Comments Off on Our community put Queen’s Park on NOTICE!
The cost of living is skyrocketing out of control while wages and social supports fall far behind – trapping more people in poverty every day.
Our community decided they weren’t going to go unnoticed any longer.
On Thursday, October 23, hundreds of people from food banks, drop-in centres, meal programs, community organizations, and disability justice and housing advocates took over Queen’s Park to demand a rent freeze, raising the minimum wage, and higher social assistance rates.
“People like me get notices all the time. Notice of late payment, notice of arrears, notice of layoff, notice of eviction — even notice of insufficient funds when we try to pay our groceries” says Goldie, a long-time client and supporter of our Lawrence Heights Food Space.
“But instead of fixing the cracks in the system that too many of us are falling through, our government has allowed them to grow even bigger. So we put them on notice: We won’t be ignored any longer.”
Eight buses from across the GTHA, including from each of our Community Food Spaces, brought hundreds of individuals to the doorstep of our decisionmakers to have their voices heard.
A life-size installation of the board game Snakes and Broken Ladders was displayed before the Legislative Assembly, with each square representing a crack in a broken system.
North York Harvest Food Bank supports 30,000 food bank clients per month. We provide all the numbers and data on food insecurity through our annual Who’s Hungry Report, but we wanted to help create space for the people behind those numbers, whose voices, too often, go unnoticed.
Fight for a city for all of us. Join North York’s movement to put the drivers of hunger, inequality, and unaffordability on notice. Be part of a collective movement that won’t be ignored. Join noticenorthyork.ca.
Queen’s Park ON NOTICE was co-organized by North York Harvest Food Bank, ACORN Ontario, Campaign for Adequate Welfare and Disability Benefits, DJNO, Fair Rent Ontario, FMTA, Income Security Advocacy Centre, Justice For Workers, ODSP Action Coalition, Raise the Rates Coalition, Social Planning Toronto, York South-Weston Tenant Union, and the Weston King-Mount Dennis Neighbourhood Centre.
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!
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 platformsfor 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.
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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.
Learn how you can donate food and funds to support our neighbours in need.
Comments Off on Transforming food support into community power
Transforming Food Support Into Community Power
For 40 years, North York Harvest Food Bank has been a lifeline in the community— connecting people with dignified food assistance and critical resources they need to survive.
But now our lease is up and cannot be renewed; we have to move in 2026.
With 30,000 clients relying on us for emergency food support every month, we have to act quickly or risk disrupting essential operations.
That’s why we’re launching Crisis to Catalyst: A bold $6-million capital campaign to build a new 30,000+ sq. ft. Community Food Hub. This urgent situation has brought our organization to a transformational turning point: We’re shifting from crisis response to long-term solutions that will empower our community for generations.
Our new home will reimagine what a food bank can be – not just a safety net, but a launchpad for innovation. We will power local employment, support shelters, strengthen hundreds of partner agencies, and help thousands of families move from crisis to stability.
This Hub will:
Strengthen warehousing and logistics for hundreds of community agencies
Support student nutrition programs in schools, libraries, and beyond
Triple our food storage capacity to meet rising demand
Expand cold storage tenfold to deliver more fresh, nutritious food
Deliver food to shelters through our partnership with the City of Toronto
Enable national food initiatives in partnership with Food Banks Canada
Reduce the environmental impact of food waste
Develop more innovative initiatives that deliver sustainable, long-term reductions in poverty
Create shared space for community organizations to work, innovate, and grow — together
Advance food security across Ontario by supplying affordable food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations through our social enterprise, FoodReach.
But we can’t do it without you.
The City of Toronto has recognized food insecurity as an emergency, with 1 in 10 residents now relying on food banks to survive.
This is our moment — and yours — to turn crisis into catalyst.
When you support this campaign, you’re investing in more than food; you’re investing in people, potential, and possibility. You’re sparking lasting change — felt in every meal served, every job created, every child nourished, and every barrier broken.
Comments Off on Community BBQ to Get Out the Vote this federal election!
Removing barriers at the ballot box
As the need for food banks is reaching record highs, voter turnout in our community is reaching record lows.
There are many barriers stopping people from making it to the ballot box.
After paying rent and utilities, on average our community members only have about $7 per day to spend on food, transportation, medication and all other expenses. It’s not easy getting to the polls when getting there eats into your food budget.
The No. 1 reason people walk through our doors is the high cost of rent, and far too many don’t even have a permanent place to call home. It’s not easy exercising your right to vote when you don’t have a permanent address.
That’s why North York Harvest Food Bank held a Community BBQ to Get Out the Vote on Sunday, April 13.
We had free food, games, raffles, face-painting, advocacy, and free transportation taking attendees to the polls to cast their vote.
Over 600 people attended the BBQ throughout the day, with 75 folks heading to the polls. Many community members who voted said if it weren’t for this initiative, they wouldn’t have been able to vote.
Watch a short highlight reel from our BBQ below!
That week, our Community Engagement team also visited each of our four food spaces to shuttle over 100 clients to vote and ensure no one was turned away from exercising their right to vote. For some, it was their very first time voting.
“This whole initiative, whether it was the BBQ or the shuttles from our food banks to the polling station was really just about making sure the people most impacted by the affordability crisis are having their voices heard in this election,” says North York Harvest’s Senior Advocacy Specialist Chiara Padovani.
By removing barriers in the voting process, nearly 200 community members cast their ballot this federal election!
In this Impact Report, you’ll learn not only who you are helping today, but how we are working alongside our community to fight for long-term solutions to food insecurity.
Emergency Food Support
Between September 2024 – February 2025 we distributed 1.4 million lbs. of food across our network, ensuring each of the 30,000 clients we support every month received nutritious food.
October was our busiest month, reaching 31,224 client visits.
Our caring neighbours rallied together to hold 124 food drives to supply essential non-perishable foods like pasta, cooking oil, and canned meat and vegetables!
We also worked with 33 partner organizations including bakeries and manufacturers to procure additional food such as fresh produce.
Advocacy Actions!
With 1 in 10 Torontonians turning to a food bank, we know more food won’t solve food insecurity. That’s why our Community Engagement team was busy advocating for policy changes and mobilizing our network for real change.
Some highlights include:
(September) We held our Final Community Advocacy Open House, where clients were invited to discuss the issues that are making it the most challenging for them to meet their food needs, and how we can work together to make our voices heard and demand solutions.
(October) Our Community Connector Daffodil spoke at Queen’s Park ahead of the Raise the Rates Rally, calling for an end to legislated poverty by doubling social assistance rates.
(November) Community Engagement delivered over 300 postcards from FeedOntario’s postcard campaign from clients who wrote to their MPPs about the affordability crisis and how it is impacting their ability to meet their basic needs.
(December) North York Harvest’s Senior Specialist of Advocacy, Chiara Padovani, joins a Feed Ontario panel to bust myths about food banks and the people who use them.
(December) North York Harvest clients joined together for a Community Art Build where they made signs, buttons and posters to use at upcoming rallies.
(January) North York Harvest deputes at the Toronto City Budget Committee, calling for increased funding for drop-in meal programs that serve life-saving meals all across our city.
(February) Ryan joins Mayor Olivia Chow to call for an expanded student nutrition program to fight child hunger.
(February) Our Community Engagement team rented a bus to help mobilize 60+ clients to attend the City Budget Rally. Afterwards, we headed inside City Hall to hand-deliver our petitions calling for City Council to support a TTC Fare Freeze, more support for renters, an expansion of the student nutrition program, and increased funding for drop-in meal programs. Together we won all those things!
(February) Ahead of the provincial election, we set up Election info tables at our food spaces to share information with our community members on how, where and when to vote, and to provide non-partisan information on where the four main parties stood on some of the issues that impact our community members most.
None of this would have been possible without your support; thank you for being there for our community. View the Impact Statement
Resource Centre (CAR-C): An in-house emergency food program providing groceries to nearly 6,000 Lawrence Heights residents each year.
challenging for them to meet their food needs, and how we can work together to make our voices heard and demand solutions. 