Tag Archive: food banks

  1. Connecting our community with wraparound supports

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    More than food: Connecting our community with wraparound supports

    One person wearing a mask and an apron sits and smiles next to a person wearing a backpack and sunglasses. There is text on the bottom that reads Meet Elis! North York Harvest's Service Navigation Manager

    Did you know our Community Food Spaces have more to offer beyond emergency food support?

    While we serve nearly 30,000 client visits each month, a vital support for individuals and families facing food insecurity – clients

    An image of an old man smiling and giving the thumbs up from a dentist chair. In the quote text, he expresses gratitude for North York Harvest helping him get access to dental care.

     often have other needs that require additional support to improve their quality of life.

    Our Service Navigation Manager, Elis, helps connect clients with wraparound supports by providing information and referrals to resources such as healthcare and clothing.

    “For sure clients need food assistance, but beyond that, they need housing, furniture, dental information, information about family doctors and child care,” Elis says. “These are other important services that help people to survive.”

    Before taking on this role, Elis worked at our Bathurst-Finch Community Food Space for 10 years, where she and other food space managers provided referrals where they could.

    Thanks to a grant from Community Foundations of Canada: Healthy Communities Initiative, North York Harvest was able to fund this vital work on a larger scale through the Virtual Case Management Program. Clients met with Elis in person or virtually to get the support they needed at times that worked for them.

    Between September 2023-August 2024, 740 referrals were made. The most-needed referrals supported individuals with:

    • Government services
    • Clothing Bank
    • Dentist services
    • Employment support + training
    • Primary care

    A graph indicating top referrals by category such as furniture and dental care services.

    “The support that we got was very valuable and beneficial for us,” says Elena, a North York Harvest client. “Me and my family have a difficult predicament, as I am ailed by health issues and have a young son. Food Bank staff understood the struggles we were facing, supporting and helping us in any way they could … and has helped us with obtaining furniture and clothing.”

    For newcomers, they have to adjust to a new country and start a new life, and they have a lot of urgent needs, Elis says. She says a barrier to these resources is not knowing they exist, which even many Canadian-born clients aren’t aware they can access, such as the Fair Pass Transit Discount and the Childcare Subsidy program.

    Part of the grant was also used to ensure this vital support could continue after the funding ended by providing training to food space managers so each of them could take on some responsibilities of case management.

    However, North York Harvest is still looking for grants to continue to fund and expand this work to support our clients in the next steps toward stability and well-being.

  2. Busting food bank myths with Feed Ontario!

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    Busting food bank myths with Feed Ontario!

    “Why don’t food bank users just get a job?”

    “If we increase social assistance, won’t that make people not want to work?”

    Food banks have been getting a lot of media attention due to the overwhelming demand for emergency food support. Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation is also being spread about what is causing this crisis.

    In December, Feed Ontario hosted a panel discussion to bust some of these myths and misconceptions in our sector. We joined colleagues from food banks across the province to field questions pertaining to our work and the people who access our services.

    Chiara Padovani, North York Harvest’s Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Community Engagement, joined the panel to tackle questions from Ontarians about who is really causing the housing crisis, the realities of living on social assistance, and the solutions desperately needed to reduce food bank use.

    Watch the full panel below

    Thank you to Feed Ontario for having us and thanks to our fellow panelists:
    Myles Vanni – Inn of the Good Shepherd, Sarnia
    June Muir – UHC -Hub of Opportunities, Windsor
    Robbie Donaldson – Salvation Army – New Liskeard

  3. I Choose Hope

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    Help Get Healthy Food to Neighbours like Sandra!

    Did you know that after paying rent and utilities, our clients have about $6.67 left per day for food and all other necessities?

    Click here to read Sandra’s Story of resilience and hope.

    Summer should be a time of enjoying the beautiful weather and taking breaks from work and school to relax and recharge. For some, it’s full of possibilities — from summer camps and vacations, to picnics and BBQs.

    Yet, for thousands of families and individuals in our city, there is no break from the daily stress and worry of food insecurity.

    The situation is dire as the need for food support continues to surge far above pre-pandemic levels.

    At North York Harvest, we’ve seen a 92% increase in client visits since 2019, with a 25% spike last year alone.

    Toronto is facing a poverty crisis with increased inflation, low social-assistance rates and unaffordable housing.

    Every day, people like Sandra are having to turn to a food bank because they can’t make ends meet.

     

    Sandra’s Story

    Sandra is passionate about her work with children with special needs but with rising costs, her income and benefits are not sufficient to ensure food security in our city.

    “I started coming here a year ago and I am able to meet my needs with the help of North York Harvest. The staff are very kind and friendly, and give their time to meet their community.

    After a long day of work, it makes your day to see a friendly face here at North York Harvest, so I always welcome it.It's so hard to make ends meet and I'm trying hard to make it work. Says Sandra

    With the pandemic and high cost of living, you would not believe how many of my clients I’ve lost. It’s so hard to make ends meet and I’m trying hard to make it work. Sometimes when you struggle, you keep it quiet inside – but things can get better with help.

    If you look, you can see this community faces problems everywhere. On the streets, on the TTC, and it really scared me. But then I thought: do I choose to live in fear? This is my life. Do I choose to accept what life is or be hopeful changes can happen?

    picture of smiling woman with quote "I choose hope" next to herThe pandemic made it hard for a lot of people. I was not working and it was getting to my head. But I said, am I going to allow this to destroy me? No, I’m bigger than that.

    I choose hope.”

    Sandra, North York Harvest Client

    Sandra’s story embodies the resilience and determination that drive our work. But we can’t do it alone. 

    Will you be there for people like Sandra?

    The pandemic forced so many in our city into deep food insecurity, including Sandra.

    The urgency of our work has never been more pronounced, and your support has never been more critical

    Your gift today will help provide emergency food access for so many while empowering us to continue fighting the root causes of poverty.

    Our partnership provides vital resources to our community members like Sandra, and enables them to focus on their lives beyond merely surviving.

    But without legislation to address affordable housing, social assistance rates and stagnating wages, the need for our services continues to surge.

    After paying rent and utilities, our clients have about $6.67 left per day for food and all other necessities, according to our 2023 Who’s Hungry report.

    When we join together, we can go beyond short-term support, and continue advocating for much-needed policy changes that will create a more just society, where no one has to rely on a food bank.

    These are the real systemic changes we can achieve with and for our community.

    Please give generously today, so we can continue providing essential food support to our neighbours, while helping to build an equitable community where everyone can thrive.

    Every gift, no matter the amount, makes a difference.  Thank you!

     

    Collage of North York Harvest staff posing at various food spaces, as as "Together we can build a community where everyone can thrive. Donate Today" is placed beside next to them

     

    *This is a true story from a client. The images have been changed to protect their privacy.

  4. Everyone Can Be A Hero

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    Family, friends and relaxation, that’s what summer should be all about. But for many families in our community, summer adds a significant stress as they grapple with additional food costs. In fact, summer is the time of year when our community’s food needs are at a peak, yet we receive our lowest level of donations. With your support, we can continue helping nourish families who turn to North York Harvest to meet their food needs.

    During the pandemic you have helped make the Hamper Hero Virtual Food Drive a major success! While in-person food drives were not possible, the generous support North York Harvest received from families, schools and community groups was incredible. As we head into the summer months, the positive response continues with an increasing number of community members participating in virtual food drives. Our community continues to need your support, and we’re pleased to be able to help families with your contributions.

    Here are some tips for increasing the impact of your Virtual Food Drive

    Goal Setting: While it may seem simple, setting a fundraising target creates excitement for everyone who donates. Consider setting a reward for meeting your target to get everyone even more engaged.

    Make It Special: Select a date and host a kick-off event that gets everyone on board. Consider engaging your network by sharing a video about the work that North York Harvest does.

    Give Regular Reminders: Keep your group updated on the success of your Virtual Food Drive by sharing via social media platforms. Encourage everyone who has contributed to share on their social media channels and remember to tag North York Harvest too!

    Are you interested in hosting a virtual food drive with your friends and family? Find out how you can get involved.

  5. 2017 Round Up

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    Because of supporters like you, we spent 2017 working with our community to help our most vulnerable neighbours meet their food needs, and find long-term solutions to poverty and food insecurity.

    Here are some of our favourite moments.

    Gardens Galore!

    We had our first ever garden since moving to Pengarth Crt in Lawrence Heights, and were able to run multiple harvest festivals throughout the city.

    A joint garden-kitchen program with youth in partnership with PACT at the Lawrence Heights site, teaching kids about the importance of fresh food and healthy eating.

    We supported the first ever farmers market at the Bathurst Finch hub, and now there is a weekly good food market on site every Wednesday.

    Ensuring consistent service throughout our network of partner agencies

    All of our food banks and member agencies are different, but it’s important that no matter where people live in North York that they receive the same standard of service.

    This year we also took on a major network wide evaluation of our 19 catchment food banks, based on our Standard of Service. Clients at each site were surveyed and the programs were assigned a score out of 5 on areas such as accessibility, quality and quantity of food, customer service etc. We hope to repeat this assessment on an annual basis.

    Our AMAZING donors

    As always, our donors blow us away with incredible generosity and support of their community!  Young Zack is no different, in just the first grade he’s making a difference for his neighbours.  This past holiday season he popped by with cans of tuna that he purchased with his gift money.

    Stronger Together: Increasing Services and Impact

    We worked with many community agencies to bring enhanced programming and services to our members, including:

    • Toronto Public Health dental bus at Oriole Food Space.  This bus offered free dental care to those who otherwise would go without this necessity!
    • Smoking cessation workshops
    • Hearing tests for clients
    • Diabetes prevention and management programs
    • We launched the Community Food Works program in partnership with Toronto Public Health’s food strategy at Oriole; a program that teaches food handlers training and food skills to low income individuals. Our pilot at OFS was targeted to Arabic speaking newcomers.
    • A resident based advocacy and food security program
    • Several community kitchen programs

    Healthy Food Matters! Focusing our Food Drive on Priority Items

    This year we worked more intentionally with our fabulous food drive organizers to improve the quality of food we offer to our members. We asked them to hold single food item drives choosing from a list of 5 priority items: Rice, Oil, Canned Beans, Canned Seafood and Canned Tomatoes. These staples are versatile, nutrient-dense foods our network needs to maintain good health. Thanks to our incredible community who helped us answer the call for healthy food!

    Leadership in Logistics

    With the support from the Metcalf Foundation and The Learning Enrichment Foundation we have launched an exciting new program for individuals currently receiving Ontario Works. Aside from being a stepping stone in breaking the cycle of poverty, the program gives participants a chance to take charge of their own lives with the confidence and training to succeed in promising careers.

  6. Light Up the Season

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    It’s that time of year again!  CBC is teaming up with food banks across the GTA to raise food and funds to make sure our communities have the food they need to thrive.

    Sadly, we at North York Harvest, along with other GTA food banks, need your support now more than ever. Local, provincial and national reports are showing alarming statistics regarding food bank use in our communities.

    • Food bank use is up across Toronto, with the greatest increase in use happening in the inner suburbs, like North York. 16,000 people will turn to us this month alone to keep food on their tables.
    • 1 in 3 food bank users are children
    • 35% of food bank users will go an entire day without eating
    • Food bank usage of seniors has skyrocketed 26.5% in the past year

    Here’s how our community is taking action to change those alarming findings:

    Hilltop Middle School has partnered with us throughout the CBC Sounds of the Season Event.  They are focused on collecting the food bank items that are vital to the health of our neighbours struggling to put food on the table: rice, canned tomatoes, canned fish, beans and lentils and cooking oil.

    These amazing students have been working hard to make sure people in their community have nutritious food to eat.  Their activities have included hosting a school assembly, holding a class competition to collect food, and using their school newsletter and class activities to share information about hunger in Toronto.

    One of the students even went Trick or Treating on Halloween to collect items for North York Harvest instead of candy.  AMAZING!

    To celebrate the incredible work done by the students of Hilltop and the other schools participating on behalf of other food banks, we’ll all be having a friendly food sort competition at the Daily Bread Food Bank location on Friday December 8th.

    Want to help Hilltop? Make a donation on their behalf here!

    CBC has been a phenomenal partner in spreading the word about the state of poverty and food insecurity in the city and how food banks across the GTA are taking action on these issues.  Our Forklift Instructor Tammy was featured in an inspiring story talking about her journey from food bank user to working here at NYH and the joy that her family felt about her success – you can read it here!

    Last year you raised $727,226 through Sounds of the Season for GTA Food Banks!

    This year we need you more than ever to make sure everyone in our community can access the healthy food they need to thrive!

    Here’s how you can take action:

    Learn more about Sounds of the Season and pledge your support

    Join our Winter Food Drive and help collect food and funds for those who need us most.

    Help us spread the word about food bank use in North Toronto – follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share your commitment to ending hunger in our community.

     



  7. Diabetes Awareness

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    Look to the person on your left, now look to the person on your right.  Chances are that 1 of the 3 of you are living with diabetes or prediabetes.  And, alarmingly, you may be one of the 1.5 million people in Canada who have no idea that they have this disease.

    Diabetes is a pressing concern for our members. People living in poverty have a much higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and treating diabetes is especially difficult for people who use food banks because of the lack of fresh, healthy food available.  So we’re working to take action on this critical health issue facing our community.

    Over the past year North York Harvest & Flemingdon Health Centre have teamed up to provide Diabetes Education Programs for residents in the Don Mills area.  Our goal is to provide these programs quarterly for those living with or caring for those with diabetes.

    We had a chance to speak with Elena Sobolev, Certified Diabetes Educator & Registered Dietitian regarding these life saving programs.

     

    How did you determine the need for these programs through the food bank?

    We have looked at a few areas where clients accessing food banks can benefit from our program. This includes food insecurity, which can be one important risk factor for those living with diabetes or even those who are at high risk; newcomers who need to prioritize settling in and putting food on the table, instead of paying attention to their health, etc.

    How many people have participated in the program?

    15 participants attended our June session, and 12 participants attended our September session

    What is the link between diabetes and poverty?

    We know that poverty is a strong risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. The chronic stress of low income living can increase the levels of cortisol (a stress-hormone), which can result in elevated blood sugar levels. Also, individuals who live in poverty often struggle with access to healthy foods and physical activity programs, which in turn can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes.

    What kind of barriers does one in poverty face when dealing with diabetes?

    There is a number of barriers faced by individuals who live in poverty. These include lack of  access to healthy foods, physical activity programs, as well as high cost of diabetes medications and medical equipment (ex: blood sugar test strips).

    What are the effects of untreated diabetes in one that does not have proper access to care or healthy food?

    Unfortunately, the consequences of poorly controlled diabetes are quite severe. People can develop problems with their kidneys, eyes, nerves (which can results in amputations), and heart disease (heart attack or stroke).

    More and more people of all ages are living with diabetes and being educated is so important.  November is Diabetes Awareness month and a great opportunity to learn more about how to take care of yourself and those who love. Please visit https://www.diabetes.ca/ to learn more.

    For more information about our partnership program, visit: https://www.fhc-chc.com/diabetes

     

  8. Fighting Poverty Together

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    Often when we think of poverty, we don’t think about how deep the problem is in our very own backyard.

    In North York, poverty hides in high rise apartments, rooming houses and shelters. Often food is the last priority on a long list of bills that must be paid by our neighbours who are struggling to make ends meet each month.

    All too often, we hear stories like Holly’s.

    “I always thought I could do it on my own. I was able to pay my rent, phone, and medications with the little money I had. Food was always last on my list. Being a type 1 diabetic that takes insulin every day, eating properly is very important. I soon realized that I could not do everything on my own.

    I found the food bank and soon found out I was receiving more than help with my food.  I found a sense of community”.

    Because of skyrocketing housing prices, unsteady employment and social assistance rates that have failed to keep up with the cost of the living in our city – thousands of our neighbours are struggling to get by each day. Together we can change that.

    Your support provides more than food. It provides social inclusion through programs like Community Kitchens, employment readiness training like our Leadership in Logistics program and ensures we can continue to invest in long term solutions to end hunger and poverty. We know that food banks alone aren’t the answer. With your help, we can make sure providing essential emergency food support is just the start of the relationship we build with those that need us most.

    Please make the most generous gift you can today and help make a lasting difference in the lives of our neighbours. I know that together we can make so much more possible in North Toronto.