Tag Archive: food banks toronto

  1. Join the Fall Food Drive!

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    It’s Thanksgiving weekend!  I hope you are all looking forward to enjoying time and a nice meal with all of your families.

    As I think about the abundance of delicious food that will be set at my table, I also am confronted with a troubling thought.  Many families in our very own community will not have the luxury to sit down to a large dinner with their loved ones.  Many won’t even have enough food to fill their bellies.

    It’s a tough thing to think about.  Thanksgiving is the time of year when we celebrate and are thankful for what we have and the food at our table. But it’s hard for someone to be thankful when they don’t have enough food to eat.

    That is where YOU come in!  Because of the incredible support from caring people like you, many of our neighbours are able to access nutritious food to feed their families.

    As the weather gets colder and we get ready for Thanksgiving, the NYH Annual Fall Food Drive to raise $100,000 and 100,000 pounds of food to provide 300,000 meals for our neighbours in need is in full swing.  Your support will make an amazing difference in the lives of so many families in Toronto.  Just $1 can provide 3 meals. Your small act of kindness today will make a lot of parents and children nourished and happy.  Will you consider helping us reach this goal?

    What can you do?

    Get involved and run a Food & Fund Drive!  It’s so easy to sign up and put together a food drive with your family, coworkers, school, clubs or friends!  Check out this really fun list of ideas to get started.

    If you don’t have time to set up a food & fund drive yourself, donate online or make a food donation at local grocery stores and fire halls.  For a list of where you can donate groceries, please click here.

    Not sure what kind of items to donate?  Here’s a handy list of food items that are in high demand, especially around this time of year.

    The top 5 needed items are:

    • Baby Food
    • Canned fish
    • Canned chickpeas and other beans
    • Cooking oil (personal sized bottles)
    • Soup

    Click here to see what other items are needed most.

    If you are digging through your pantry to find items to donate, be sure that they are not expired.  Items that are past the best before date are accepted.  For more information on expiry and best before dates, check out our blog post.

    You can make a difference in the lives of 13,000 parents, children and grandparents that rely on food banks every month.  It is because of generous people like you that we can make hunger in Canada a thing of the past.

    Let’s make this Thanksgiving a holiday that everyone can be thankful for.

  2. 5 Things You May Not Know About Best Before Dates

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    Did you know that every year, the average single-family household in Toronto throws out around 275 kilos of food?  That means that across the city about 1 in 4 purchases end up in the garbage.

    One reason might be that you are throwing out food that has passed its “best before date”. But passed a best before date does not mean best to throw away.

    5 facts that might make you think twice the next time you’re cleaning out your fridge

    1) Best before dates and expiration dates are two very different things.

    A product’s expiration date indicates the last day that product can be safely consumed. The best before date tells the consumer the time period that the food is optimally fresh. It has nothing to do with the product’s safety.

    2) Non-perishable foods will display a best before date and not an expiration date.

    In fact foods like crackers or cereal aren’t required to put any date on their packaging, but often do voluntarily. After that date has passed they may become slightly stale, but won’t do you any harm.

    3) Perishable foods can often be consumed after the best before date.

    The food might begin to lose some of its flavour and nutritional value but that does not mean that the product is in any way unsafe.

    For example, an egg that is passed its best before date might be harder to poach as the yolk is more susceptible to breaking. But the egg is still fine and when scrambled up would taste as good as ever.

    4) When in doubt, throw it out.

    A lot of food is safe and edible after the best before date, but it’s important to check your food before you consume or donate it. If your food has changed colour or appearance, or has developed a bad smell, then it should be thrown out regardless of the expiration or best before date.

    Foods that contain pathogens such as dairy, chicken or ground beef should not be eaten after their bet before date.

    5) North York Harvest will accept donations that are passed their best before dates but NOT EXPIRED food.

    We accept and distribute food donations that are up to 3 months passed their best before dates with the exception of baby food. Before you donate please make sure that none of your donated food has expired, and that the packaging has not been opened or damaged.

    So next time you’re cleaning out the cupboards, think twice about what you’re tossing or donating. Your food donations make a big difference to family in need but always think of donating food that you would eat yourself.

    For more information on how to donate food to North York Harvest or to find out more about why we raise funds to purchase food click here.

     

  3. Voting For A Food Secure Canada

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    Federal election season is just around the corner, and with the spotlight shining brighter on the many social, economic and environmental issues impacting Canadians, I’m finding myself filled with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I know that objectively speaking, I live in amazing country; one that encourages its citizens to share their voices, and offers many social services to enhance their quality of life. But just as there’s so much to be proud of in Canada, there are also many reasons to be critical.

    For example, this month alone, over 840,000 of your fellow Canadians, 37% of which are children, will go to their local food bank looking for their next meal. That number has grown steadily since the recession of 2009 and with little national policy in place to combat food insecurity, there’s no reason to believe that things will turn around soon.

    Simply put, in a country as developed and prosperous as Canada, no one should have to worry about where their next meal will come from.

    Because of your donations, food banks like North York Harvest are able to make sure that Canadians in need can put good, healthy meals on the table. But that doesn’t mean that the issue has been resolved.

    On October 19th 2015, we will go to the polls to decide who makes the big decisions in our country moving forward. With food bank usage across the country at all-time high levels, now is the time to let politicians know that food security is important to you and to millions of other Canadians, and that improvements to the current policy need to be made.

    Here are a few simple actions that you can take to make sure that issues surrounding hunger and food banks are not forgotten this election season.

    1)  Contact the Member of Parliament candidates in your riding and let them know that food security in Canada is important to you and your neighbours. Call their office, write them a letter, email, or even tweet at them. It’s going to be their job to represent the views of their constituents; so make sure that they know that you’re passionate about this issue.

    2) Attend local debates and try to get the issue of hunger in Canada on the agenda. This is great way to ensure that the topic becomes part of the discussion during the campaign and that strategies are being put forth by candidates.

    3) On October 19th, head to the polls and vote for the candidate or party that represents your hope for a Canada without hunger!

    If you’re not sure what party best aligns with your beliefs, you might want to take this on-line quiz.

    This election season let’s make our communities without a enough food a priority. Let us know what you’re doing to spread the word by tweeting at us today with hash-tag #votefood4all.

    *Statistics taken from Food Banks Canada’s Hunger Count 2014 Report*

  4. Why Food Banks are Choosing Choice.

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    This might sound a little strange, but I really like going grocery shopping. I know that the parking lots can be crazy, and the check-out lines can be long, but I find the whole experience strangely soothing. Seriously! Like most people I have my own little routine. Essentials first; milk, veggies, eggs, bread, juice, and then depending on how I’m feeling, I’ll move onto something more adventurous; maybe a nice curry for dinner, a catch of the day fish, or some ingredients for baking. It might not seem like a big thing in the moment, but you have to admit, it is an empowering and comforting feeling, knowing that there’s a place where we can so easily get the foods that we like, and build a meal that suits our lifestyle. Being in control of your food feels great.

    Unfortunately, many of our neighbours in Toronto don’t always get to feel that type of freedom or independence when it comes to what they eat. With the cost of living in Toronto sky rocketing, and unemployment still high, a trip to the grocery store is a luxury many of our community members often can’t afford. Luckily, thanks to your donations, organizations like North York Harvest Food Bank are able to ensure that just because many people might not be able to purchase everything they want, doesn’t mean that they can’t have access to good food in a dignified and personal way.

    The “choice model” food bank is a relatively new idea that over the last few years has become a much more common practice at food banks around Toronto. The idea is really simple. Rather than receiving a box of pre-picked items, participants at choice model food banks are given more of a marketplace experience. With the help of a food bank volunteer they are taken past the shelves of food and encouraged to put together their own hamper of items that they know their family will like, and that will meet their dietary or cultural requirements.

    “The choice model is an important step for food banks to take, because the right to choose is such an important part of dignity”, says Mike Bartlett, our summer intern and Masters of Social Work candidate at York University. “The choice model empowers our community members to make the choices that they know will be right for their families. Volunteers aren’t left to guess what a family might need.”

    Switching over to a choice model, can take what might often be a very rigid process, and turn it into an experience that lays the foundation for real social change through community growth and development. Food assistance becomes a more collaborative process, with participants and volunteers working together to put together food baskets and plan their weekly meals. Allowing the participants to become part of process not only creates a more dignified experience for them, but also fosters discussion, trust and meaningful relationship building.

    Participants also seem to favour the system, as it allows them to pick and choose depending on their families’ needs. For some people pasta might be just what they’re looking for, while for others it might be rice or quinoa. Most importantly, if they don’t want something, they can leave it and it stays on the shelf for someone else to enjoy.

    I know, I know, it all sounds great in theory, but have we actually seen success with this model within the North York Harvest agencies? Stay tuned to next week’s blog where we’ll be profiling the Room to Grow Food Bank who as part of our Agency Investment Project, generously funded by Trillium, the RBC Foundation and individual donors like yourselves, have recently installed the choice model into their food bank.

  5. Dave Matthews Rocks Out For North York Harvest

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    For me, summertime doesn’t get much better than spreading my blanket across a sunny patch of grass and lying down to watch some beautiful live music. If you agree that this sounds like an ideal night out, you might be interested to know that next month you can see a great rock band, and support a great food bank, all in one fantastic evening.

    On Tuesday, July 21st, Dave Matthews Band will be bringing their smooth sounds to the Molson Amphitheatre, and North York Harvest will be front and center at the event, mingling with the fans and collecting your food and fund donations.

    There are a few ways you can support NYHFB at the show:

    • Bring your food donations to the show and drop them in our bins outside the gates of the venue.
    • Once you’re inside, support North York Harvest by picking up a Dave Matthews Band Nalgene bottle for a $10 donation. All the proceeds will be donated to a local farm, who in turn will give an in kind donation of fresh and healthy food to NYHFB.
    • During the concert look for our staff and volunteers (we’ll make ourselves visible) and come on over for a chat! We’ll be handing out some great materials, as well as collecting your generous donations.

    The event is part of the Bama Green Project, a partnership between Dave Matthews and REVERB, which works to bring awareness to food security issues. For more information on this amazing project, check out this video.

    We hope you can make it out for what’s going to be a fantastic night. For information on tickets, please visit Dave Matthew’s website. To get involved as a volunteer, please email leslie@northyorkharvest.com.

  6. National Volunteer Week

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    Dear Volunteer,

    It’s National Volunteer Week in Canada, and we want to take a moment to highlight you, the people that fuel North York Harvest Food Bank’s mission, day in and day out.

    Each year North York Harvest Food Bank works with over 2000 volunteers, over 120 of which are “Core Volunteers” who come in at least once a month. You put together food hampers, answer the phones and ride on our trucks as delivery assistants. You are not just helpers, but ambassadors of our organization. You provide fresh perspectives and deepen our connection to the community of Northern Toronto. But most importantly, you share our vision of a city where no one goes hungry, and work tirelessly help families in need put food on the table.

    “At North York Harvest, we work with so many amazing volunteers”, says Lisa Anderson, Manager of Volunteer Services. “Your optimism, caring, hard-work, and grace are inspiring.”

    Your community and corporate volunteer groups also play a huge role in helping those struggling with hunger. So far this year we’ve seen you organize an incredible 341 food drives. During this same period we’ve also had over 1700 people attend our volunteer group food sorts, helping to sort and package 265,000 lbs of food. Martine Valentine, an employee of CIBC, and a long-time supporter of NYHFB, has been helping coordinate corporate food drives and public sorts in her office for years.

    “It is important to us as an organization to assist our neighbours in need”, says Martine. “We especially enjoy contributing in a positive way to the community in which we work. It is a great feeling to chip in, help out in anyway way we can, large or small. It gives us an appreciation for what we have, which is plenty.”

    So thank you, volunteers. Thank you for your hard work and for the lives you’ve changed. We wouldn’t have made it this far without your dedication and support.

    Click here to find out about current volunteer opportunities, or email lisa@northyorkharvest.com to get involved today.