We love our volunteers! Without their dedication and heart, we wouldn’t be able to provide food for over 13,000 people in Toronto every month! THANK YOU!
To celebrate their commitment, we have put together a slideshow of many of our fantastic volunteers in action!
Join the Team! Volunteer with Us!
One of the best ways of getting involved with your community is by holding your very own food & funds drive! This is an awesome way of collecting money and non-perishable items that will go towards providing many meals for your neighbours in need!
Did you know that there are MANY ways to raise food and funds that are exciting and fun?
Check out some of these great ideas!
Invite the entire school including parents and the surrounding community! You can charge 2 cans for admission and have us come and support you! Don’t forget to live tweet everything!
Put out a food collection bin and run a carnival and BBQ. Game tickets can go towards NYH!
Cram a bus with as much food as (safely) possibly and join us at the food bank! We would love to give you a tour and show you how we sort the food!
In order for an employee to come wearing something other than usual, they must bring two cans of food or a monetary donation.
Give out prizes like:
Funds raised from your event will help support over 13,000 people a month with their food needs!
Attendees can bring food or a donation to the food bank as their entrance fee. You can even have a dance off to find out who has the best moves!
Clean out your unwanted items (one person’s trash can be another’s treasure!) while raising money for your neighbours that are hungry!
Still not sure what kind of fun ideas there are when helping your community? Check out this great list of 87 IDEAS!
Ready to have a great time and provide meals to your neighbours that are hungry? Contact Leslie at leslie@northyorkharvest.com or 416-635-7771 ex 21 TODAY!
What do you think of when you imagine a food bank? I used to think of a basic definition of a food bank – a place for people to come to when they need food to feed themselves and their families. They would get their food and be sent on their way. That was until I joined North York Harvest.
You see, through the member agencies that you support through NYH, people are able to access so much more than food. We like to think of it as Food Bank Plus. As you may imagine, most of the people that need to use a food bank also are in need of support in many other ways. This can range from health care, education, connecting with others and maybe even a bed to sleep in for the night.
When you support North York Harvest, your support multiplies and you reach over 47 member agencies throughout this city. People in your community can access programs and services that they truly need – and that couldn’t be done without you and the amazing agencies that fall under the NYH umbrella.
So what exactly else does a food bank do other than ensure our neighbours have enough food to put on the table? With so many great agencies, there is no way I would have time to visit them all, so I went to an expert.
Meet Rowena Power, our Director of Food Distribution. With a passion for helping others and making a difference in her community, Rowena was drawn to North York Harvest because of the progressiveness in food bank programming. She loved how clients are able to access so many additional services and get the one on one attention they deserve. In her role, she is the link between NYH and all of the member agencies we work with. She is there to provide support, training and even just a listening ear to all the agencies that we work with. She refers to them as the “hands and heart of the organization”. Rowena told me about some of the incredible programs that run in this city for people in need.
With your help, some amazing things happen in your neighbourhood, like:
Those are only a few of the amazing services offered to people in your community. I have noticed that the NYH network has so much to offer the community and how incredibly intricate these services are for people in need in Toronto. I’m amazed when I see the hard work, dedication and generosity that staff and volunteers in these agencies give each day to ensure someone else’s life is touched and not forgotten.
Community members come for the food, but stay for the classes, health care, social connection, assistance and more.
Without you, we wouldn’t be able to provide the food and support that keeps these programs running! Thank you for being there for your neighbours in need whether they need something to eat, guidance or even just a friend that will listen to them.
Want to learn more about the programs you reach through North York Harvest?
Donate today to ensure that we can keep supporting these amazing programs within your community!
One of my favourite pastimes is looking up recipes on Pinterest and being able to cook new and exciting meals for my friends.
When you make your grocery list, you might be thinking of recipes for your family that include fresh ingredients such as vegetables, milk and meat.
Unfortunately, for some people in our community, trying many of these new recipes is a luxury they don’t have because they can’t access fresh ingredients. Many of our neighbours struggle to afford any food let alone food that’s healthy and nutritious. This can lead to choices between filling your belly with healthy items or filling your belly with empty calories to avoid hunger.
You’ve seen it at the grocery store – the chips, ramen noodles and other processed foods are so much cheaper than what’s in the produce section. I find sales all the time on microwave dinners and sugary cereals, but rarely deals on ingredients for my next salad. Considering how low our dollar currently is, it’s hard for many to afford any fresh produce at all.
Lack of proper nutrition is linked to low incomes and food is the most flexible item in a family budget. During tough financial times, people will purchase the cheaper items in order to save money. In fact, 54% of North York Harvest’s clients have reported skipping meals in order to pay for bills such as rent, utilities, transportation and food for their children. 33% of our clients go without food at least one day a week.
A poor diet can also prove disastrous to one’s health as well. Some effects of a poor diet include:
Because of the need for nutritious items in a food hamper, we often resort to food purchasing because food donations alone will not provide fresh items such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy and protein. This is why we have started the Build a Hamper campaign to aide in purchasing these items to support low-income families that need them.
You can help ensure that families receive healthy food items and don’t have to struggle with side effects of poor nutrition. Please help us take our food hampers to the next level. Your donations will purchase nutritious items and make sure that no child, parent or grandparent goes without enough healthy food.
Next time when you’re out buying groceries for your next nutritious meal think about picking up some items for your neighbours in need. Here is a list of suggested food items.
Every groundhog day, Canada patiently waits to see what Wiarton Willie has to say about how much longer we have to wait out the winter.
Well… as of February 2, the little critter said we had six more weeks to go and if you’re like me, you can’t wait! It’s almost time to break out the spring jackets and put away the toques and mittens for another year! It’s time to walk around in the sunshine surrounded by trees and flowers blossoming and the smell of fresh cut grass.
You make this important event possible each year! With the food and funds raised during this drive, your neighbours will have enough food to help them get by through off peak times such as the summer. When kids are on summer vacation, they lack access to the breakfast and lunch programs run by their schools. But with your help, they will have enough food to give them the energy needed to be healthy and active kids all summer long!
So how can you get involved in this great event?
Not sure what food to donate? No problem! We have a handy list of all of the top needed items at the food bank! If you’re looking through your pantry for items to donate, be sure not to donate anything expired – please check out this blog post on best before dates for more info.
Because of your generosity, we are able to provide food for over 13,000 parents, children and grandparents every month!
Sign up for updates from North York Harvest!
Isn’t it wonderful when you see people working together and committing to a cause with great passion? I’m lucky because I get to see that kind of enthusiasm each day at North York Harvest. One of the companies that we have been grateful to work with is BrandActive.
BrandActive has been a very important partner with North York Harvest for years. They have quite a suiting name as well because they are very active in helping others and making a big impact. We are constantly amazed by the commitment and passion shown by this group of wonderful people.
I recently had the chance to sit down and talk with Robynne Budish, who is a cofounder of BrandActive. As a long-time supporter of her community, Robynne always knew that channeling her values through her business was important. I loved hearing her energy and passion as she shared how her company is involved in making a difference.
For the past two years, BrandActive has collaborated with NYH to hold a Back to School event for the community. “I know I could write a cheque or come in to sort food once in a while. But because of the resources I have through BrandActive, I am able to make a bigger impact,” says Robynne. As an outreach activity, her team purchased school supplies and packed them in backpacks for over 500 kids in the community. “I loved overhearing how excited people were to see what was in those backpacks.” Most families have to stretch their limited budget when their kids go back to school. Often it means less food for mom and dad. “It might only be a backpack but that’s $60 they can save and spend on food.”
BrandActive is also one of the top food sorters in the warehouse! When they come in you can just feel the positive vibes that these employees have. They were most recently in to sort food in the warehouse in December and they sorted an amazing 10,068 lbs. of food! To put that into perspective – that food will make up hampers of food for close to 1,000 people.
The outreach activities with BrandActive also resonate with the employees at the organization. “A lot of people don’t realize how large the issue of food security and hunger is in our own backyard,” Robynne says of engaging her employees in community giving. “I am happy I can raise that awareness. Some of my employees have also told me that they plan on coming back on their own time with their family.”
But it wasn’t just motivating her employees that drew Robynne to the food bank. “NYH does more than just provide food. It’s trying to meet a deeper need for food security. They are trying to have a greater impact. That resonates with our company.”
“You realize that whatever you have in life is determined by what opportunities you are given,” Robynne told me. “But I believe that everybody deserves respect no matter what walk of life you come from, no matter what opportunities came your way. One of the first things I heard when I was here was about the dignity and respect that choice model food banks provide.”
Because of entrepreneurs like Robynne and companies like BrandActive, more and more people in the community are being engaged and becoming aware of the growing issue of food insecurity. We are thankful for all of their hard work making a difference in their community.
Wondering how you can get your company more involved? Check our list of creative workplace fundraising ideas or connect with leslie@northyorkharvest.com today to plan your food and fund drive, corporate sort or talk about your creative plan for BIG IMPACT.
Thank you so much for making the end of 2015 amazing! Because of you we were able to provide 2.5 MILLION meals to people that are hungry in Toronto
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We are incredibly grateful for the thousands of pounds of food items that you have donated! Most donations that come into the food bank are non-perishable. These non-perishable items go a long way to ensure that our neighbours have enough food to eat.
You might be wondering what non-perishable items are used and needed the most. Well, all donations made to the food bank are important, but there are some items that are requested more by food bank clients.
Most requests are for canned fish, pulses (beans and lentils), canned tomatoes and rice.
But why are those items requested more so than others? Here’s a little more about information and some awesome recipes!
When it comes to non-perishable meat products, canned fish can’t be beat. Fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in brain health, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also a great source of lean protein, which is essential for cell growth and maintaining one’s muscle tissue. Reduced sodium varieties are preferred as canned fish can contain too much salt for some people. Canned fish can easily be added to salads and pastas for a convenient way of incorporating it into a diet.
For a tuna salad without the mayo and the added health benefits of avocado – try this Avocado Tuna Salad
Make a quick and delicious dinner using items from the pantry with Garlic Salmon Linguine for just 67 cents per serving
It’s official! 2016 has been named the year of the pulse. It’s not hard to see why; these economical beans and lentils are nutritional powerhouses. The are extremely high in fibre and vitamins and minerals including zinc, iron, magnesium and B vitamins. Pulses can also reduce “bad cholesterol” which decreases one’s chance for heart attack or stroke. They are also a fantastic source of protein.
Warm up when it’s cold outside by making this super simple Lentil Soup
Brownies made with beans? It’s true – delicious and healthy; try this Black Bean Brownie recipe!
Try something a little different with these Chickpea Burritos
One of the best canned produce items is canned tomatoes. Unlike other canned produce, canned tomatoes can retain their flavour, allowing them to be used in many recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are a great staple for soups, sauces, chili and many other recipes. They are also high in lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant.
Have some comfort food with this Creamy Tomato Mushroom Pasta
This Potato and Cauliflower Curry is a great way to try out some spices in your spice rack.
Use your beans and canned tomatoes in this Vegetarian Chili
Rice is a very conventional and easy to prepare food item. It is also a great source of vitamins and minerals such as niacin, vitamin D, calcium, fiber, iron, thiamine and riboflavin. These vitamins and minerals promote a healthy body by supporting the immune system and regulating a person’s metabolism. Rice is also a great source of energy.
Impress your family and friends with this Creamy Risotto
Try your hand at making your own Sushi, it is economical and a lot of fun to try!
For a basic and easy dish for any night of the week, try this Brown Rice Tofu Stir Fry
Families right in your neighbourhood are always in need of these basic pantry items. If you would like to donate groceries, please visit one of your local fire halls or grocery stores. Aside from the items mentioned above, you can check out our list of suggested food donations here.
Curious about what else goes into a food hamper? Learn more about the Build a Hamper Food Purchasing Program that helps all children, parents and seniors have access to items like fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs and more.