Tag Archive: childhood hunger

  1. Food for Thought: How social enterprise supports student nutrition

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    Food for Thought: A social enterprise support for student nutrition

    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, Manager of FoodReach

    Last week I got an email from a North York school that said: “we only have $1900 of funding left for our snack program, which will last about a week. Can FoodReach help?” 

    Sadly, this is a common problem for schools. Student Nutrition Programs (SNPs) are struggling to provide adequate food with their current funding. 

    In a recent CBC article, the Ontario Student Nutrition Program Southwest Region shared that “their portion of the $5 million in funding meant $4.29 for each participating student for the entire school year. One healthy snack costs $1.50 on average. Right now, steep increases in food inflation are putting added pressure on already extremely tight budgets.” 

    SNPs play a critical role in a student’s learning and development, as well as food security. It’s estimated that the National School Food Policy will save families with two children up to $800 a year on food costs, and families need it.  

    In July of 2024, North York Harvest saw nearly 30,000 visits to our food banks sites – a 130% increase from the same time in 2019. 

    And 27% of this year’s visits were children and youth, that’s more than 1 in 4 people visiting our food banks. 

    To put it simply, an unprecedented number of kids in Toronto are hungry. 

    Child and youth hunger has a profound impact on learning outcomes, which has a domino effect on the rest of their lives.

    NYH is addressing this hunger crisis through a wrap-around strategy that includes emergency food access, advocacy efforts, and our FoodReach program.

    FoodReach, North York Harvest’s social enterprise, is a non-profit food supplier and logistics service that specializes in selling food to the emergency food access sector and public institutions. We leverage the collective purchasing volume of these sectors to lower food costs, generate a long-term food solution, and strengthen community wealth building. 

    In 2023, FoodReach serviced 197 customers across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area and 65%  were child and youth programs.

    By leveraging the collective purchasing power of these programs, FoodReach has continuously lowered the cost of food for student nutrition programs across Toronto. On average, we have lowered the cost of snacks by 15% compared to prices from standard retailers. 

    Whether student nutrition programs have stretched budgets, or are fully funded, FoodReach will continue to work on lowering food costs and stretching SNP dollars further so students can focus on learning at school, and so families can trust that their kids are eating nourishing food.

  2. We Need Your Help

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    For many Toronto children, summer is a time for savory barbecues and fun-filled picnics. You yourself may be lucky enough to enjoy a holiday getaway with your friends and family this summer.

    But right now families in your community need your support more than ever.

    Many children from low-income families depend on food programs at their schools for lunch or breakfast. Sadly, in the summer months, these kids go without many of these important meals.  

    This time of year is even more difficult for working families who also have to pay for daycare (when the children are not in school).  

    The reality is . . . families in our community struggle even harder to put food on the table during the summer.  

    There are over 16,000 people who must use the food bank every month. 40% of these people are children.

    Almost two thirds of the children who rely on North York Harvest Food Bank every month are under the age of 11. That means that of the 6,000 children going hungry every month – close to 4,000 children under 11 are without food.

    But together we can make a huge difference in the lives of people in your community that struggle to put food on the table.

    What can you do today to make sure these children, and their families, get the food they need? It’s simple: Donate to our North York Harvest Food Bank Hunger Alert Campaign this summer.

    Your gift will go to work immediately to help feed:

    • Children whose single parent can’t afford both day care and three nutritious meals a day
    • Elderly who struggle to survive on their pensions
    • Families whose wage earners suddenly find themselves unemployed and forced to slash their food budget to pay for rent and living expenses
    • Workers who are straining to survive on shrinking pay cheques and rising living costs in North York
    • People from all walks of life who believed they would only ever donate to a food bank, never imagining that they might need to use one.

    When you make a gift to North York Harvest Food Bank you will help people through these difficult times, provide nourishment, and rebuild their will to overcome their challenging situations.

    Hunger doesn’t take a vacation but you can make a difference.  

    Also, your gift will be tripled this summer — for every dollar you donate, we can stretch that towards $3 worth of healthy and nutritious food for your neighbours in need

    Right now we need your support more than ever. Donate now to make a difference in the lives of more than 16,000 people each month.

     

  3. Childhood Hunger Has No Place At School

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    Every day, people in your community rely on food banks to put food on the table for their families. In fact, North York Harvest helps more than 15,000 people meet their basic food needs each month. Many people don’t know that over 30% of people using our food bank are children – and a growing number of them in our community will be going back to school this year without enough food to be healthy and successful in school.

    Tricia is a teacher at Beaumonde Heights Junior Middle School, one of our local schools. She sees many students coming to school with empty stomachs. Her students understand what it is like to use a food bank – either because their own family uses one, or one of their friends.

    Beaumonde Heights JMS has hosted food drives for North York Harvest for 15 years, and this year is no different. All students get involved in the food drive to support their school, friends and neighbours. They know just how important these programs are.

    Of course, childhood hunger is a symptom of family poverty. North York Harvest and our agencies are on the frontlines of a childhood poverty epidemic: according to a recent report, nearly 27% of children in Toronto live in poverty. In the North York community, that percentage is much higher.  In some of our neighborhoods, almost 44% of children are living in poverty – and are much less likely to have access to enough healthy food to be successful in school.

    We are facing serious challenges in this community. But every day, we are inspired by acts of compassion from people like Tricia who are determined to make a difference in the lives of kids in North York.

    Today you can take action to join Tricia and the students from Beaumonde Heights in making a difference for kids heading back to school this fall.  By making a gift to North York Harvest Food Bank you will be helping thousands of kids and their parents that rely on programs that provide healthy meals and snacks.

    All children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances, deserve the same opportunity to succeed.

    Donate today to make a difference for kids in our community!

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