Tag Archive: food banks

1. Guest Blog: Blaydon Fit Fair

   June 9, 2017 4:36 pm Comments Off on Guest Blog: Blaydon Fit Fair

   There are some pretty amazing and thoughtful kids in your community!

   One of the greatest partnerships that NYH has in the community is with our local schools.  The partnership allows us to educate students about food security in their community and show them why people they know such as schoolmates or even friends and family use a food bank.  In turn, students take on a very large and important role in advocating for support of everyone’s food needs.  From food drives to fundraising, we are so incredibly grateful for these amazing kids!

   Our guest blog is by Christmel, Ayse and Aishat in grades 4 & 5 at Blaydon Public School!

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   Fit Fair

   Written by Christmel and Ayse, Presidents of Healthy Fit Company & Aishat, Production Manager (Grade 4/5)

    

   On April 26, 2017, the grade 4/5 class, with the help of some grade 3 students, organized and ran a Fit Fair! There were all kinds of activities with the goal of helping our school community stay fit.  From smoothies to basketball, yoga to origami and so much more!

   Our main goal was to donate $300 to North York Harvest Food Bank, but we ended up raising $1082! It was a lot of planning and organizing but it was a great success.  Representatives from the North York Harvest Food Bank visited our class the week after our event and told us that of all of the schools that have fundraised for them, we were the school that raised the most. That means, we were able to provide over 3000 much needed meals!

   We thought the Fit Fair made the most sense with our vision of helping our school become healthier and more fit.  And since food plays an important role in being healthy, we decided to donate all the profits to the food bank.  At this time of year, the food banks have more need than supply, so this was the perfect opportunity to help out!  This was an amazing experience for everyone that took part.  With our hard work and your involvement and generosity, we all made this wonderful act of giving a reality at Blaydon PS!

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   Great work promoting healthy eating and living in your community! Thank you Blaydon PS!

   Are you interested in getting your school involved in a food drive?  Check out the Food Drive Kit.

   Would you like to join us in providing healthy food for members of your community? Make a donation!
   

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2. 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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3. Poverty and the Ontario Budget

   May 5, 2017 4:14 pm Comments Off on Poverty and the Ontario Budget

   Many things have changed to improve our lives over the past 20 years. In the 90’s cell phones were most regularly seen on television, and even then they were huge and clunky. Video calls, now an every day occurrence, were the stuff of science fiction movies. We’ve made progress on a lot of fronts, but sadly, dealing with poverty is not one of them.

   Ontario just released Budget 2017 – A balanced budget for a stronger, healthier Ontario, which includes new measures to support low income individuals in our province, such as universal drug coverage for youth, a basic income pilot project and a 2% increase in social assistance rates. These are welcome developments to be sure, but still fall far short of addressing the challenges faced by people living in poverty.

   As we all know, the cost of living, especially in Toronto, has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. Housing, energy, transportation and food costs have all risen dramatically. But our social safety net has not only not kept pace, it’s lagged shockingly behind.

   In 1993 a single person receiving benefits from Ontario Works received $663 per month, or $1,010 in today’s dollars. Today, that rate is just over $700. Imagine trying to live in the city of Toronto for $700 per month. The combination of higher costs of living and decreased levels of social assistance drive people into chronic, grinding poverty, and force them to make tough choices, like pay the rent or feed their families.

   We know that food insecurity is not caused by a lack of food, but insufficient money with which to purchase food. It’s made worse by other public policy deficiencies, such as lack of affordable housing, lack of affordable childcare, and a meagre minimum wage.

   Social assistance in the past has been put into place to help prevent people from falling into chronic poverty during tough times due to something such as a job loss, serious illness or disability. This is causing many to make tough choices with their limited resources. Most spend 70-80% of their money on rent alone. After paying non flexible bills such as rent and utilities, people on these programs are left with just $7.91 per day to pay for necessities such as food, childcare or transit fare. Many people in this position make the choice to forgo a meal just to get by.

   Our policy choices in these areas are not without their costs. When people can’t afford to live healthy, dignified lives, we all pay the price in lost human potential, intergenerational poverty, higher health care costs and poverty-related crime. In a recent report, Social Planning Toronto pegs the cost of poverty in our city at $5.5 billion per year.

   The time to change the conversation about poverty in our communities is long overdue. Let’s take this time to reflect on the kind of communities we want to live in. Let’s ask ourselves what kind of lives we want for ourselves and our fellow citizens. And let’s make our voices heard.

   Want to learn more?

   Read the Who’s Hungry Report

   Ontario 2017 Budget

   The Cost of Poverty in Toronto

   Building a Better Ontario

   Inflation Calculator

   Ontario’s soaring poverty gap ‘starkest’ for single adults as welfare rates stagnate

   *Sources Ontario Association of Food Banks & Who’s Hungry

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4. Practicing Food Safety

   February 24, 2017 5:15 am Comments Off on Practicing Food Safety

   You want the best when it comes to the food you eat.  There’s no way you’d want something old, mouldy or funky smelling in your food. 

   

   It’s the same here at the food bank. 

   Food safety is extremely important.  Safety measures are taken into consideration before the food even makes it into the warehouse.  Our hardworking operations team ensures not to bring in food that may be hazardous to members of our community.  Items like this can include damaged items, foods with missing labels and nutritional products that have expired.

   Not only do we want everyone to meet their food needs in the community, we want them to enjoy their food safely.

   Recently Toronto Public Health released a guide on Food Safety in Food Banks and Community Organizations.  This guide makes it easy for all organizations in the food sector to maintain guidelines on food safety and handling. 

   

   Food Safety Measures

   As you may know, we prefer to take non-perishable food items from donations (canned goods, boxed items, etc.) to ensure we can get these items out to the public without safety issues.  But…

   Did you know…

   Even though we are grateful for amazing donations from the community, there are just some items that we CANNOT accept.  These items include:

   • Food products that are not identifiable or that have ingredients that are not identifiable (missing label or label written in a language other than English/French)
   • Partially consumed foods (open packaging)
   • Unpasteurized foods
   • Home preserves and canned items (jams, jellies, pickles etc.)
   • Meats, dairy and other high risk items that are not directly from a processor or store e.g. turkeys that have been in your freezer; you may assure us that that turkey has never been defrosted but because we don’t know that 100% we cannot accept it, sorry!

   These guidelines make sure that people using the food banks don’t get sick from foods they consume.

   

   Did you know…

   There is a difference between Best Before and Expiry Dates.  When it comes to packaged foods the dates can get a little confusing.  Here are some tips to tell the difference between dates.

   • A best before date is simply the promise of the manufacturer that the food in the package will be of highest quality. It is not an indication of food safety.
   • Many times a best before date is not necessary and mostly used to indicate when the quality of food will begin to decrease (a change in taste and texture).
   • The only items REQUIRED to have expiry dates are baby formulas, meal replacements, formulated liquid diets and nutritional supplements. These items must be thrown out past the expiry date as the should NOT be consumed. This is because the nutritional content cannot be guaranteed beyond the expiry date and the nutritional content is very important for babies, the sick and the elderly.
   • We will accept foods up to three months past their best before date because we know that they are safe. However, in order to protect our community members’ dignity we prefer to receive donations of food that have at least 3 months remaining before their best before date.

   

   Food Recalls

   You may have seen food recalls on the news, specifically the latest one about Baby Food.  These recalls affect the food bank and food bank clients. 

   How might a food be recalled?

   • Illness outbreak
   • Food tests identify a health risk
   • An inspection by CFIA detects a safety concern
   • A recall of the item in another country
   • The company initiates a recall
   • Other issues can arise such as food tampering

   Recalls are taken very seriously at the food bank.  These items are removed from our shelves and notices are sent out.  If these items have already made it into people’s homes, we alert them and contact Toronto Public Health.

   

   Ensuring public safety when it comes to food handling and distribution is one of our top priorities.  If you join us for a food sorting session, you will be trained on how to identify the safety of the food you’re sorting.  Remember: When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

    

   To learn more first hand and join us for a food sorting session, click here!

    

   Check out these handy guides on how to inspect YOUR food.

   
   

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5. Volunteering as a Family

   February 8, 2017 3:58 pm 2 Comments

   What do you usually do on Family Day?  The holiday is not even a decade old but has already given millions of Canadians an extra day off during the year to take a break and enjoy time with family.

   

   Kathy, Matthew and Christian volunteer regularly at the food bank as a family activity.  We love having them around giving support and helping us out with corporate and community sort groups.

   When I think of Family Day, I think about families doing something special together.  And The Leeder-Chiarottos demonstrate that each day! 

   

   Matthew and Christian took some time to answer questions I had just in time for the upcoming holiday.

   Tell us about yourselves

   We are two brothers, 10 and 12 years old.  We live in North York with our mom, dad and our two precious cats Sam and Dean.

   How long have you been volunteering?

   We have been volunteering with the North York Harvest Food Bank for about a year and a half now.

   Why did you decide to volunteer as a family?

   We decided to volunteer as a family because we feel pretty lucky for everything that we have.  My mom is big on helping others so she wanted us to learn to do the same.  There is a lot of negative in the world and we would like to be the positive.

   

   Why choose to volunteer with the food bank?

   When you volunteer you need to choose wisely about how you will spend your time.  There are not a lot of volunteer opportunities for kids our age that are interesting or that you can get promoted for doing good work. 

   My mom looked at a bunch of different things for us to do together and when she spoke to Lisa at North York Harvest, she was really positive about us coming in. We love to cook as a family and volunteering with food seemed like a good fit.  

   Since joining the team, we have had the chance to sort food, help with corporate groups as well as promote the food bank to the community.  We have learned a lot about the problems people face putting good food on their tables at home.

   

   Matthew & Christian with MPP Laura Albanese

   What is your favourite part about volunteering as a family?

   We like volunteering together because we talk and have fun.   We meet interesting people and learn from everyone we connect with.  After we sort food together or work with a corporate group we feel great.  You know that you are making a difference with your family and that’s rewarding.

   “You know that you are making a difference with your family and that’s rewarding”

   What do you do outside of volunteering?

   Outside of volunteering we play a lot of hockey in the winter and golf and tennis in the summer.  We hang out with our friends and travel with our parents.

   What do you tell your friends about your volunteering experience?

   I tell them it is a great experience.  Volunteering has changed my life and how I view things.  I see that people are less fortunate than I am and I want to help people more. – Christian

   The atmosphere at the food bank is great.  Everyone is very friendly.  Our friends have all asked us if they could come to sort food and help out.  When we come to the food bank we don’t see the people who donate and we don’t see the clients that receive the food but we see all the people that come together in the middle to make it happen.  Working with all these people, with their own reasons for volunteering, is so fascinating, uplifting and rewarding.  Who knew that checking expiry dates, sorting food, making boxes, weighing all the donations could bring so many people together. – Matthew

   

   Any memorable stories you’d like to share?

   Last Christmas we were asked if we could help deliver some Christmas presents for one of the Food Bank programs.  We all went out over the weekend to make sure that the kids received their gifts.  All the kids were so happy to receive something special for themselves.  It was moving because we were helping people get their Christmas.  We were happy for our own Christmas because we were part of this experience.

   One of the corporate groups we worked with was so cool that they decided to do a mannequin challenge during the food sorting.  We had been in a flash mob before but never a mannequin challenge.  Once everyone stopped laughing we all froze into position while they filmed.  They put it to music and posted it on YouTube.  

   What would you say to someone that was thinking of becoming a volunteer?

   Definitely don’t just think about volunteering.  Volunteer!  Even if you are a kid you can make a difference.

   What are your family day plans?

   We will make breakfast for our parents because we make wicked pancakes.  We’ll probably play a few games.  Watch an episode of the X Files.  Chill with our cats.  Make dinner together in a family master chef challenge

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   It’s so great hearing about different volunteer experiences!  It truly enriches the lives of not only the person benefiting from the service, but also the volunteers themselves.

   Thank you so much to Kathy, Matthew and Christian for making a huge difference in the warehouse and in the community!

   Want to try volunteering?  Click here to learn more!
   

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6. Celebrate the Season

   November 9, 2016 3:24 am Comments Off on Celebrate the Season

   CBC is at it again! It’s almost time to celebrate the holidays and our community by coming together for CBC’s Sounds of the Season in support of local food banks.

   Every year the event gets better and better, raising food and money to help families in Toronto meet their food needs. Last year Sounds of the Season raised $695,000 & collected 21,000 lbs. of food! 

   Whether you participated last year or haven’t had the chance, we want YOU to be a part of this incredible holiday event! Sounds of the Season runs from November 1^st – December 31^st and this year you can join our school champion Beaumonde Heights JMS as they lead the charge for NYH.

   You see, for the very first time CBC and the Food Banks are launching the CBC School Food Drive. 5 schools in Toronto have been chosen – each representing a different food bank, to raise food and funds to provide meals for the holiday season.

   

   As we all know, many people rely on food banks each day to ensure their families don’t go hungry. About 1/3 of people that use food banks in our city are children – and some of those students attend Beaumonde Heights JMS.  I spoke with Tricia, a teacher at the school and she informed me that there are families in their school feeling the crunch of not being able to provide enough food.

   “These students understand what it is like to use a food bank – whether their own family uses the services or if their friends do.  They know how important it is to support others in their community”.

   Beaumonde Heights JMS has hosted food drives for North York Harvest for 14 years! And this year is no different.  All students get involved in the food drive, showing love for their school, neighbours and community.

   They are ready to go with unique fundraising initiatives such as school dances, a “soup kitchen” where students receive a warm meal at lunch and themed food days. Monday is Meat/Protein, Tuesday is Pasta Tuesday, Wednesday is Wah Wah Baby Wednesday, Thursday is Throwback-bring your childhood food favourites and Friday is Heart Smart Fridays!

   The students always have a fun way to join together to help others in need.  Each student is empowered to be an “Agent of Change”. They are encouraged that even though they are young, they can still take that one step to make a difference.

   As a celebration for their incredible work, each school in the School Food Drive will nominate students to join us on December 16 for a huge food sort challenge! CBC’s very own Dwight Drummond has been nominated team captain of Beaumonde Heights JMS. He will inspire the kids in the ways of helping others in their community.

   

   We are absolutely thrilled to partner with CBC, Beaumonde Heights JMS and other food banks in the city! Together we can work towards a hunger free holiday!

   Want to help Beaumonde Heights JMS raise money in support of the community? Click here to help them out!

   OR You can make a donation to support the event RIGHT NOW to be a part of this wonderful annual tradition! Be sure to designate your gift to North York Harvest Food Bank so you know the food will be distributed to your neighbourhood food bank. You can even join the main event on December 2^nd at CBC to hear some incredible music and watch your favourite CBC personalities live in action.

   Curious to learn more about CBC’s Sounds of the Season? Check out all of the festivities here!

   For updates on the exciting School Food Drive – be sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter!

   
   
   
   
   

7. Agency Profile: Room to Grow Empowers Participants

   July 24, 2015 3:36 pm Comments Off on Agency Profile: Room to Grow Empowers Participants

   When you picture a trip to a food bank, you probably don’t envision the most pleasant experience. And hey, that’s fair. While food banks are a vital community service, accessing them can sometimes be an embarrassing and anxiety inducing experience. To deal with this reality, North York Harvest, and food banks around Canada are investing in a model that helps make the experiencing of coming to a food bank more empowering and dignified for the participant.

   If you read last week’s blog you know all about the “choice food bank model”, and have an understanding of why many food banks are making the switch to this system. But while you likely agree with the theory behind the choice model, making it work in practice, and having it fully adopted by a food bank is another story altogether. Has the choice model been successful with North York Harvest member agencies?

   For the answers I went to Aja Peterson, North York Harvest’s Agency Development Coordinator who has been championing the choice model for many years and as part of North York Harvest’s Agency Investment Project. The program, generously funded by Trillium, the RBC Foundation and individual donors like you, is a three year pilot project designed to build the capacity of our member agencies and ensure that agency clients are receiving the most dignified service, are being connected to other support systems in the community, and are able to focus on their lives without worrying where their next meal will come from. The choice model aligns with all of these goals, making it a natural fit for agencies participating in the project.

   “I think at its core the choice model helps people to better understand each other” Aja told me. “It breaks down stereotypes, and creates a more empowering environment, which is one of the Agency Investment Projects main objectives.”

   Over the last few months Aja has been hard at work helping North York Harvest member agency Room to Grow Food Bank make the switch to the choice model. Operating out of Westway United Church, Room to Grow partners with the Room to Grow Child Centre, and serves low-income residents in the Central Etobicoke area.

   When participants arrive at Room to Grow, rather than receiving a box of pre-picked items, they are encouraged to put together their own food hamper which will suit their own cultural and health requirements. The process has gone a long way towards empowering participants, but how has it worked for food bank staff and volunteers?

   “Like any change, it was a bit scary at first, but the volunteers at Room to Grow were so receptive to new ideas, and really supported the transition to the choice model”, said Aja said. “They tell me all the time how great it is to interact with their fellow community members and how they are building more meaningful relationships, getting more face-to-face time with participants, and getting to know their stories and more about their families”.

   Of course beyond volunteer adoption, there are many other factors that go into choice model integration. A project of this size requires capital, space, training, shelves, purchased food and staff support, which necessitates a large investment of time, resources and money. This is why we continue to look to your donations, as they ensure that programs like the choice model will continue to thrive.

   When I ask Aja if she’s noticed any changes at Room to Grow since the transition she seems thrilled with the progress.

   “Before the switch to the new model the division between the participants and volunteers was very pronounced. All the food was behind dividers which made the room feel dark and cramped, and bit suspicious because you couldn’t really see what was going on behind the walls. Now we’ve taken down the dividers and the room feels brighter, warmer and more welcoming. We have more space to walk around and it really feels like a community hub, rather then a waiting room.”

   “Room to Grow is doing so well”, she continued. “They have the capacity, the right attitude and are really working hard to make sure that this project is successful.

   Choice model food banks like Room to Grow aren’t just making the food bank experience more empowering, they are helping to build community and connection out of a very tough situation. We at North York Harvest know that the choice model is the best thing for our member agencies and hope that this system will become a staple of our organization.

   What can you do to help? Help agencies like Room to Grow by making a donation today. Your support will enable NYH to continue investing in our agencies, providing training, building capacity like new shelves, storage or fridges as well as contribute to acquiring better food, which ensures that our participants have a greater variety of fresh and healthy food to choose from.