the Lawrence Heights community.

   Our Lawrence Heights Community

   

   At Lawrence Heights we serve a diverse and vibrant community, supporting 1500+ clients every month.

   • Two community food programs run every week
   • Nearly 30% of clients are 55+
   • 1 in 4 are children and youth

   The Food Space operates as a pop-up; every day before service, volunteers set up tables and shelves, configure the registration  area, and stock the food space with non-perishable and fresh foods.

   Since 2018 we have also offered home delivery to a very small number of eligible clients who are unable to make it to the food bank.

   Meet Ayten!

   

   Meet Ayten, the Food Space Manager at Lawrence Heights!

   How long have you worked at North York Harvest Food Bank?
   “I began my work with North York Harvest Food Bank in 2018 through a partnership with the Flemingdon Health Centre at the Oriole Community Food Space, where I focused on community outreach. I officially joined North York Harvest in 2020, and for the past two years I’ve been working as the manager at the Lawrence Heights site.”
   

   What do you like about working at North York Harvest?
   “I enjoy working with a team that cares about making a difference.

   Working at the food bank isn’t just about distributing food to clients. I’ve seen that anyone can have a hard time getting enough food, for a little while or a long time. Parents especially want to make sure their babies have what they need; providing help with diapers and formula is very important when things are difficult.”

   Green Markets

   

   In the summer, we operate weekly green markets to provide fresh and affordable produce to our clients. 

   North York Harvest Food Bank purchases produce from our social enterprise, FoodReach, and sells it at cost to community members.

   FoodReach uses bulk purchasing power to negotiate lower prices with suppliers, which we can then pass on to our community.

   The same quality produce you’d find at a grocery store, but without the high mark-up – because everyone should have access to healthy food!

   Meet Catalina!

   

   Catalina (right) started working at North York Harvest in 2023 as a placement student. She has since worked as both relief staff and a Community Food Space Trainee as part of the Canada Summer Jobs program.

   Catalina has helped out across all of our food spaces, but during the summer she is supporting the green market at Lawrence Heights!

   What’s your favourite part of working at North York Harvest?
   “Genuinely some of the loveliest people I’ve ever worked with! Across the different sites, all of the volunteers do such great work making food service smooth and welcoming. I also feel that this organization is led with a real passion for progress that I see reflected in the work we do.”

   What’s something everyone should know about NYHFB?
   “We want to help you find what you need, be it food or connection to resources or help finding a network of support. There’s a lot of us working here that have been in your shoes and want to make a welcoming, respectful experience for you.”

   Advocacy

   

   Across each of our Community Food Spaces, you’ll find our Community Engagement team onsite working with clients to ensure their voices are heard through petitions, rallies, and more. They also provide platforms for people to share their lived experience and join our Community Advocacy Group to help shape North York Harvest Food Bank’s advocacy strategy.

   Our Community Engagement Ambassador Fe was at Lawrence Heights recently to collect  signatures for the No One Left Behind petition, which demands immediate action from all levels of government to protect community members from the impact of tariffs through a rent freeze, a moratorium on evictions, and by providing affordable food prices.

   

   Thank you for joining us at Lawrence Heights!

   

   And thank you to our donors, staff, and volunteers who help make this critical work possible every day.

   Together we are working toward our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

7. Sign the No one Left Behind Petition!

   July 8, 2025 2:35 pm Comments Off on Sign the No one Left Behind Petition!

8. What happens to food after it’s donated?

   June 27, 2025 9:52 am Comments Off on What happens to food after it’s donated?

   The journey of a food donation

   Have you ever wondered what happens after you drop off food at North York Harvest Food Bank?

   Lettuce give you an example…

   

   Our community partner Future Fresh Farms arrives at the warehouse on a Friday morning with a generous donation of their fresh, locally grown lettuce! They turn unusable, grey commercial space in Toronto into urban vertical farms to produce aeroponically grown food.

   Over the past three months they have contributed 1,062 lbs of fresh produce to fight food insecurity and support our community!

   

   Once food arrives, our Operations team receives the items, weighs, and tracks them so we know how much food we have on hand to distribute, how long we’ve had it, and when/where it will be delivered to support individuals and families in need.

   

   For non-perishable items dropped off from food drives or partner organizations, they’re added into the donation bins in our sort room to be inspected for safety by our diligent volunteers, and then sorted into boxes by category.

   North York Harvest supports 30,000 clients in meeting their food needs every month, so food has to move in and out of the warehouse quickly and efficiently – especially perishable items like lettuce!

   Each week we distribute about 46,000 lbs of food across our four community food spaces and our network of 37 partner agencies.

   En Route

   The lettuce is loaded up first thing in the morning into one of our delivery trucks.

   First stop: Our Lawrence Heights Community Food Space.

   

   The Community Food Space is located within the Lawrence Heights Community Centre in the dance studio.

   Our driver Oscar arrives at Lawrence Heights ahead of their program day at 11am. Volunteers help unload skids of food to put on the shelves and into the fridge as they set up for a busy day providing nourishing food to our community.

   

   Tables, chairs, and shelving are pulled out of storage and loaded with non-perishable items from the morning’s delivery. In addition to non-perishables, clients will also have access to milk, eggs, bread, cucumbers, and of course, lettuce.

   Lawrence Heights serves a diverse community, supporting 1340 clients every month in meeting their food needs.

   

   One of our community members, Flor, says, “I was so happy to see lettuce available!”

   “It’s hard for seniors to find work. I’m having surgery soon, and I need the nutrients to be healthy, but when I go to the grocery store everything is so expensive,” Flor says.

   “Whenever I get fruits and vegetables from the food bank, I like to make them into healthy juices,” she adds.

   Every day our community comes together to ensure neighbours facing food insecurity have enough to eat. Every donation: From bottles of cooking oil, to pasta, and fresh produce makes this critical journey from our warehouse to our food spaces and into the hands of someone who needs it.

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   Learn how you can donate food and funds to support our neighbours in need.