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Islamic Society of Vaughan joins North York Harvest for day of community giving
At North York Harvest we’re doing everything we can to ensure our community members can meet their food needs – but we can’t do it alone.
On November 30 the Islamic Society of Vaughan stepped forward with an incredible gift of $25,000 that was used to purchase nutritious food to support our neighbours in need. Through their donation, we were able to purchase:
6,048 cans of sweet peas
5,100 bags of pasta
10,752 cans of kidney beans
4,320 cans of pasta sauce
Fifty members of the Islamic Society of Vaughan also joined us at our warehouse to sort and prepare the food for distribution themselves, sorting over 27,700 lbs. of food!
It was a joyous day of community care, teamwork, and compassion that will send positive ripples out into our community for the weeks to come.
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How a food drive became a source of community pride
What happens when you combine a DJ booth, a townhouse complex, and neighbours who are passionate about giving back?
The LaRose townhouse complex has answered that it’s a much-anticipated neighbourhood party that collects food and funds for North York Harvest Food Bank!
Matt Foran spearheaded this food drive starting in 2021, getting his family involved to make posters and encouraging his neighbours to join together to help people facing food insecurity.
With the soaring cost of housing and food, “The food drive notion is very relatable because people recognize it’s tough for them too,” Matt says.
Fighting food insecurity also runs in the family: His father started the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, and his cousins started a food bank out in Sudbury.
Every year the neighbourhood comes together for the Community Giving Day, an event where folks can drop off donations, but also hang out and connect with their neighbours while Matt often DJs to really make it a party!
“It’s become a source of community pride,” Matt says, “and it’s become something that people look forward to. When they see me walking my dog they ask ‘when it’s going to happen, what’s our goal?’”
Each year they try to start with a goal of $3,500 but this year Matt said they had to be ambitious because of the growing need they are seeing in their community.
This year the food and fund drive exceeded their target, bringing in $6,400 plus 465 lbs of food!
The Community Giving Day has even spread beyond the LaRose townhouse, with donations coming in from all over the city.
“it was amazing to see the list of donors and people I hadn’t met before, they heard about it through friends and neighbours. It’s wonderful it brings people together like this,” Matt says.
Thank you to Matt and everyone at the LaRose townhouse complex, this generosity will directly support nearly 30,000 client visits across our network, and help individuals and families meet their food needs.
Be a Harvest Hero
Learn how you can get involved and make a difference as we work towards our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.
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.
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!
There’s been lots in the news recently about how best to support food banks. We’re grateful for all of the ways our community takes action against hunger, and each type of gift is essential in making sure 16,000 people each month have the food and support they need to thrive.
Every year, during our Fall Food Drive we invite the media to our office and warehouse. This event allows the media to focus attention on food insecurity in our communities during Thanksgiving.
The media will film and photograph volunteers sorting food in our warehouse and interview staff.
We’re looking forward to welcoming families to sort food with us on media day.
We will have 2 sorting sessions: 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm. During the afternoon session we will be visited by Mayor John Tory members of the Northern Heroes – local superheroes dedicated to fighting hunger!
Want to come in for an evening with family and friends?
Every Tuesday evening we offer sorting sessions for families and friends! Learn how YOUR help in the food sorting room goes a long way to ensure that your neighbours get the best food possible! It’s a great way to have fun, get some exercise and give back!
To join us on a Tuesday evening from 5:30-7:30 call Kadian at 416-635-7771 ext. 28 or kadian@northyorkharvest.com
Are you looking for an opportunity to bring your coworkers in for a volunteer experience?
We offer corporate volunteer sorting sessions! It’s a great way to learn about food insecurity in your community and work as a team to help make a difference!
For Community Groups, Schools and other groups contact Leslie Venturino at 416-635-7771 ext. 21 or leslie@northyorkharvest.com
Want to be a volunteer on a regular basis?
There are many positions that let you get involved with your community on a weekly basis! We’re in need of the following positions:
FOOD SORTERS
We’re looking for core sorters to join us in the warehouse to sort through donations before they reach the food banks
Monday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm
Wednesday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm
FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS
Lawrence Heights Community Food Space (Lawrence/Allen area)
Tuesday, 1pm to 5pm – distribute food hampers
Tuesday, 8am to 12pm – receiving food orders
Room to Grow Food Bank (Kipling/The Westway area)
Wednesday, 9:15am to 12:30pm – receiving food orders
Oriole Food Space (Don Mills/Sheppard area)
Monday, 9:30am to 1pm or 1pm to 3:30pm – receiving food orders
St Vincent de Paul Food Bank (640 Glenholme Ave) is in need of volunteers twice per month to help unload groceries from the truck (typically the second and fourth Thursdays of the month).
WORKING ON OUR TRUCKS
Driving Assistants
We need some volunteers who can spend a day with our drivers. See first hand where our food comes from and where it goes.
Want to make a donation of food but not sure what you should donate? We are asked that question quite a lot around here.
We made a Facebook Live video just to help our incredible donors to learn what foods are needed at the food bank and which items are better left on the shelf (or in the fridge).
Spring is in the air and our office is buzzing! Okay, yes I admit, these past few weeks have felt like we’ve experienced all four seasons at once – but trust me… Spring is almost here!
To celebrate the amazing weather on the way, we are kicking off the Spring Food Drive and we want YOU to be a part of it!
The Spring Drive is so important for making sure that the pantries are stocked during the warmer months to ensure no one has to go without! Together we can make sure that everyone meets their food needs!
Help us raise $100,000 and 100,000 lbs. of food! Your support will help more than 15,000 people each month using food banks, meal programs, prenatal/early parenting programs, community kitchens and other vital services throughout the city.
Getting involved with the food drive is a lot of fun and helps so many people! Just ask Lauren, who has been running food drives for more than ten years!
“I first heard about North York Harvest back in 2005 when I was 14 years old. A NYH bag came to our house with the local newspaper letting us know how we could help,” says Lauren. “I decided right then to do a food drive. At 14 it was a really cool thing to do. Our first food drive raised 170 pounds and its increased so much since then!”
Lauren and her parents have made food drives not only a family tradition, but a tradition within their neighbourhood. “I love going door to door to see everyone in the neighbourhood. A lot of the people I grew up with still give every year because they know that people rely on our help. It has become a real connection to the community.”
What are Lauren’s tips for running YOUR food drive?
It is much easier than it looks and it is much more rewarding too! Its benefits are huge!
We grocery shop as a family and sometimes with a few neighbours as well –add such items as baby formula, canned proteins. Living in a multi-cultural city and community, we also try to contribute spices and different types of food. Click here for a list of suggested foods to donate
Over 400 people rely on the food bank EVERY DAY. You can help!
Lawrence Heights Community Food Space (Lawrence/Allen area)
