Tag Archive: food insecurity

  1. Welcome to Weston Area Emergency Support

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    Agency Spotlight: Welcome to WAES

    Three women stand around a counter full of potatoes, sorting them for distribution at a food bank.

    North York Harvest Food Bank is the primary food bank of Northern Toronto, but we’re more than just one organization.

    We work with a network of nearly 40 partner agencies, united by a shared mission to help our communities meet their food needs. Together we serve 30,000 community members every month, ensuring families and individuals including children, seniors, and persons with disabilities have access to dignified food support.

    One partner agency, The Weston Area Emergency Support (WAES), started the same way. Several local churches came together to create a food bank in 1986 to meet a rising need in the Weston area.

    Since then, the need in Weston has only increased, and today WAES serves 3,500 client visits every month.

    They operate with a passionate team of 50 regular volunteers, 50 casual volunteers, and one food space manager.

    About WAESA woman with glasses rests her hand on a stack of non-perishable canned beans in a food bank setting.

    • Two program days serving food to their community each week
    • Nearly 1 in 3 client visits are children
    • Seniors represent 16% of all visits
    • 3 in 4 clients identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Person of Colour)

    Diana Stapleton has been a volunteer at WAES for over 30 years. Before retiring, she worked in research and advocacy at Food Banks Canada. She says WAES strives to be a low-barrier food bank with an emphasis on providing fresh food to clients, including eggs, produce, and halal protein.

    In addition to support received from North York Harvest and Second Harvest, WAES relies on the generosity of their community to keep shelves and fridges stocked.

    “York South-Weston has always been known as one of the lowest-income ridings in Ontario,” Diana says. “We’ve got a really interesting and vibrant community, but also a lot of the issues that go along with people struggling with low income.”

    “One question I get asked a lot is: ‘Well how do you know they really need it?’ People have to spend so much time proving they’re poor enough to receive so many other supports that we are committed to being a low-barrier food bank,” Diana says.

    WAES has seen a 20% increase in client visits over last year, and it’s coming to a breaking point – to the extent they may need to cut off new client visits.

    “It’s the last thing we want to do, but with the space we have we can’t bring in enough food to give out,” she says.

    “Everyone is saying the same thing: This is the worst situation for food insecurity we’ve ever had. Everybody knows it, and still nobody is doing anything – if we as a nation are going to help people, we have to do it properly.”

    Learn more about WAES

  2. Community BBQ to Get Out the Vote this federal election!

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    Removing barriers at the ballot box

    As the need for food banks is reaching record highs, voter turnout in our community is reaching record lows.

    There are many barriers stopping people from making it to the ballot box.

    After paying rent and utilities, on average our community members only have about $7 per day to spend on food, transportation, medication and all other expenses. It’s not easy getting to the polls when getting there eats into your food budget. 

    The No. 1 reason people walk through our doors is the high cost of rent, and far too many don’t even have a permanent place to call home. It’s not easy exercising your right to vote when you don’t have a permanent address. 

    That’s why North York Harvest Food Bank held a Community BBQ to Get Out the Vote on Sunday, April 13.

    We had free food, games, raffles, face-painting, advocacy, and free transportation taking attendees to the polls to cast their vote.

    Over 600 people attended the BBQ throughout the day, with 75 folks heading to the polls. Many community members who voted said if it weren’t for this initiative, they wouldn’t have been able to vote.

    Watch a short highlight reel from our BBQ below!

    That week, our Community Engagement team also visited each of our four food spaces to shuttle over 100 clients to vote and ensure no one was turned away from exercising their right to vote. For some, it was their very first time voting.

    “This whole initiative, whether it was the BBQ or the shuttles from our food banks to the polling station was really just about making sure the people most impacted by the affordability crisis are having their voices heard in this election,” says North York Harvest’s Senior Advocacy Specialist Chiara Padovani.

    By removing barriers in the voting process, nearly 200 community members cast their ballot this federal election!

    Four people wearing red North York Harvest attire smile together at an advocacy tent at a community BBQ.

  3. Read our latest Impact Statement!

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    Building stronger communities, together

    Five people in red North York Harvest Food Bank aprons have their arms around each others' shoulders, smiling in a food bank setting.

    In this Impact Report, you’ll learn not only who you are helping today, but how we are working alongside our community to fight for long-term solutions to food insecurity.

    Emergency Food Support

    Between September 2024 – February 2025 we distributed 1.4 million lbs. of food across our network, ensuring each of the 30,000 clients we support every month received nutritious food.

    October was our busiest month, reaching 31,224 client visits.

    Our caring neighbours rallied together to hold 124 food drives to supply essential non-perishable foods like pasta, cooking oil, and canned meat and vegetables! 

    We also worked with 33 partner organizations including bakeries and manufacturers to procure additional food such as fresh produce.

    Advocacy Actions!

    With 1 in 10 Torontonians turning to a food bank, we know more food won’t solve food insecurity. That’s why our Community Engagement team was busy advocating for policy changes and mobilizing our network for real change. 

    Some highlights include:

    (September) We held our Final Community Advocacy Open House, where clients were invited to discuss the issues that are making it the mostTwo people post sticky notes ranking issues including housing and employment on to a paper. challenging for them to meet their food needs, and how we can work together to make our voices heard and demand solutions.  

    (October) Our Community Connector Daffodil spoke at Queen’s Park ahead of the Raise the Rates Rally, calling for an end to legislated poverty by doubling social assistance rates. 

    (November) Community Engagement delivered over 300 postcards from FeedOntario’s postcard campaign from clients who wrote to their MPPs about the affordability crisis and how it is impacting their ability to meet their basic needs. 

    (November) Executive Director Ryan Noble speaks with CBC, says crisis is being ignored by those in power

    (December) North York Harvest’s Senior Specialist of Advocacy, Chiara Padovani, joins a Feed Ontario panel to bust myths about food banks and the people who use them. 

    (December) North York Harvest clients joined together for a Community Art Build where they made signs, buttons and posters to use at upcoming rallies. 

    (January) North York Harvest deputes at the Toronto City Budget Committee, calling for increased funding for drop-in meal programs that serve life-saving meals all across our city. 

    (February) Ryan joins Mayor Olivia Chow to call for an expanded student nutrition program to fight child hunger. A man speaks into a microphone at a press conference for funding the expansion of the student nutrition program. In the background, fellow speakers smile.

    (February) Our Community Engagement team rented a bus to help mobilize 60+ clients to attend the City Budget Rally. Afterwards, we headed inside City Hall to hand-deliver our petitions calling for City Council to support a TTC Fare Freeze, more support for renters, an expansion of the student nutrition program, and increased funding for drop-in meal programs. Together we won all those things! 

    (February) Ahead of the provincial election, we set up Election info tables at our food spaces to share information with our community members on how, where and when to vote, and to provide non-partisan information on where the four main parties stood on some of the issues that impact our community members most.

    None of this would have been possible without your support; thank you for being there for our community.  View the Impact Statement

  4. Our community mobilized for change – and won!

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    In December, the City of Toronto declared food insecurity an emergency.

    In the following two months, North York Harvest Food Bank collected hundreds of petition signatures, sent dozens of letters and gave deputations to urge every city councillor to pass a city budget that puts people first.

    For years North York Harvest has been making policy recommendations to government, but this year we mobilized our community like never before to take these issues to the doorstep of our decisionmakers and put them on notice.

    On the day of the official City budget deliberation, we brought a delegation of 60+ people from our community food banks and joined with other community members and organizations at the City Budget Rally outside City Hall.

    (In December our Community Action Group got together for an Art Build event, where North York Harvest clients made signs and posters. The event was a platform for our community to connect with one another on issues that are impacting them every day and use their voice for real change.)

    After the rally, we went into City Hall to deliver petitions to our elected officials, calling for them to support the following in the budget:

    A TTC fare freeze
    The TTC fare freeze means people won’t have to choose between transportation and their next meal.With food bank users having as little as $7.78 left per day after rent and utilities, even a small fare increase can make a big difference.

    More funding for renter supports
    Additional funding for RentSafeTO, the Toronto Rent Bank and the Tenant Support Program will help prevent evictions and protect affordable housing in Toronto.

    An expansion of the Student Nutrition Program
    With 1 in 4 food bank users being a child, access to nutritional food at school is life-changing.

    More funding for drop-in meal programs
    Drop-ins are providing life-saving meals to Toronto’s most vulnerable populations, and adding $530,000 to the Creating Health Plus budget would ensure these vital programs would at least be able to operate with the same level of funding as last year. 

    And together … we won!

    Dozens of people holding protest signs stand together during a rally outside City Hall

    Thanks to the advocacy of our community, the meaningful action of Mayor Olivia Chow and many city councillors, and the support of our donors who make this work possible, more children will have meals, more renters will have support, drop-in meal programs will continue to be able to serve vulnerable communities, and budgets won’t get squeezed even further by transit costs.

    Together we make change happen!

  5. Agency Spotlight: Meet Society for the Living!

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    Meet Society for the Living!

    Since she was a little girl, Joyce has been working alongside her mother and three siblings at Society for the Living, a food bank and partner agency of North York Harvest Food Bank.

    “I don’t know how many people get to work alongside their family and give back to their community. It’s something that’s really special because at the same time we’re doing this work, we get to connect as a family and connect with our community,” Joyce says. 

    Joyce works with her mother, known in the community as sister Vee, and siblings Aisha, Sedem, and Immanuel.

    Since 1998 Society for the Living has been serving the North York community, with an emphasis on providing culturally meaningful food and a welcoming space for clients to connect with one another.

    For 25 years Society called 274 Eddystone Ave. home. But during the pandemic, their rent was raised by 200% and they had to find a new space — at a time when the need in the community was increasing rapidly.

    Today, Society operates out of shipping containers at two different sites:  Jane and Shepherd, and Oakdale, serving 900 client visits each month.

    “It was really sad for us to lose that space and we hope to one day be able to have a space to call our own with our community to connect and shareA father and daughter stand outside at a farm holding fresh vegetables. food,” Joyce says.

    For now they are continuing to build community however they can, including through a farm project where they grow and harvest fresh food to serve at their programs. Clients have a say in the kinds of produce that is grown and some clients also volunteer to help on the farm.

    “It’s very grounding being outside in fresh air with each other and planting, growing, and harvesting food together. It’s really beautiful to see that,” Joyce says.

    The next generation in the family are already helping out at the food bank, whether by cleaning up, setting up or packing boxes.

    “Like me, they’re learning at a very young age that there’s a need in the community and each of us has the opportunity to give back,” Joyce says.

    Learn more about Society for the Living at https://www.societyforthelivingfoodbank.com/

  6. ISV rallies community to give back

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    Islamic Society of Vaughan joins North York Harvest for day of community giving

    A group of volunteers wearing yellow Islamic Society of Vaughan t-shirts pick up cans and place them in boxes.

    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.

    Check out the video below for a recap of the day!

  7. Annual food drive inspires community pride!

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    How a food drive became a source of community pride

    A mother, father and daughter kneel on the grass packing food donations into a bag

    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.

    Start your own food drive!

    OR

    Start a virtual food drive!

  8. How Our Community Came Together During Disaster

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    How our community came together during disaster

    On July 16, a tremendous rainfall caused mass flooding and power outages across Toronto, and North York Harvest Food Bank got hit, hard.

    Summer is always a challenging time for food banks. North York Harvest saw the highest number of client visits on record in May, and for weeks had been running critically low on essential foods like pasta and canned fish. In reality, we were already in crisis mode. Then the flood happened.

    Our loading bays were flooded, our freezer broke, one of our delivery trucks was damaged, and water poured into the warehouse.

     

    On top of the infrastructure damage from the flood and power outage, about $20,000 worth of milk, yogurt and other high quality foods were spoiled. These are highly valued products, which our clients often can’t afford to buy for themselves and their families.

    The effects of this damage rippled outwards to our community. As a result, we weren’t able to provide as much food to our community food spaces and the dozens of agencies we support. Some of our partner agencies were also impacted, losing large amounts of inventory and facing significant damage to their food spaces.

    Community Champions

    We put out an urgent call for help, but we could not have imagined the incredible response from our community!

    We were in a crisis, but we weren’t alone. Individuals, community groups, local businesses, and organizations all showed up to help North York Harvest get back on its feet. Our phones were ringing off the hook; everyone was asking how they could help.

    Immediately, the generosity of our supporters was put into action: Shelves, cupboards and fridges were refilled to ensure our clients could access the food they need.

    This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, but this situation reminded us how incredible and compassionate our community is.

    After the flood

    Thanks to our generous supporters, we have been able to repair the delivery truck and get it back on the road. Unfortunately, multiple attempts at repairing the freezer have been unsuccessful. There is a temporary fix in place to keep it operational for now, but it will need to be replaced – and soon.

    The reality is North York Harvest Food Bank has outgrown its current warehouse. Our space and equipment were not designed to meet the demands of the growing number of individuals who rely on our services.

    Given that our warehouse serves as the main distribution site for four community food spaces and hundreds of food programs, maintaining the integrity of our supply chain is crucial. To reduce the risk of another breakdown, we are looking at offsite cold storage space as a contingency.

    “I think this shows just how fragile the network of food banks really is to deal with the crisis that we’re seeing,” says Ryan Noble, Executive Director of North York Harvest Food Bank. “This flood was an acute shock, but we’ve been dealing with a chronic crisis of food insecurity and poverty in this city for years.”

    Thank you to everyone for the support during this challenging time, and for joining with North York Harvest as we work toward our vision of a community where all members can meet their food needs.