Comments Off on Agency Spotlight: Meet Society for the Living!
Meet Society for the Living!
Since she was a little girl, Joyce has been working alongside her mother and three siblings at Society for the Living, a food bank and partner agency of North York Harvest Food Bank.
“I don’t know how many people get to work alongside their family and give back to their community. It’s something that’s really special because at the same time we’re doing this work, we get to connect as a family and connect with our community,” Joyce says.
Joyce works with her mother, known in the community as sister Vee, and siblings Aisha, Sedem, and Immanuel.
Since 1998 Society for the Living has been serving the North York community, with an emphasis on providing culturally meaningful food and a welcoming space for clients to connect with one another.
For 25 years Society called 274 Eddystone Ave. home. But during the pandemic, their rent was raised by 200% and they had to find a new space — at a time when the need in the community was increasing rapidly.
Today, Society operates out of shipping containers at two different sites: Jane and Shepherd, and Oakdale, serving 900 client visits each month.
“It was really sad for us to lose that space and we hope to one day be able to have a space to call our own with our community to connect and share
food,” Joyce says.
For now they are continuing to build community however they can, including through a farm project where they grow and harvest fresh food to serve at their programs. Clients have a say in the kinds of produce that is grown and some clients also volunteer to help on the farm.
“It’s very grounding being outside in fresh air with each other and planting, growing, and harvesting food together. It’s really beautiful to see that,” Joyce says.
The next generation in the family are already helping out at the food bank, whether by cleaning up, setting up or packing boxes.
“Like me, they’re learning at a very young age that there’s a need in the community and each of us has the opportunity to give back,” Joyce says.
Learn more about Society for the Living at https://www.societyforthelivingfoodbank.com/
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