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?
It’s that crazy time of year! The cold weather and December brings a busy time for us all and if you’re anything like me, you’ve got some holiday plans on your schedule too. I’m tired just thinking about all that’s going on before we kick off the new year.
What do the holidays mean to you? Is it about family and celebration? Or maybe a time to reflect on your past year and what is to come? The holidays can be different for every person.
But, the holidays can be harder for some people than others. Sometimes they can be much harder than they were just the year before.
Penny has two daughters aged 7 and 11. As a single mom, she works full time while her daughters go to school and take dance classes.
Everything was going well until the unexpected happened.
All of a sudden, Penny was also needed to be caregiver to her two elderly and sick grandparents. She had not planned for this kind of bump in the road.
We’ve all had those times where something unexpected has happened. Luckily for some people there is financial support or family to fall back on during those times. Others, like Penny find themselves trapped.
“I didn’t know what to do. I’ve always been a planner but I didn’t know how I was going to plan my way through this,” Penny says of the experience, “All of a sudden I had to take care of the whole family – not just myself and the girls.”
With her family depending on her, she knew that she needed outside help. She wouldn’t have time or money to take care of everything – especially during this time of year.
Between the hamper that she receives every other week from her local food bank, store sales and coupon clipping; Penny has found a way to ensure that everyone in her family is able to eat nutritious meals each day.
“If not for the food bank, there’s no way I would be able to feed my family and give my kids the holiday celebration that they deserve.” Penny says, “The holidays are much harder than usual but I’m glad to know that I can get help – anyone can.”
Penny has been saving up bit by bit to be able to give her kids gifts and a nice dinner.
“I want them to have what other kids have, they shouldn’t be left out of a holiday. Thanks to the help we are getting from the food bank – they don’t have to be.”
Because of your support during the Winter Food Drive – Penny will be able to serve a healthy holiday meal to her whole family and that is something to celebrate!
Let’s work together for a hunger free holiday! Help us raise $250,000 and 250,000 lbs. of food for the Winter Food Drive.
Want to help your neighbours in need but not sure what food is best to donate? Check out this handy infographic we put together to help!
We hope you enjoy all the tricks and treats you get today!
Make this Halloween a little less scary for people that are hungry by providing meals in your community. Each donation of $1 provides 3 meals for people in your neighbourhood!
Scare hunger away today!
Provide 30 spooky good meals for $10
Scare away 150 empty tummies for $50
Boo!
What is your calling? Is there something that you just feel inspired to do in life?
Volunteers are the heart and soul of any organization. They carry their values and represent selflessness in a world where we could all use a little more compassion.
As much as we adore volunteers – having them organized together and committed to a common goal would not be possible without a volunteer manager. North York Harvest Food Bank’s volunteer manager is Lisa Anderson and in honour of Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day on November 5, I think we should get to know her just a little bit better.
Lisa has been with North York Harvest for more than ten years engaging with volunteers, staff and clients. Each year she works with over 2000 volunteers, some directly and some only in passing but all, either knowingly or unknowingly, supported by her. These volunteers work in the food bank serving clients; on the trucks picking up donations of food; in stores greeting donors; helping us stuff envelopes in the office; making thank you calls to donors and so much more. Without these volunteers – helping over 15,000 people in northern Toronto meet their food needs would be impossible.
Was this always her calling? For myself, I kind of just fell into working in the non-profit sector; while other people knew they wanted to do the job. Lisa was both. “I was in social work for 20 years and got tired of it – so I took some time off to volunteer. That is when I realized what I wanted to do in my life.” Says Lisa. So she took a volunteer management course and got involved with the food bank.
After 10 years you would think that Lisa would have to have some special stories under her belt. I asked her if there were any that really stuck out in her mind.
“Back in 2013 I nominated our volunteer Richard to receive the The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal to honour his many years volunteering with North York Harvest. At the time he had volunteered for 19 years and still volunteers to this day. I was absolutely thrilled when he received the medal! It was a wonderful event celebrating a hardworking and respected member of our family.”
Lisa also draws inspiration from those that use the food bank as well. “The way the food bank touches people on a daily basis is humbling. A woman that touched my heart in particular was a refugee that had come from Africa. She had two children and her husband had passed away right before they were to come to Canada. It was extremely tough for her – she didn’t know anyone and had lost everything from back home. It was completely beyond her control. I don’t know if that is something that I would be able to do – her strength amazed me. Each person I meet can be a new inspiration and I don’t take that for granted.”
So what keeps Lisa going after all of these years? She tells me that each day can be a new experience. From meeting new people from different walks of life to facing new challenges.
“What satisfies me the most about this job is helping people. If I can connect someone to a cause and opportunity that they really care about – it makes me feel great.”
Maybe Lisa can connect you with your perfect volunteer opportunity? Give it a shot and contact her at 416-635-7771 ex 29 or email her at lisa@northyorkharvest.com
Don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all of our exciting volunteer news!
Guest blog by Lynne
“We take a lot of things for granted,” Lynne, long-time donor of the food bank shares. “Basic things like clothes, blankets and especially food.” This is one of the reasons that drew Lynne to the food bank. This is her story.
For the longest time we didn’t have a refrigerator. I would take my toy buggy with me and walk with my mom to the grocery store every day. Food was scarce but I don’t remember going super hungry. We lived by the waterfront and there were always men asking my grandparents if we had work for them. “We share what we have,” was my grandma’s philosophy. She would always invite them in and even when there was no work, she would make them some lunch before they left. Kids were always coming to our house for lunch. Food and community were a big part of our lives. That was a long time ago. But even today food and community are still an important part of my life.
I eventually went on to study home economics and early child education at university. Eventually I started working in the inner city supporting moms with prenatal care and nutrition. There are a lot of families that were financially compromised and we spent a lot of time focusing on the importance of healthy food – where to get it, how to make it economically and what they could use to make healthy meals without spending too much. But it wasn’t only about food. After all, community is a big part of the equation. After my first husband passed away I was a single mom trying to work, take care of my children and make ends meet.
I often would share food with my neighbours who were also struggling, often because life was hard and lonely and sharing food brought us together and brought so much joy.
It’s no surprise that the same focus on sharing what you have, food and community was passed from my grandparents through my family to my children. When our kids were growing up, food and giving was a part of the family culture. We tried to eat dinner together as much as we could and during the holidays we would come together to make Christmas hampers. It was a family tradition. Even now, though my kids are older we still come together, four generations of family and they do it every year.
I started to support the food bank because it simply made sense. There are so many families out there without enough food to eat.
I may not be able to give to all of them directly but I can partner with an organization that is working to do that. You don’t have to be wealthy, you just have to share what you have. I tell my kids that all the time. Because none of us exist on our own.
We are part of something bigger, bigger than just ourselves and giving is a part of that, a part of our lives.
And that is exactly what North York Harvest Food Bank, with the generous support of Lynne and donors just like her are doing. Like the philosophy that Lynne’s grandparents lived by whatever we have we share. Join Lynne and the other amazing NYH supporters to ensure that no family in Toronto goes hungry this fall.
Donate a generous gift of $500 or more and join Lynne in the Harvest Circle – our leadership donors paving the way for a Toronto where no one goes hungry.
Sometimes we don’t realize how much our actions make a difference to people we’ve never even met. But I want to take the time to share with you how your actions of supporting your local food bank have changed lives and come full circle.
Mr. and Mrs. Perez moved here with their family over a year ago fleeing a very difficult situation back home. When they arrived, they found themselves needing to go to the food bank to help them get back on their feet.
Not long ago I had a chat with them as they were spending time volunteering with us. They told me that the reason they now volunteer in the food bank is because they want to pay it forward.
“I want others to know that someone out there cares for them. Coming from the situation in our past – it can be hard to understand that there are people who actually care.”
When the Perez family came to Canada, they struggled to find jobs because they didn’t speak English – which in turn meant they struggled to put food on the table for their children. “It wasn’t until we came to the food bank that we realized people really cared, from volunteers, to staff and donors – everyone wants to make sure that no one goes hungry. In a country like Canada, no one should have to.” Mr. Perez told me.
Mrs. Perez told me that on their first visit to the food bank she was surprised at the kind of options they had, “I was able to find ingredients to make recipes that I used to make for my family back home. It really helped my children as a lot of this new Canadian food was strange to them”. Personally when I see the kind of donations that come into the food bank, I am also surprised by the vast variety and selection that sometimes gets donated. I think it is great that just because a person needs to use the food bank they still are able to have a choice as to what goes into their food hamper, just as they would if going to a grocery store. It’s also important that we have choice to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.
It’s great know that Perez family have adjusted to Canada and glad to be a part of our community. It can be really hard picking up and changing your life. There are many worries that one can have in a situation like that – whether or not you’ll be able to have a meal shouldn’t have to be one of them.
These days Mr. Perez works at a full time job and speaks English very well. His kids go off to school each day having had a healthy breakfast and he just wants the same for people that are now where he was. Each week the Perez family go to the food bank they used to use but now they do to stock shelves and help others pick out groceries to feed their own families.
Mr. Perez loves giving back to his local food bank, “I am very grateful that I can give back to people that are just like I once was; worrying about whether their children are going to have something to eat that day or not. If not for the food bank, I might still be worrying.”
More than 16,000 people will use a food bank in your community this month. Because of you they will be able to leave knowing that their kids (and themselves) will not have to go without a nutritious meal to help them get back on their feet.
Please consider making a generous donation or volunteering to help our new neighbours get back on their feet.
Looking to get some management experience while helping your neighbours in need?
We’re looking for a Food Sorting Supervisor Volunteer to join us for 3 hours in the morning once per week to facilitate food sorting sessions in the warehouse. A three month commitment is requested.
In this senior volunteer position, you would train other volunteers to sort donated food products.
Volunteers follow North York Harvest’s and Ontario Health & Safety Rules and Regulations. To qualify for volunteer hours, you will need to provide a letter and reference.
There is only one position of this kind available, apply today!
Call Kadian at 416-635-7771 x 28 or kadian@northyorkharvest.com