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!
Cheers to another amazing year and onto the next!
Some kids love it. Some kids hate it. But it is on the way! The kids are about to go back to school for another year of learning, friendship and fun.
Personally, I loved back to school as a kid. Every year at the end of summer, I got to go to the mall with my mom to buy new clothes and supplies. We’d usually make a day of it and grab some pizza for lunch.
I met Jenna earlier this summer. She told me how she’s really excited to start grade four. Her favourite classes are science and gym class. “I can’t wait to see my friends again and tell them about all the things I did this summer!”
Her mother Trish, on the other hand, is not as excited. Her hours have been cut at work again and she is having trouble paying for Jenna’s school supplies. “Rent is so expensive – I really can’t afford to pay for extra things Jenna needs.”
Trish isn’t the only one feeling the pinch in September. Many clients that come into the food bank struggle with daily expenses. And food is often the most flexible thing in the budget. Unhealthy food tends to be a lot cheaper than fresh foods so those items tend to make it into children’s lunches.
“I always felt terrible when I couldn’t put fresh fruit or vegetables in her lunches – but those things cost so much lately.”
I’ve seen it myself when buying my groceries. Fresh produce prices have been skyrocketing; sometimes it is just easier to get the cheaper items while sacrificing nutrition.
Even though Jenna is still young, she can still tell when there isn’t enough food for a healthy lunch. “Once in a while I get two oranges in my lunch. Those are my favourite! Last year I didn’t get oranges much. Sometimes I didn’t get much to eat at all.”
This year Trish turned to the food bank, “I am always so grateful after going to the food bank. I come home with healthy items for Jenna and myself. Things like bread, cheese and meat so I can make her sandwiches for lunch. And there are even eggs so she can have scrambled eggs in the morning – though I prefer mine sunny side up.”
I’m relieved know that families in Toronto have access to these food banks. No child should go to school hungry.
Luckily, your support of North York Harvest helps us ensure that Trish can fill Jenna’s lunch bag with healthy foods each day. She can also send Jenna off to school having had a healthy breakfast so she can concentrate on her studies.
Help start the school year off right for kids just like Jenna! Donate today to ensure no kid in your community goes without a healthy lunch.
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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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!
Marlene 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.
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!
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.
North York Harvest provides food for 47 agencies throughout Toronto. Those agencies serve over 13,000 people each month – that’s a lot of food! Ever wonder where all the generous donations of food is stored before it makes it into these programs? Well today I’m going to show you!
I went live on Facebook to show off our vast 9,000 square foot warehouse to talk to our amazing warehouse staff about the work that goes into delivering this food to your community…. come join me on the tour…
Want to see it for yourself?? Let us know! We’d love to show you!
For more Facebook fun – like our page!
Want to help your neighbours get the food they need? Contribute to our Build a Hamper campaign so we can ensure we stock the warehouse with great food!
Keep in Touch! Join our Enews
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…)
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
We as a species are very curious and we want to know the facts. Whether the story is the good, the bad or the ugly – I want to know what is going on in the world around me. And I know how lucky we are to live in a country where freedom of speech is a protected right. This is why I’m thankful that at any time I can pick up a newspaper and find out what’s going on in the world or I can hop online for the latest stories. Whether it’s missing capybaras, politics or the many devastating stories that have happened in the world lately. We want to be informed.
This is why the media is so important. They share our stories. They connect us. Without them, we would be isolated from each other and the rest of the world. From everyday issues to disasters, from pop culture to international developments the media is there to gather all the facts and bring awareness to us all.
Here at North York Harvest we know that what’s happening in your community is something that you care about. We want you to hear stories about the lives of our neighbours in need and the impact you are having. But we know that when we have a great story to tell or want to share about the food drive that is running, sometimes our reach just isn’t big enough.
And that’s when amazing members of the media step in to spread the word.
And so we this is why we are launching our first ever North York Harvest Food Bank Media Appreciation week. So often the amazing media is there, sharing our stories, making sure the people in our community know more about hunger in Toronto, the food bank and people who need to use it.
All week we will be shouting out to the amazing media members in our community bringing us all closer together!
To kick us off we turned the tables and interviewed Fannie Sunshine who has been a reporter with Metroland for almost 16 years and covering stories at NYH. She’s been there for release of the Hot Pot Cookbook , our big move to the Learning Enrichment Foundation, to join us in receiving incredible donations and for much more.
Because of Fannie’s incredible storytelling, we feel more connected to our community and think they know us a bit better too.
So it’s time to get to know Fannie better …
What made you get into journalism?
I always liked writing and telling stories from a young age. It came naturally.
Why do you think media is important?
I think we have a role to play in getting stories out to the public and letting them know what is happening. It’s important to know what people are talking about.
As the media, we have a responsibility to do it right. People are curious and want to know what is happening in their city or streets. They want to know about things that affect their daily lives.
Why do you think freedom of speech is important?
I think people have the right to be passionate and say what they feel is on their mind. Not everyone agrees or has the same point of view – people have a right to stand up for what they believe. I would never want it to be restricted and it’s important in our society.
How do you feel about the trust between the media and the public in regards to reporting truth and covering important issues?
In my experience – if it’s a hot topic, the community really wants their voice heard. Sometimes they are pleased with how it is, sometimes they aren’t. We must go to both sides to tell the story and try to convey their point of view as best as we can. Not everyone will be satisfied, but the other side needs to be heard. I try my best to get their message across.
Why do you think it’s important to write about the food bank?
People need to know that food banks exist whether or not they are clients. They should know about what is in their community and where they can go to drop food off. The food bank is an important organization to have in our city – some people might think they will never need it but you never know what can happen. We should support causes in our neighbourhoods. I want to inspire people to contribute to the cause.
Without reporters like Fannie and all of the other incredible members of the media out there – we wouldn’t be able to share our stories with you in the same way.
Do you work for the Media? Hit us up and tell us why you think Media is important.
Have you loved reading an article about the food bank or hunger in Toronto? Join us in showing your appreciation for these fantastic people on Facebook & Twitter using the hashtag #mediaappreciation!
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.
