Tag Archive: community

  1. Everyday Hero

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    Guest blog by Shirah Stern

    Not all heroes wear capes.

    One everyday hero located right in your community is Kayla*. I recently had the opportunity to meet Kayla at the North York Harvest Annual General Meeting back in February. We were in a workshop together and she shared her experiences as a food bank volunteer. I needed to hear more so I could share her story with you.

    Kayla has been a volunteer at her local food bank for more than two years dedicating her time six days per week. This is quite incredible as Kayla suffers from many health issues such as a degenerative disk disease in her back, panic attacks, insomnia and is waiting to have knee surgery. This doesn’t stop our hero though; she chooses to work through the pain to make a difference in the lives of her neighbours in need. “If I could have sleepovers here I would!” jokes Kayla.

    Kayla’s tasks at the food bank include receiving deliveries, stocking shelves, serving clients and records management. She even packs and delivers food hampers for the “Fresh Start” program that does home deliveries for seniors as well as those unable to physically make it to the food bank. The services she and her other fellow volunteers provide benefit children, families, seniors, those with disabilities and people who can’t leave their home.

    A typical food hamper from a NYH food bank

    A typical food hamper from a NYH food bank

    Regardless of Kayla’s health problems, she feels that giving her time at the food bank gives her something else to focus on and a purpose. She strives to make a difference in the lives of her fellow neighbours. This can be done through her daily food bank tasks or even going above and beyond to help someone in need. One particular story of Kayla’s is a time that she was able to assist a client with her job search. The client had needed to know CPR in order to be eligible for a job but could not afford the training. Kayla took the time to research and found a course that was offered for free.

    Kayla told me that seeing a smile on the face of someone she has helped is so rewarding in her work.

    It absolutely blows me away when I see this kind of dedication from volunteers. And it is throughout the network! Each day volunteers take time out of their day to come in and help their neighbours meet their food needs.

    Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to have incredible stories like this to share. From you to me, me to Kayla, Kayla to the client and back to you again – we are really part of something bigger than ourselves. I feel that being able to share these stories truly closes the circle of connectivity in our community

    Join Kayla in being a community hero!

    Together we all work as a community to make a difference for more than 15,000 people that access these types of programs each month!

    Donate today!

    Volunteer!

    *Name changed

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  2. Giving Back: A Family Affair

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    Sometimes little things and family traditions can make a big impact.

    Not too long ago I had a chance to meet with one of our many wonderful donors; to get to know her and her family a little better and understand why they choose to give to North York Harvest.

    Meet Lynn & Andrew.

    I stopped by their home in North York one afternoon as Lynn was preparing a spaghetti dinner for her son Andrew before he headed off to Air Cadets.

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    Lynn, a lawyer and community volunteer, has always wanted her son Andrew to know that he has advantages that other people right in his own community do not have.  Lynn told us that when Andrew was as young as five years old he was already making a difference and giving to the food bank.  “Every time we went to the grocery store, Andrew would pick groceries out to donate for little boys his own age.  We called it ‘The Little Boy Box’.”

    That sense of giving back to his community never left Andrew.  Years later he joined his classmates during a volunteer session at North York Harvest.  He enjoyed his experience so much that he became a summer volunteer at the Lawrence Heights Community Food Space to help his neighbours access healthy food.

    Andrew’s commitment inspired Lynn to become a NYHFB supporter. “It’s sad to see that some families don’t have enough.  We all deserve to have our basic needs met. I feel good knowing that my donations will go towards helping people in need,” shares Lynn. “Anybody could need a food bank at any time. This shouldn’t be the norm.”

    Giving back to the community and ensuring their neighbours meet their food needs continues to be a tradition.

    And even though Andrew is all grown up, Lynn makes sure to put a few extra items in her cart for the “Little Boy Box” when she’s at the grocery store.

    Do you want to get more involved like Lynn and Andrew? We’d love to have you join us!

    Give your time and become a volunteer!

    Run a food drive to support your neighbours in need!

    Donate today to ensure people at the food bank can access healthy food!

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  3. Looking for Volunteers

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    Are you looking for a fun way to get involved with your community and make a BIG impact on the lives of your neighbours that use the food bank?

    We’re looking for volunteers and we have so many positions available to suit your needs! 

    Looking to volunteer for just a day or two?

    We offer one time volunteer positions for the Spring Food Drive!

    We are currently in need of drivers assistants to help our truck drivers pick up food for the following dates:

    Thursday April 20 (9am -4pm)

    Friday April 21 (9am -4pm)

    Monday April 24 (9am -4pm)

    To sign up for a shift, call Lisa at 416-635-7771 ext. 29 or lisa@northyorkharvest.com

     

    Want to come in for an evening with family and friends?

    Every Tuesday evening we offer sorting sessions for families and friends!  Learn how YOUR help in the food sorting room goes a long way to ensure that your neighbours get the best food possible! It’s a great way to have fun, get some exercise and give back!

    To join us on a Tuesday evening from 5:30-7:30 call Kadian at 416-635-7771 ext. 28 or kadian@northyorkharvest.com

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    Are you looking for an opportunity to bring your coworkers in for a volunteer experience?

    We offer corporate volunteer sorting sessions!  It’s a great way to learn about food insecurity in your community and work as a team to help make a difference!

    For Corporate Groups contact Shirah Stern at 416-635-7771 ext. 48 or shirah@northyorkharvest.com

    For Community Groups, Schools and other groups contact Leslie Venturino at 416-635-7771 ext. 21 or leslie@northyorkharvest.com

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    Want to be a volunteer on a regular basis? 

    There are many positions that let you get involved with your community on a weekly basis!  We’re in need of the following positions:

    FOOD SORTERS

    We’re looking for core sorters to join us in the warehouse to sort through donations before they reach the food banks

    Monday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm

    Wednesday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm

     

    FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS

    img_4541Lawrence Heights Community Food Space (Lawrence/Allen area)

    Tuesday, 1pm to 5pm – distribute food hampers

    Tuesday, 8am to 12pm – receiving food orders

    Room to Grow Food Bank (Kipling/The Westway area)

    Wednesday, 9:15am to 12:30pm – receiving food orders

    Oriole Food Space (Don Mills/Sheppard area)

    Monday, 9:30am to 1pm or 1pm to 3:30pm – receiving food orders

    St Vincent de Paul Food Bank (640 Glenholme Ave) is in need of volunteers twice per month to help unload groceries from the truck (typically the second and fourth Thursdays of the month).

     

     WORKING ON OUR TRUCKS

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    Driving Assistants

    We need some volunteers who can spend a day with our drivers.  See first hand where our food comes from and where it goes.

    To become a regular volunteer, call Lisa at 416-635-7771 ext. 29 or lisa@northyorkharvest.com

     

    Want to learn more about volunteering with North York Harvest? Learn more about what our volunteers have to say here!

     





  4. A Chance to Rebuild

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    daffodil_Winter2

    Guest Blog by Daffodil Davis

    When you lose everything, where do you turn?

    Each and every day in the food bank I meet people from all walks of life.  Each with their own story to tell.  But even though the story is different, we all have a similar goal in life… to take care of our families.

    I first met Layla when I was working at Oriole Food Space in North York.  She moved to Canada with her family to seek refuge from a home that was no longer safe.

    “Everything was gone. Our home, our jobs, our kids couldn’t go to school anymore. We were scared,” she shared with me.

    She came to Canada and was able to reconnect with members of her extended family already living in our community. Layla and her family were overjoyed with the chance to start anew after a life of uncertainty and fear. “My kids were enrolled in school and my husband was working in a restaurant. It finally seemed as though things were turning around for us.”

    But then the unexpected happened. Her husband suffered a severe heart attack and could no longer work at his restaurant job to support the family.

    Once again, Layla felt like she had lost everything. She had to make sure that her kids had a roof over their head and food in their bellies.  Unsure of how to support her family, she turned to one of her new neighbours for advice.  They told her about her local food bank.  She didn’t even know that such places existed in our community to help her and others in need.

    Because of YOUR support, we are able to help people like Layla to make sure that they have access to nutritious food.  Thank you for making a difference!

    Daffodil and OFS Volunteers

    Daffodil and OFS Volunteers

    We are also able to help with referrals for other community programs to assist newcomers with their language skills, resume building and child care. 

    Layla had lost many things, but it doesn’t have to mean that it is lost forever. “Because of the food bank, I was able to feed my kids, feel safe and build a new life. I am so grateful.” 

    Together we can help people in need rebuild what was lost.

    As we enter into the coldest months of winter, the food bank shelves will begin to empty.  We need your help to ensure that when families like Layla’s come to the food bank, there will be enough food to share.

    Please give generously today to keep food on our shelves so our neighbours can feed their families. Give today so that this winter none one goes hungry.

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  5. An Update on YOUR Impact!

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    Each and every year you WOW us with your incredible support to help those in the community who otherwise may go without something to eat.  

    This year was no different and again you went above and beyond in making a difference in the lives of people that use your local food banks.

    Enjoy the Sept-Dec 2016 Review!

     

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    For a PDF Version Click Here

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  6. A Food Friendly 2017

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    Ryan Noble

     

     

    Guest Blog by Ryan Noble, Executive Director

     

     

    As we get back into our day to day routines after the holidays, I start thinking about the year that has passed as well as what the new year will offer.

    I am pleased to share with you my highlights of the year as well as the plan for the upcoming months – there is a lot to look forward to and I would love for you to get involved in any way you can!

    Some of my favourite highlights of 2016 really represented the mission of NYH, which includes providing dignified food assistance, education and long-term food solutions.

    A New Home for Lawrence Heights Community Food Space

    lawrence-heightsLawrence Heights Community Food Space moved into 6 Pengarth Court. This was truly a community-led initiative: a team from Bombardier Aerospace’s nearby facility came in to freshen the place up with some new paint, which made it really feel like a home. We also strengthened our relationships with local Lawrence Heights community agencies as we were back in the neighbourhood. The I’m Lawrence program helped us out with installing ramps and railings to aid with our accessibility issues.

    We have been more involved with LH related community programming, attending community safety meetings, LHION meetings and forums and bringing the perspective of food security to the community agency table.

    The waiting space in the new site is not as large as it was in our previous location, so we created an appointment system to better manage the flow of clients. This allows more dignified food access for everyone, allowing them a private time to use the food bank, one on one time with volunteers and staff as well as safety from the elements as they will not need to wait outside.

    A Growing Partnership

    Since moving into 116 Industry Street, the Learning Enrichment Foundation and North York Harvest have been committed to strengthening our communities through food and education.
    Last year not just one, but two major programs came out of the partnership.

    Child Care Food Delivery
    As a food bank, NYH transports food to those in need throughout the community. It was only a natural step to join LEF in providing healthy meals to children in childcare. Each day LEF prepares meals and snacks for children from low income families that are in daycare while their parents go to work – and NYH makes sure that the meals reach their destination. Over 1,400 children are served daily through this program.

    Logistics Essentials Program
    Building on our mission to deliver long-term solutions to combat poverty, we put in place a new program to provide technical training and personal development to low income individuals. The course runs for 13 weeks in our warehouse serving the immediate needs of food bank clients through training. Each year 48 people will receive skills and certifications all geared towards securing stable employment upon completion of the course. Stay tuned to hear about the first graduating group of students!

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    Moving forward with LEF, we will continue working together to lift individuals out of poverty in the city.

    Soup’s On!

    img_20161021_134415338In response to the growing number of individuals that need to use a food bank in our city, we embarked on a new project – to ensure we have a supply of quality food for people that are in need. After consulting with our agencies and clients on their specific food needs, we partnered with Foodshare and Foodstarter, and created a new product – a delicious Moroccan-Style Lentil Soup. This soup is suitable for anyone as it is vegetarian, high in fibre and protein as well as low in calories with no added sugars, salts, flavours, colours or preservatives.

    Together with the help of students and volunteers, we were able to produce a first run of the soup that will be sold by FoodShare. For every soup sold, another will be provided to the food bank, ensuring everyone will have access to a healthy, easy to prepare and delicious meal.
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    Currently we are looking to partner with a school in order to use the soup production and sale process as part of an educational program. This soup program is community oriented, sustainable and provides a long term food solution to the public.

    Letting People Be Heard

    In 2015 the Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy was passed during a city council meeting. The goal of the strategy is to address immediate needs such as housing, transportation and food insecurity. I was able to attend a meeting regarding the strategy with NYH Board Chair, Kerry Mitchell to share the perspective of our clients with the mayor and city council. While we work very hard to advocate on behalf of our clients, we also want to establish processes and forums for clients to advocate on their own behalf and share their stories with our city’s decision makers.

    This year we are putting together a Speaker’s Bureau within the North York Harvest Food Bank network. This will enable individuals that are experiencing poverty or living in poverty and using programs such as food banks to have their voice be heard as well as amplify the collective voice of our clients. We hope that this program will educate our community and provide more insight into the lives of those we serve.

    I am truly looking forward to what we have in store for the upcoming year!

    What most interests you about these subjects? Is there something else that we’re missing? Want to get involved? Let YOUR voice be heard and let me know by dropping me an email at ryan@northyorkharvest.com

    Here’s to a food friendly 2017!

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  7. Looking Back at 2016

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    2016 has come to a close.  It’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?  Whether you had a great year or can’t wait for 2017 to start, we can all agree that a lot has happened over the past 365 days.

    Here at NYH, there has been a lot of excitement and progress over the past year.  We’ve seen many accomplishments and triumphs thanks to our amazing clients, volunteers, donors, staff and supporters!  We wouldn’t have had such a terrific year without YOU!

    I asked my colleagues in the office, warehouse and on the front lines what their favourite memories of 2016 were and got quite an impressive response!

    I considered doing one of those end of year top ten lists but then realized that I can’t decide which is the best one!  So here, in no particular order, are some of the great milestones, achievements and moments from 2016!

    2016 was BIG for programs, partnerships, feedback and healthy eating!

    Of course I couldn’t start off without saying THANK YOU for providing food to people in our community!  This year we served more than 15,000 people every month and distributed over 2.3 MILLION lbs. of food!

    On top of putting food on the table for our neighbours in need, there were many other exciting things happening this year, including:

    Child Care Food Delivery

    This year NYH partnered with Learning Enrichment Foundation to bring healthy meals and snacks to over 1400 kids in childcare programs throughout the city.

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    Mission Kitchen

    For 3 months this year, NYH was able to run a community kitchen in the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood.  Each week, participants came together to learn cooking skills and enjoy a meal together.  Learn more about Mission Kitchen here!

    Food Handling Certificates and Meal Programs

    The Oriole Food Space ran a series of community kitchen programs in partnership with Flemingdon Health Centre and Working Women Community Centre, particularly aimed at Syrian refugees. We trained a group of almost 20 Arabic speaking newcomers in food handling and food safety, necessary skills in securing employment in the food sector.

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    Soup Production

    This year NYH got into the exciting world of food production! We partnered with FoodShare & Foodstarter to form a unique partnership to produce a soup that would help our community meet their food needs.  With the help of students and volunteers, we were able to produce a dry lentil soup that will be sold through FoodShare’s Good Food Boxes & Grab Some Good pop up markets.  Each soup sold will put a soup on the food bank shelf for someone hungry in the community.

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    Toronto Star Santa Hampers

    This was first year we were able to distribute a healthier hamper for those receiving the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund Hampers.  Every hamper included perishable items including eggs, cheese, apples and more!

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    Farm Fresh

    Many of our clients were able to visit community farms in and around the city to see first hand where some of the fresh and nutritious produce that goes to their table comes from.

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    Client Surveys

    A comprehensive client survey was conducted in our food banks.  Results are being put together now and will be used to guide future programming to ensure clients receive the best service possible!

     

    Logistics Essentials Workforce Development

    Using our warehouse space, we have embarked on a training program for low income individuals to learn skills for the workplace.  Students will learn technical and employments skills as well as receiving certification for Forklift driving, safe food handling and WHMIS.

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    Lawrence Heights

    Lawrence Heights Community Food Space found a new home at 6 Pengarth Court. LHCFS is also our first community food space to move to the new appointment based model.  This allows clients to have an appointment at the food bank to ensure less wait time, giving them better access to services and supports, and a personal touch.

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    Staff Training

    Our frontline staff have had extensive training over the past year in non-violent conflict resolution, working in communities that experience gun violence, trauma informed care, food handlers certificates, developing a community of practice, program development, evaluation and implementation

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    Advocacy Award

    This year we were honoured with the Advocacy Award from the Ontario Association of Food Banks recognizing our efforts towards addressing hunger in the community.

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    Donor Recognition

    This year we celebrated our donors at Taylor’s Landing.  It was a great opportunity to connect with some amazing people that are helping us provide our services in the community.

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     Don’t miss the 2016 wrap up video!

    There are so many other great memories from 2016 and this was only just a few.

    Do you have any highlights of the year? We’d love to know!  Leave your memories in the comment section to share your views!

    Here’s to an even more amazing 2017 helping our community meet their food needs!

     

     





  8. Why Do You Give?

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    What is it that makes you give?

    We all have our own reasons why generosity and sharing is important. We can also show it in different ways.  Like making a monetary gift to charity, volunteering or even holding the door open for a stranger.

    So we asked some of our amazing donors and volunteers – why do you give?