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Welcome to Oriole Community Food Space
February 25, 2026 2:07 pm Comments Off on Welcome to Oriole Community Food Space
Oriole in Photos

Our Oriole Community Food Space opened in 2013, and it’s been an important hub for community support ever since!

Nestled in the Oriole Community Centre, the space operates in partnership with Flemingdon Health Centre and Working Women Community Centre. Together, our space fights food insecurity through food support and advocacy while providing wraparound supports for our community.

Our Oriole Community

Oriole Community Food Space operates two program days per week, serving 2,610 clients per month.
- 25% of clients are children and youth
- 16% are 65+
- Nearly half (47%) of clients live in 1 or 2-person households
- In 2025, 36% of clients turned to our food bank for the first time
Meet Nisha!

Nisha, above right, first joined North York Harvest in 2015 as a volunteer before becoming relief staff. From 2020-2025 she was the Manager of our Albion Library Community Food Space before making the switch over to Oriole.

“The reality is that it is not only people who are homeless or unemployed who need to use the food bank, which is what I think many people still believe,” Nisha says. “Many of our clients are households where multiple adults are working, yet they are still unable to provide enough food for themselves after paying for other necessities.

“It is also the fact that not only can people not afford enough food, but that they are unable to access healthy, nutritious food,” Nisha says.

Healthcare support for food bank clients

As part of our partnership with Working Women, ambassadors from North York Toronto Health Partners are a regular fixture at Oriole, providing a range of supports with resources, events, and more including:
- Mobile cancer screening
- Mobile Dental Bus
- Finding a primary physician
- Support with specific client healthcare issues
Meet Maura!

Oriole Food Space has about 37 volunteers who dedicate their time to making their community a better place for everyone — including Maura!

“I have volunteered at the food bank for over two years. What I look forward to and enjoy, is that each week is different. I’m usually at the fresh produce/eggs-milk station,” Maura says.

“I look forward to the familiar faces each week and getting to know them better — their humour and their individual quirkiness. It is also a plus to work with and know the other volunteers who come from many walks of life.”

Thank you for joining us at Oriole Community Food Space!

And thank you to our donors, community partners, staff, and volunteers who help make this critical work possible every day.

Together we are working toward our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.
St. Philip Neri’s Table: 4 years of community care
May 21, 2025 9:59 am Comments Off on St. Philip Neri’s Table: 4 years of community care
Agency Spotlight: St. Philip Neri’s Table

In honour of Mother’s Day this month, we’re sharing how a mother and son’s volunteer work strengthens their bond at St. Philip Neri’s table, a partner agency of North York Harvest Food Bank.

Every Saturday Yesmil and a dedicated team of 50 volunteers distribute essential food and other support to their community. Yesmil co-founded the food bank with the then-pastor of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in 2021, after seeing the need in their community surge during the pandemic.

It has since become a lifeline for many in the community.

“My family’s support makes all the difference,” Yesmil says. “The volunteers, including my sons, who have accompanied me from the beginning, help make real connections with our clients. Together, we’ve created a welcoming space for all.”

The team’s combined efforts provide emergency food to 230 households each week, serving a diverse community in the Jane and Wilson area, including many new moms, seniors, and others struggling to make ends meet.

“It’s not just about food,” Yesmil adds. “We

also focus on essential items like diapers, adult diapers, and baby formula—things that often take up a large portion of someone’s income.”

One client, who is also a volunteer, shared that “If it weren’t for the baby formula I receive here, I wouldn’t have been able to raise my grandchild.”

On Saturday, May 17, St. Philip Neri’s commemorated their four-year anniversary by serving their community soup and bread before distributing food.

“This mission would not be possible without the collective effort of the volunteers and the entire community,” Yesmil says, “ and working as a family for the community brings immeasurable value.”
“I wanted to make sure others have the same chance I did.” – How Theresa Pays it Forward
April 9, 2018 5:39 pm Comments Off on “I wanted to make sure others have the same chance I did.” – How Theresa Pays it Forward
Asking for help is hard.

When Theresa visited our Lawrence Heights Community Food Space for the first time, her hands were shaking. “I was so embarrassed to have to ask for food,” she remembers. The single mother was desperately in need of help to put food on her table, but we often hear, Theresa felt ashamed of her situation.

Theresa’s situation, however, is not unlike the ones many others face in Toronto. “I was new to the city. I came here because I thought I’d be able to find work. But it was harder than I expected.” Because of the generosity of our community, Theresa was greeted warmly by Julie, our Food Bank Manager.

She walked away with the food she needed and a new sense of belonging. Just like 1 in 3 of our clients, Theresa wanted to “pay it forward”. Even though she was in a time of personal crisis, she was determined to give back so others could receive the same help she had. She became a volunteer to create a safe, friendly space for her neighbours who were also struggling.

“I told Julie to call me whenever she needed help – day or night. I wanted to make sure others have the same chance I did. I know this community needs help, so I’m helping in the way I can,” Theresa insists with a shy smile.

Stories like Theresa’s happen at North York Harvest agencies every day. Emergency food assistance makes life a little better and restores a sense of purpose and hope. People come in for help and find a community.

Your support makes sure that providing emergency food support is just the beginning of our relationship with people like Theresa. And just like you, Theresa is committed to building a healthier Northern Toronto.

Will you join Theresa and give what you can to make sure our community members in need can find healthy food across Northern Toronto?

Click here to make a financial donation.
Childhood Hunger Has No Place At School
September 1, 2017 5:17 am 1 Comment
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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Community Food Spaces
August 25, 2017 5:30 am Comments Off on Community Food Spaces The North York Harvest Food Bank offers a number of programs and services in addition to our warehousing and distribution operations. Our top priority in running these spaces is to have incredible customer service for anyone that comes to our programs. Find out more about each of these amazing community spaces and those that we serve in these programs. Learn more about Oriole Food Space Learn more about Bathurst Finch Community Food Bank Learn more about Lawrence Heights Community Food Space
Oriole Food Space
The Oriole Food Space, located in the Oriole Community Centre at 2975 Don Mills Road West, is a multi-use community food space designed to build a healthy community, together, through food. It does so by offering a variety of programs, including community kitchens, drop-in food bank hours, food skills workshops, gardening workshops, and farm trips.
Bathurst Finch Community Food Space
The Bathurst-Finch Community Food Bank supports local individuals and families with food assistance and helps to create connections with other neighbourhood resources. The program also works to foster community participation and action around food-related issues and it will regularly host visiting agencies, deliver workshops and run field trips for participants.
Lawrence Heights Community Food Space
The Lawrence Heights Community Food Space is located at 6 Pengarth Ct. The program provides an on site community food bank, community garden, as well as information and referral services to a wide range of community resources and supports, extending beyond food assistance.
Would you like to support these amazing programs?
We're always looking for donors to sponsor daily food bank activities, community kitchens, community gardens, farm trips and events that mean so much to our community members! Contact Leslie to get involved - 416-635-777 x 21 / leslie@northyorkharvest.com

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Soup’s On!

July 7, 2017 5:27 am Comments Off

Isn’t it amazing what can happen when a community comes together to complete a project and make a difference?

With your generous support, North York Harvest has become the primary food bank in northern Toronto. Thanks to you we are able to give nutritious food to over 77 food programs in the city.

But what if we could take it another step further? What if we could produce a food product to even out the supply and quality of food received through donations?

The vision of North York Harvest is a community where all members are able to meet their food needs. Our mission is to engage our community in meeting the food needs of northern Toronto by providing dignified food assistance, education and long-term food solutions.

Each day we strive to meet that vision and mission.

As a community, we have succeeded in kickstarting a new social enterprise thanks to partnerships right here in Toronto.

Through the generous support of the Metcalf Foundation’s Inclusive Local Economies program, we were able to forge important partnerships with other local organizations working to improve food security in unique ways. Through these partnerships, we launched three incredible initiatives – we began delivering food to local child care centres, we launched the Leadership In Logistics skills development program, and we piloted community-oriented food production system. Through the last project, we successfully brought an affordable, nutritious dry soup mix to our local community.

With funding secured we were able to team up with FoodShare and Food Starter, to create a dry soup mix that promotes access to affordable, delicious and nutritious food for all.

To get started, North York Harvest asked our agencies what types of food were most needed and hardest to supply for the clients.

Within the agencies, there was a need for a hearty, vegetarian soup made with beans and rice that was nutritious but also easy to prepare. For certain dietary needs, it was also important that the soup was low in sodium but still flavourful without being spicy.

Together through our partnerships, we made a unique Moroccan Lentil Soup. It was sold in FoodShare’s Good Food Boxes and the Grab Some Good pop-up markets operating on various TTC subway platforms. And what is even better is for every soup sold… another soup goes on the shelf for someone using the food bank!

It was a hit!

To prepare the soup mix, we teamed up with the Experiential Learning program at York Humber High School. The students in this program have special needs and are encouraged to learn life skills through hands on training and real life experience. Each week the students would join Vanessa Yu from caterToronto at Food Starter to prepare several bags of soup that would be given to our community.

When I met the kids I asked what their favourite part of making the soup was and they seemed to all enjoy sealing up the soup packages the most! They even took soup home to cook and enjoy with their families.

The kids’ teacher, Carmi, says ‘We were so fortunate to have had the opportunity for some of our students to participate in a meaningful real work experience with the NYHFB. Students really enjoyed the experience and gained valuable employability skills while increasing their self-esteem. It was wonderful to watch them learn new skills and progress each week. We all look forward to continuing our partnership with the NYHFB and thank them for all their support over the last few months.’

We are so excited to move forward with this project and to be able to share this soup with you!

Thank you to all of you that made this happen:

Metcalf Foundation
FoodShare
Food Starter
York Humber Students: Gowie, Alan, Amara & Matthew
York Humber Teachers: Carmy, Angie & Abddanahi
Vanessa from CaterToronto
Chef Rob Heidenreich from Saha Cuisine (for developing the recipe)
Brandcheck (packaging)
The Test Kitchen (nutritional labelling)
KBrown Design (label design)
Blakes Law Firm (regulatory requirements to ensure that we complied with labelling and food safety regulations)
And YOU for helping us make this dream a reality!!!

The Product – Moroccan-Style Red Lentil Soup

Combination of red lentils, brown rice and five different spices

Low in calories, high in fibre and a source of protein

No added sugar, salt, flavours, colours or preservatives

Easy to prepare – just add water and simmer for 40 minutes

Delicious on its own, or scalable to individual dietary needs – a great base for added meats, vegetables, salt or spices to taste

Sold by FoodShare and distributed to food banks by North York Harvest Food Bank — promotes access to affordable, delicious and nutritious food for all

Join the conversation – we’d love to know your thoughts! Leave a comment below.

A Family Away From Home
June 16, 2017 6:50 am 2 Comments
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with the incredible volunteers and clients at the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space. Located in a tiny room inside Northview Heights Secondary School, the hustle and bustle of getting prepared for the upcoming drop in made the room buzz. Operating outside of school hours, volunteers make sure the shelves are stocked and fridges full to help community members put food on the table.

Elis, who manages the food space, treats everyone that enters like family. Everyone is in this together and a VIP in the eyes of the caring volunteers.

One of the VIP clients using the food bank is Anna. Anna has been living in Canada for 11 years after leaving Uzbekistan because she was unable to find work.

After working 9 years at local Russian grocery stores, Anna had a child named Nikita and found herself out of work in order to take care of him each day. She had to go on social assistance but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to cover all of her expenses from rent and utilities to food and baby supplies. She was in a bind.

While searching for a way to get baby powder and baby food, Anna came to the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space. When she arrived, the helpful volunteers let her know that not only she could receive baby products, but she was also given food for herself. Anna was amazed by the kindness and generosity that was located right in her neighbourhood. She has been coming to the food bank for the past year now which has helped her stretch her small income.

To get to the food bank, Anna walks with Nikita in his stroller. During the harsh winter months, she was unable to take her stroller through the icy and snowy sidewalks and had no way to access the food bank. Thomas, a volunteer, took the time to drop off food to her home for three months so Anna and Nikita wouldn’t have to go without. “It was amazing that someone was willing to come and help us out when we couldn’t get around,” says Anna, “the food bank volunteers are wonderful!”

After Anna’s father passed away, her mother is still living in Uzbekistan alone. Anna hopes that her mother will be able to join her in Canada so they can be together again. “If she comes to stay with me, she’ll be able to help take care of Nikita so I can go back to school and get a full time job,” says Anna who dreams of becoming a paralegal one day to support her family.

Anna would recommend that anyone who needs help in her neighbourhood visit the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space. “They are so caring and have been so helpful to Nikita and myself. If someone is in need of help they will bring you in and treat you like family.”

At the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space, it is about more than just putting food on the table, it’s about bringing family to that table.

Would you like to support people in your local food bank like Anna? Make a donation here

Want to join a team of volunteers making it happen in the food bank? Check out our latest volunteer opportunities

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Everyday Hero
May 12, 2017 5:17 am Comments Off on Everyday Hero
^{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}

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!

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