Tag Archive: community giving

  1. 8 GREAT reasons to run a summer food drive!

    Comments Off on 8 GREAT reasons to run a summer food drive!

    8 Great Reasons to Start a Summer Food Drive

    Food drives are essential in helping 30,000 clients across our network meet their food needs every month. They’re especially important during the summer, when our shelves begin to empty but the need in our community remains just as high.

    Here are 8 great reasons why YOU should start your very own food drive this summer!

    1. Donations are much lower in the summertime

    An empty donation box for North York Harvest Food Bank sits outside.
    As the warm weather hits, people are focused on planning vacations and enjoying the great outdoors. 

    At the food bank however, that means empty shelves. Summer hasn’t even started yet, but we’re already running critically low on many non-perishable essentials including pasta and canned fish.

    Unfortunately, there is no vacation from hunger. Summer is a critical time for community support, and community food drives play an integral role in ensuring there’s enough food for our clients.

    2. A child’s happy summer starts with good nutrition

    Three children play on a tire swing in a sandy playground setting.

    Children need their energy for all the play and activities that come with summer. But without school snack programs, many families struggle to provide their children with enough nutritious food to fuel their day.

    At North York Harvest, 1 in 4 people we support is a child. By hosting a food drive, you’ll be easing a family’s stress so they can have a great summer, too.

    3. Connect with your community & each other

    Seven people stand around a large container of donated food at a food bank warehouse, smiling and linking arms.

    A food drive unites people under a common goal: to make a difference in your community. It can be started at your work or school, your place of worship, in your neighbourhood, or even within your family.

    For inspiration, read how a food drive at the La Rose townhouse complex turned strangers into neighbours who have hosted community food drives for the past four years!

    4. You’re taking an active role in fighting food insecurity

    An older woman wearing a hat and winter jacket can be seen from behind as she waits for food to be served at a food bank.

    1 in 10 Torontonians turning to a food bank is a daunting number, and it can make someone feel powerless about the situation. By taking this step, you’re empowering yourself and others to take action and directly help people in your own community.

    5. You can inspire others to take action

    Five people pose for a photo around a large box of donated food items inside of a food bank warehouse.

    One food drive can spark more, especially when shared on social media or in your workplace. Be the reason someone you know says, “I can help, too.”

    6. Kids and teens can lead them too

    A teenaged girl stands in a delivery truck full of bags of food donations.

    Food drives teach youth about leadership, community values, and the power every person has to make a difference.

    For inspiration, check out this family food drive that has been supporting North York Harvest for 10 years!

    7. It’s easy to organize, and we’re here to help!

    In the foreground is a box of donated items, in the background a person can be seen passing more items for donation in a grocery bag to a food bank employee.

    Virtual food drive or in-person – raise food or funds it’s up to you!

    Our team will be with you every step of the way to coordinate your successful fundraiser.

    8. Reduce food waste

    Cans of fish sit on a shelf at a food bank.

    Unused but safe pantry items in your home or office can go directly to someone in need – instead of the trash.

    Get started today! To register your food or fund drive and to learn more about our most-needed items, visit here.

    Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, please contact husnia@northyorkharvest.com. 

  2. ISV rallies community to give back

    Comments Off on ISV rallies community to give back

    Islamic Society of Vaughan joins North York Harvest for day of community giving

    A group of volunteers wearing yellow Islamic Society of Vaughan t-shirts pick up cans and place them in boxes.

    At North York Harvest we’re doing everything we can to ensure our community members can meet their food needs – but we can’t do it alone.

    On November 30 the Islamic Society of Vaughan stepped forward with an incredible gift of $25,000 that was used to purchase nutritious food to support our neighbours in need. Through their donation, we were able to purchase:

    • 6,048 cans of sweet peas
    • 5,100 bags of pasta
    • 10,752 cans of kidney beans
    • 4,320 cans of pasta sauce

    Fifty members of the Islamic Society of Vaughan also joined us at our warehouse to sort and prepare the food for distribution themselves, sorting over  27,700 lbs. of food!

    It was a joyous day of community care, teamwork, and compassion that will send positive ripples out into our community for the weeks to come.

    Check out the video below for a recap of the day!

  3. Annual food drive inspires community pride!

    Comments Off on Annual food drive inspires community pride!

    How a food drive became a source of community pride

    A mother, father and daughter kneel on the grass packing food donations into a bag

    What happens when you combine a DJ booth, a townhouse complex, and neighbours who are passionate about giving back?

    The LaRose townhouse complex has answered that it’s a much-anticipated neighbourhood party that collects food and funds for North York Harvest Food Bank!

    Matt Foran spearheaded this food drive starting in 2021, getting his family involved to make posters and encouraging his neighbours to join together to help people facing food insecurity.

    With the soaring cost of housing and food, “The food drive notion is very relatable because people recognize it’s tough for them too,” Matt says.

    Fighting food insecurity also runs in the family: His father started the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, and his cousins started a food bank out in Sudbury.

    Every year the neighbourhood comes together for the Community Giving Day, an event where folks can drop off donations, but also hang out and connect with their neighbours while Matt often DJs to really make it a party!

    “It’s become a source of community pride,” Matt says, “and it’s become something that people look forward to. When they see me walking my dog they ask ‘when it’s going to happen, what’s our goal?’”

    Each year they try to start with a goal of $3,500 but this year Matt said they had to be ambitious because of the growing need they are seeing in their community.

    This year the food and fund drive exceeded their target, bringing in $6,400 plus 465 lbs of food!

    The Community Giving Day has even spread beyond the LaRose townhouse, with donations coming in from all over the city.

    “it was amazing to see the list of donors and people I hadn’t met before, they heard about it through friends and neighbours. It’s wonderful it brings people together like this,” Matt says.

    Thank you to Matt and everyone at the LaRose townhouse complex, this generosity will directly support nearly 30,000 client visits across our network, and help individuals and families meet their food needs.

    Be a Harvest Hero

    Learn how you can get involved and make a difference as we work towards our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

    Start your own food drive!

    OR

    Start a virtual food drive!

  4. Thankful for Your Support

    Comments Off on Thankful for Your Support
    Thankful for your support on Giving Tuesday!
     
    Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving back that kicks off the giving season. This is a day when individuals and businesses join together in support of charities. It is a time to amplify, celebrate and encourage activities that support our community. Whether you’re volunteering time, helping your neighbour, spreading the word, or making a donation, Giving Tuesday is a movement that offers everyone the opportunity to create change, have an impact and make a difference in their community.
     
    At North York Harvest, we are continuing to focus all our efforts on providing emergency food assistance. We are not able to do it alone. We are incredibly thankful for the support we have had from our community.
     
    Your generosity helps us ensure that everyone is able to put food on their table and feed their families during what continues to be very challenging times. 
     
    Here is a special message from our Board Chair, Habon Ali sharing more about how you make our work possible.

    Thanks to you, more than 2,5000 people in our community were able to be supported each week.

    Thank you for helping our community meet their food needs, we couldn’t have done the work we do without  the kindness, support and  generosity from all of you!

  5. Education At the Heart Of Community

    Comments Off on Education At the Heart Of Community

    Food insecurity has been a longstanding concern in North York’s Keele and Finch neighbourhood where
    ANIDA Foundation is located, but over the past year and a half the organization’s executive director Samuel Donker says that need has grown exponentially.

    “Pre-pandemic we served 30 to 60 people bi-weekly, now it’s 350 depending on the needs of seniors,” he says. According to Donker, the way in which North York Harvest responded to its member agencies during the pandemic helped keep their program running in very real ways. “There was a lot of uncertainty but the resources we had access to allowed us to continue to serve clients safely,” he says. Shifting their operations from indoors to outside required tents, vests for staff and access to technology, all of which were facilitated by North York Harvest. Grant funding also helped ANIDA launch a seniors delivery program which continues to serve 100 seniors on a bi-weekly basis.

    Along with providing nourishing food, ANIDA is also focused on feeding minds through educational programs. “We have a reading program for children along with a book bank thanks to our partnership with Indigo,” explains Donker. “Having the food bank allows us to offer access to our other resources and programs which people wouldn’t otherwise know were available.” As with other member agencies, food is the connection to education and so much more as we all work towards building healthier communities
    together.

  6. Door Dash Delivers for Students

    Comments Off on Door Dash Delivers for Students

    As students return to campuses everywhere, many are on even tighter budgets than usual. In some cases students didn’t have the same job opportunities during the summer months, making it even more challenging when they return to school. As a result, some of our busiest member agencies operate on university and college campuses.

    Over the past year, many of us have enjoyed ordering takeout from our favourite restaurants and dining in the comfort of our homes. These days the simple luxury of ordering takeout after a long week, may not be in the budget for many of our friends and neighbours. As a result of these circumstances, DoorDash recognized the need for additional support in communities nationwide, and has partnered with a number of organizations nationwide to make takeout delivery easier for families and individuals nationwide.

    At North York Harvest, DoorDash’s donation of $10,000 worth of gift cards was distributed to Seneca College students in September. For budget-conscious students, having access to a $25 DoorDash gift card, was a wonderful way to give a healthy and hopeful kickstart to the upcoming school year.

  7. Back to School Brings New Opportunities

    Comments Off on Back to School Brings New Opportunities

    As we approach the new school year, families that are already experiencing food insecurity are facing additional challenges as they prepare their school-aged children for September.

    Like many in our community whose employment was disrupted due to the pandemic, Christina lost her full-time position last summer. When she found out one of North York Harvest’s food spaces operates from her neighbourhood community centre, she became a client.

    “Those were trying times after losing my job and having a school-aged child idling at home throughout the summer,” shares Christina.

    Over the last decade, children have made up just over 20% of Canada’s general population yet they represent more than 30% of our food bank clients.

    Christina was appreciative of the additional food she got from North York Harvest every other week. “Not having to constantly worry about getting enough healthy food after paying rent and other necessities is a huge relief.”

    The North York Harvest strives to maintain an accessible and equitable network so that the most vulnerable, especially families with children and seniors, can receive the support they need. Currently North York Harvest is providing emergency food to more than 2,500 individuals each week.

    Our service is made possible by the generosity of community members like The Schulich Foundation.  Please join us in spreading hope, health and well-being for the community, and double your impact before the end of September.

    The Schulich Foundation, one of North York Harvest’s long-standing supporters, wants to ensure the generosity of neighbours-helping-neighbours has an even greater impact and will match all donations, dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000, until September 30. 

  8. Pop-Up Shop for Pets In Partnership with the Humane Society of Canada

    Comments Off on Pop-Up Shop for Pets In Partnership with the Humane Society of Canada

    Last month, North York Harvest partnered with Humane Society International/Canada and Friends of HSI to hold a pet food pop-up at the Bathurst and Finch Community Food Space. The purpose of this event was to provide support to those in need of assistance in caring for their companion animals. Those impacted by the pandemic were offered free dog and cat food as well as treats and supplies for their pets.

    “Since the start of the pandemic, our team’s focused mission has been to help keep pets in their homes. We have seen the unmistakable and often severe impact that COVID-19 has had on communities around Toronto and the rest of the province. We also know that the struggles and the lasting impact on people’s lives continues. We are grateful for this partnership with North York Harvest Food Bank as we join together to provide continued relief for people and their pets,” says Larysa Struk, Project Manager for the Ontario COVID-19 Animal Response Program at Friends of HSI.

    Here at North York Harvest, we realize that for many individuals and families, pets have provided a much needed source of support, especially during the pandemic. At the same time, pet ownership is an added expense for many in our community. “With access to quality pet food and supplies, we are helping our community members ensure the well-being of their companions,” Henry Chiu, Director of Development & Marketing. “By partnering with the Humane Society International/Canada, we can further expand our existing support for pets which benefits the long-term health of all members of our community.”