I wasn’t always a member of your community. My family came here over 20 years ago for a fresh start and I was met with open arms by wonderful families that I now consider to be my family.
As new arrivals to Canada, we didn’t have the means to celebrate a Thanksgiving meal – but we were invited to share the holiday with a wonderful family that had us over to their home. And that really meant a lot.
They told us that the true meaning of the holiday is being grateful sharing what we have – they even told us more about our new country and the incredible fresh start and adventure we are about to enjoy. Thanks to their hospitality – I also had my first taste of pumpkin pie and it remains one of my favourite desserts up until this day!
These days I volunteer at a local community center that supports newcomers just like I once was.People can go there for food, ESL classes, cooking lessons and job placement support. I get to witness firsthand how generosity from people just like you go a long way to helping people build a new life here in Canada.
When I think about that special gift we received on our first Thanksgiving – this time of year really gets me in the mood to help people that are struggling to get back onto their feet. People right in our community.
This year I will be working with my community center, their staff, volunteers and even families who we’ve helped in the past and are now coming back to pay it forward, to ensure families who are struggling in the neighbourhood have a hot and festive meal on Thanksgiving and have enough food at home all month long.
And I want to invite you to join me and do the same.
Let’s Leave Hunger Behind and make this a Thanksgiving to remember. So that 20 years from now, when new families share their stories, they, like I do, will remember with joyfulness, their first fall in Canada.
We can’t do it without you though!
Join us for the 2016 Fall Food Drive to make this Thanksgiving and the rest of the fall a special time everyone can be grateful for!
There are many ways you can join me and the thousands of amazing people in our community working to make a difference!
Donate – For every $1 you donate, you provide 3 meals to a person that is hungry!
Volunteer – There are many great opportunities with the Fall Food Drive – join the NYH truck drivers to pick up and deliver food or come out to one of the many great events planned to raise food for our neighbours!
Run a Food & Funds Drive – This is a fun way to work together as a team with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and anyone else that would like to make a difference!
Join the Public Sort –Sort food at the NYH warehouse on October 9 for a great way to spend Thanksgiving weekend with your family while ensuring food is sorted and ready to be delivered to families in need!
Get Social! – Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media to spread the news about the food drive with these great shareables!
During this season of Thanksgiving, join me in showing our neighbours that we care about them.
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.
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!
Did you know?
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.
Every province and city in the country is affected by hunger.
Comments Off on 2015/2016 Stakeholder Impact Review
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.
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!
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.
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.
I’m obsessed with cooking shows. Most recently, it’s been MasterChef Australia. I like it better than the American or Canadian versions because the contestants spend more time cooking. I am constantly amazed by what these amateur cooks can create. More than once I’ve downloaded a recipe and given it a go. 45 step decadent dessert? No problem. Coming right up.
The other day I was chatting about this with some colleagues of mine while we were out to lunch. I love food. I cook all the time. I go out to eat with friends, try new restaurants and often have people over for some fancy meal I am trying to put together. It’s social. It’s inclusive. It’s a big part of my life. But I have to admit that it’s a privilege I have. Not everyone could afford it. In fact, some friends of mine, both of whom work and have two little kids can rarely join me on these food adventures.
We often talk about social inclusion when we talk about living in poverty. It’s hard to be part of society and get engaged in the community when you are struggling to make ends meet. But it’s so important. Life is about MORE than meeting basic needs. Life is about participation, relationships and being part of a greater community.
This is where Food Bank Plus comes in. Several of our agencies have programs focused around food but geared towards social inclusion and community. Their main goal is sharing the #joyoffood.
Earlier this year, Ella Victor, Manager of the Lawrence Heights Community Food Space invited me to check out the new and improved Mission Kitchen program that her team was running. Thanks to our friends at Unileverand Food Banks Canada, they were able to hire a Registered Dietitian, buy kitchen equipment, table settings and real dishes for the program. There’s nothing like a great meal made and shared together with friends!
Ella’s program aims to provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming space for members of the community. Neighbours come together to learn how to make food, prepare recipes and share a meal. Though mostly made up of women in the community, kids will often attend on PD days or when their parents can’t find childcare. Pete, proudly representing his fellow males, is also a resident member. I was lucky enough to join several cooks and was warmly welcomed each time. It was great to meet so many Lawrence Heights Community members – it felt like a little family.
Nisha is the Registered Dietitian working with the program. Each full course meal she plans includes appetizers, a main dish, and a dessert. She tries to incorporate as many items from the food bank as possible focusing on some the clients aren’t sure how to use – such as quinoa, spaghetti squash and rutabaga. The idea is that if they feel comfortable using the items in the group, they’ll be able to use the foods when preparing meals at home.I love discovering new foods – I know it can be daunting to use ingredients that you’ve never tried before but it can also be an adventure and it’s so great when you realize how yummy they are!
“I choose recipes based on healthier cooking techniques such as baking or poaching over any sort of frying. I want to promote healthy eating for everyone and it’s so easy to do,”says Nisha. All of the recipes she chooses are simple but delicious with inexpensive ingredients that can meet multiple dietary needs. If dishes aren’t suitable for some, she makes sure everyone knows – like when she told me not to have the soup because it contained chicken broth – thanks Nisha!
Debra has been attending the program since the beginning. As we were prepping the meal, she told me how much she loves spending time with everyone. She has no relatives in the city and lives on her own so it’s been a great way for her to bond with others. I totally get this. When I first moved to Toronto it was hard not knowing anyone – it was even harder to find new friends. She’s even been trying some of the new skills and recipes at home “I made kale chips at home the other day; it was easy and it’s even a healthy snack!” The program has also introduced her to items she would see in the food bank but didn’t know how to use. One particular item that is finding its way into her kitchen is capers, she loves adding them to her salads.
“This program lifts the community! More people should join us!” Lillian enthusiastically told me when I asked her what she thought of the kitchens.
She always has a big smile on her face and is happy to pose for photos while preparing the meals. Her favourite foods to make in the program are new and creative salads. She’s definitely a people person and loves being around others who share her joy of food.
Maudlyn is a retired caterer and keeps coming every week because it keeps her active. “This program is a commitment to myself. It gets me out of the house to socialize with others! My favourite part is actually setting the table!” I can relate. Table settings seem so simple but they set the ambience. When I have friends over I pay attention to these details. It’s just another way I like to show people that they are important to me. Maudlyn feels the same.
“Setting the table really brings the group together. It makes it feel like we really are a family sharing a meal.”
After every cook the smells in the kitchen were amazing. I couldn’t wait to eat. When all the cooking was finally done – the best part – I got to try everyone’s new creations while getting to know everyone better.
Nisha and Ella also led a talk about nutrition and what foods everyone enjoyed. Participants are also encouraged to bring containers to take any leftovers home. Recipes are also handed out if anyone wants to give it a try at home. “Bringing food home to share with their families is just as important as sharing the meal here,” says Ella.
“They get to take pride in their work and share the joy even further. We also love hearing if their families enjoyed the food as much as we did or what adaptations they make to the recipes the next time they make them.”
Every time I left, I felt inspired, encouraged and stuffed. It was such an amazing sense of togetherness and community. It makes me feel grateful that such programs can exist so that everyone, despite circumstances, can enjoy the joy of food as much as I do.
Without your support, amazing programs like Mission Kitchen couldn’t exist! Even though it is only for a couple of hours each week – it really means a lot to people like Pete, Debra, Lillian, Maudlyn and the others!
Everyone deserves a place where they can safely meet people, build relationships, feel included in society and eat delicious food regardless of their income! If you would like to support programs like this in your community, please make a gift today!
It would only take a few minutes talking with me to know that the food bank is an important part my life. No, it’s not because I need to use it myself – any more. But I remember and I know how much it means to children and families that need them to get by.
I recently took the time to think about what matters to me in life as I was preparing my will.My family of course. My children and grandchildren. But I also thought about how I have been donating to the food bank for many years – and I knew I had to include them in my will. And here’s why.
When I was a child, we were poor. My parents didn’t have the means to give us the life that they wanted for us. Every day, I would see that all of my friends had things that I could never hope to own. I would stare in wonderment when I entered their homes and knew that I would never want them to set foot in mine. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it but I was embarrassed of my life.
Back then life was hard and there was one part of my life in poverty that will always haunt me. Not having enough to eat. That was probably the thing that scarred me the most. We could never open up a cupboard or fridge and take out something to eat whenever we wanted. There was seldom any food in the house. Those were the days when there were very few places to go for food when you were hungry. Every other week we actually got a decent lunch on my dad’s payday, but the meager amount of food bought that day would only be enough for a few days. Being invited to one of my friend’s houses for dinner or lunch was something that I would never pass up and going to the free city camp was like heaven because I actually got 3 meals a day for a week. I would find any excuse to go away somewhere because I knew I would be fed regularly. Reading a catalogue was more about looking at the refrigerator pages to see what was in them.
My sister and I have conversations about when we first had our own jobs and homes, the first thing that we did was stock the cupboards and the fridge.
Today my life is very different. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and we never have to worry about where our next meal will come from. Yet I never forget the days when I was hungry. And I never forget that there are still children out there who are hungry every day.It simply shouldn’t happen.
Remembering the hunger pangs and many days of feeling unwell because we didn’t have anything to eat, I sympathize so much with these children that experience this nowadays.
So as I think about my legacy, as I think of what I want to leave to this world I think about the food bank. I have taken care of my family first and I have also made a space for people who are hungry today. That is one of the reasons that I chose to leave a legacy gift to the North York Harvest Food Bank. Now that I have left that struggle in the past, I have the means to leave a gift in my will that will benefit other children that don’t have enough to eat.
No child should go hungry. Children should never have that kind of memory to deal with. – K.C
You too can leave a lasting impression in your community by making a legacy gift.
A gift in your will to North York Harvest Food Bank will ensure that children, parents, grandparents and many of your other neighbours do not have to go a day without enough food to eat. Because of you, their future will be filled with hope instead of hunger.
Is a legacy gift the right option for you?
To find out more about leaving a gift in your will, gifts of securities or estate gifts contact Maria at maria@northyorkharvest.com
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. 
