Tag Archive: canada

  1. Racing Against Hunger

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    Guest Blog by Leslie Venturino

    What is it that makes you realize fall is finally here?

    Is it the coolness in the air? The leaves changing colours? Everything is now pumpkin spice flavoured?

    For me and my daughters, Emma & Sophia, fall kicks off each year by participating in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. This year will be our 8th year participating in the marathon and our 4th year on Team North York Harvest. The route is great and the scenery around the city is absolutely gorgeous.

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    It’s a real Toronto community event complete with bands, entertainment, cheerleaders and people in costumes. We’ve been known to have a carrot joining our team for many years now! It’s great for first time marathoners but also the advanced athlete who wants to qualify for the upcoming Boston Marathon. Anyone that enters gets a t-shirt and a great finisher’s medal that comes with complete bragging rights.

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    The first year I entered, I tried running with my daughter Sophia on my back. She was only two at the time and let’s just say my run time wasn’t going to get me on the Olympic team. But that doesn’t matter. The important part is getting together with my family and fellow community members to reach a common goal.

    And that goal is all about providing healthy meals for our neighbours that are hungry. Each year Team North York Harvest raises money so that families will be able to access the food they need. Since the team has been active, over $200,000 has been raised.

    That’s 600,000 meals for children, parents and grandparents living right here in Toronto!

    Even my girls have taken the initiative to raise money for the cause with their friends at school. This year they plan to raise enough funds for 300 meals. It really warms my heart to see how caring and thoughtful my children have grown to be. And a lot of that attitude came from taking part in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

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    So won’t you join me this year in lacing up and leaving hunger in the dust on October 16, 2016?

    Join Team North York Harvest today for an unforgettable experience!

    Can’t join the team but still want to provide meals for families in your community? Make a gift on behalf of Team North York Harvest.

     

     

  2. Hunger Awareness Week

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    Canada is such an amazing country, there is so much freedom and liberties we have that many countries don’t.  This is why I always find it shocking when I see the statistics of people that go hungry in our country.

    Hunger Awareness Week takes place from September 19-23. This is a week where Canadians like you and I band together to raise awareness for the people in our Canada that have to go without something to eat.

    In fact, on September 16 Hon Laura Albanese, MPP joined us at North York Harvest Food Bank to help us sort food during the First Annual Great MPP Food Sort!

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    Did you know?

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    Each day children in our communities may go without a meal. Poverty can lead to poor nutrition and that can affect a child’s grades  and quality of life in the long run.

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    Every province and city in the country is affected by hunger.

    Who uses the food bank in Toronto? They range from many ages and backgrounds.

    • 1/3 of food bank users are children
    • 15% are seniors
    • 40% are on long term disability
    • 40% have graduated from college or university

    But what can we do?

    We can all take a stand and make a difference in the lives of people that are hungry!

    Get involved with your local food bank and the issue of hunger in your community in the following ways:

    bank_cash_coin_coupon_discount_money_piggy_sale_save_saving-512Make a Donation

    A donation of $1 provides 3 meals

     

    082207-green-jelly-icon-business-cart5Run a Food & Fund Drive

    Get your friends, family and coworkers together.  Be creative and have fun while giving back.

     

    Donate Food

    Great items to donate are canned fish, canned beans, canned tomatoes, rice & baby products

     

    hand-heart-iconVolunteer

    There are many ways to volunteer! Join us in the food bank, warehouse, on the truck, at events or in the office.

     

    conference-512Get Social

    Spread the word on all of your social media accounts about hunger in Canada! Find some Hunger Awareness Week tools here.

     

    You can make a difference for the people that are hungry in your community!

    Check out more photos from the Hon Laura Albanese MPP visit on Facebook

    Find out more about Hunger Awareness Week!

     

     





  3. 2015/2016 Stakeholder Impact Review

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    The Joy of Food

    This has been one incredible year.  We want to celebrate YOU and all you do for people in your community with the release of our 2015/2016 Stakeholder Impact Review.  Because of your support, thousands of people are able to experience the #joyoffood!  In fact, almost 5 MILLION meals have been served and it wouldn’t have happened without you by our side.

    Click here to see your impact!





  4. Because of YOU!

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    This year because of you amazing things happened!  You made a huge impact in the lives of people in your community that didn’t have enough food to eat!  Your donations, food drives, volunteering and support provided an incredible amount of food to people in Toronto!  Thank you!

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    Cheers to another amazing year and onto the next!

    View in PDF

     





  5. Need for Space

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    People may not think of things like paying electrical bills, storing groceries and supplies or even having a functional bathroom when thinking of a food bank.  But these are problems are very real for food banks, youth shelters, soup kitchens and more. Lack of space is a serious issue that charities – especially small ones – face.

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    View in PDF

    Keep up to date with what’s going on in your community! Sign up for the E-Newsletter!

     

     




  6. Connecting Through Food

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    Shirah Stern

    Guest blog by Shirah Stern, Development Associate Corporate Giving

    Did you know that there are free toy lending libraries in North York?  Or literacy programs to prepare children for school? I sure didn’t before I went to visit Weston Area Emergency Services (WAES).  WAES is a food bank that falls under the NYH umbrella offering emergency food hampers to people in need.  It was there I met volunteer Marlene Jones.  And she sure taught me a lot about community services I didn’t even know existed!

    mjonesMarlene has been volunteering with WAES for almost a year now.  After retiring, Marlene wanted to give back because she personally felt grateful for the education and career that she has had in her life.  Her passion for health and nutrition naturally led her to a volunteer program that helps people in her neighbourhood access the food they need.  “Having access to good food is so important for family health,” she told me. “It’s also important that members of our communities are aware of programs to support people regardless of their personal income or background. Especially if they have kids.”

    With four young children, I often wonder why kids don’t come with a manual.  We all want to be the best parent that we can and these free resources are a huge helping hand for many that don’t have a ready support network.

    As a retired public health nurse, Marlene informs clients of nearby programs that they didn’t know they had access to.  These range from parenting programs and educational tutoring to newcomer workshops and recreational activities.  And these are available for anyone in the city. Because Marlene shares her knowledge, these families know where they can go to make their lives just a little bit easier.

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    Marlene shared the joy she feels being able to assistant clients with their food needs and help them get other supports they need.  Young, single mothers come to the food bank to put food in their bellies, and walk out with information about summer camp their children can attend.  A man struggling with being laid off from work will come in to get extra items for dinner and leave with the number of a service to help him update his resume.  There are so many other examples of people in your neighbourhood that benefit from these programs.

    Referral services and connections are part of what makes food banks so important to our community.  I have worked at NYH for many years and I didn’t even know that some of these programs were available (toy lending library??!!).  And working in the social service sector, if I wasn’t aware, I can imagine many other families in our city that could really use these services aren’t aware of them either.  Sharing is caring.

    I really admire the generosity and thoughtfulness of Marlene and other volunteers at WAES – they truly demonstrate the value of volunteering and helping others in the community. “It takes a village to raise a child,” share Marlene.  And she enjoys being a part of it.

    Families in our city are accessing programs that are helpful because of connections made in the food bank.  It is because of you that we are able to make connections like this happen. Thank you for being part of our village.

    Each day many volunteers put their time and heart into making a difference in the community through volunteering.  If you are interested in volunteering with us please contact us – we’d love to have you join the team!

     

     

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    Want to know more about free programs offered in the city?  Call Toronto Health Connections at 416-338-7600 or 211 to access community resources for anyone.

  7. Corporate Sort Teams

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    We had an amazing time this year with our corporate sort groups and there is still more to come!  Check out this great video we made of the summer sort teams (so far…)

     

     

    Join us!

    Engage your employees, reach out to your community of customers and add value to your philanthropy. Together we can make sure that no one in Toronto has to go without enough food to feed their families.

    Find out more here or contact Kadian at 416-635-7771 ex 28 // kadian@northyorkharvest.com

     




  8. Poverty in Toronto

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    Toronto is a diverse city and provides amazing opportunities for millions.  Unfortunately poverty still affects thousands of families every day. Some of these facts are surprising if not disturbing. We believe that working together we can make make a difference.   We’ve put together an infographic to show you some facts on poverty in the city.

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    View in PDF