Tag Archive: north york

  1. Looking for Volunteers

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    Are you looking for a fun way to get involved with your community and make a BIG impact on the lives of your neighbours that use the food bank?

    We’re looking for volunteers and we have so many positions available to suit your needs! 

    Looking to volunteer for just a day or two?

    We offer one time volunteer positions for the Spring Food Drive!

    We are currently in need of drivers assistants to help our truck drivers pick up food for the following dates:

    Thursday April 20 (9am -4pm)

    Friday April 21 (9am -4pm)

    Monday April 24 (9am -4pm)

    To sign up for a shift, call Lisa at 416-635-7771 ext. 29 or lisa@northyorkharvest.com

     

    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

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    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 Corporate Groups contact Shirah Stern at 416-635-7771 ext. 48 or shirah@northyorkharvest.com

    For Community Groups, Schools and other groups contact Leslie Venturino at 416-635-7771 ext. 21 or leslie@northyorkharvest.com

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    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

    img_4541Lawrence 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

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    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.

    To become a regular volunteer, call Lisa at 416-635-7771 ext. 29 or lisa@northyorkharvest.com

     

    Want to learn more about volunteering with North York Harvest? Learn more about what our volunteers have to say here!

     





  2. Oriole is Moving

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    Oriole Food Space is moving to our old location in order to serve you better!

    OFS new hours

    OFS move new hours

  3. Spring Food Drive

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    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!

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    “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!”

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    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!

    What are you waiting for? Sign up today to make a huge difference in your community! 

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    Looking for other ways to get involved with the Spring Food Drive?

    Check out the food drive kit that we put together just for you! It has everything you need to run an incredible food drive!

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  4. Practicing Food Safety

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    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. 

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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

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    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.

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    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! 

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    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.

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    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

    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

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    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

    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. A Chance to Rebuild

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    Guest Blog by Daffodil Davis

    When you lose everything, where do you turn?

    Each and every day in the food bank I meet people from all walks of life.  Each with their own story to tell.  But even though the story is different, we all have a similar goal in life… to take care of our families.

    I first met Layla when I was working at Oriole Food Space in North York.  She moved to Canada with her family to seek refuge from a home that was no longer safe.

    “Everything was gone. Our home, our jobs, our kids couldn’t go to school anymore. We were scared,” she shared with me.

    She came to Canada and was able to reconnect with members of her extended family already living in our community. Layla and her family were overjoyed with the chance to start anew after a life of uncertainty and fear. “My kids were enrolled in school and my husband was working in a restaurant. It finally seemed as though things were turning around for us.”

    But then the unexpected happened. Her husband suffered a severe heart attack and could no longer work at his restaurant job to support the family.

    Once again, Layla felt like she had lost everything. She had to make sure that her kids had a roof over their head and food in their bellies.  Unsure of how to support her family, she turned to one of her new neighbours for advice.  They told her about her local food bank.  She didn’t even know that such places existed in our community to help her and others in need.

    Because of YOUR support, we are able to help people like Layla to make sure that they have access to nutritious food.  Thank you for making a difference!

    Daffodil and OFS Volunteers

    Daffodil and OFS Volunteers

    We are also able to help with referrals for other community programs to assist newcomers with their language skills, resume building and child care. 

    Layla had lost many things, but it doesn’t have to mean that it is lost forever. “Because of the food bank, I was able to feed my kids, feel safe and build a new life. I am so grateful.” 

    Together we can help people in need rebuild what was lost.

    As we enter into the coldest months of winter, the food bank shelves will begin to empty.  We need your help to ensure that when families like Layla’s come to the food bank, there will be enough food to share.

    Please give generously today to keep food on our shelves so our neighbours can feed their families. Give today so that this winter none one goes hungry.

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  7. An Update on YOUR Impact!

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    Each and every year you WOW us with your incredible support to help those in the community who otherwise may go without something to eat.  

    This year was no different and again you went above and beyond in making a difference in the lives of people that use your local food banks.

    Enjoy the Sept-Dec 2016 Review!

     

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    For a PDF Version Click Here

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  8. Hunger Doesn’t Hibernate

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    Hunger doesn’t hibernate and neither did you during the 2016/2017 Winter Food Drive!  Because of your INCREDIBLE support, funds, volunteer time and enthusiasm we raised OVER $250,000 & 250,000 lbs. of food!  

    This means that we can provide 750,000 meals to people that are in need of food this winter.  THANK YOU!

    There were more than 200 food drives in our great city run by families, volunteers, businesses, schools, faith groups, community groups and more. 

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    Some highlights of the Winter Food Drive include:

    Incredible Employee Engagement

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    The TRCA has been a community partner of NYH for a number of years but recently we have done more projects and programs together.  All of the TRCA staff are involved in food and fun fund events to support of the work of NYH!  

    They’ve collected food, held raffles and draws, hosted food events and had a great time doing it!

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    During the winter food drive, the TRCA came in to sort food and also held their annual holiday party in support of providing 5,525 meals this winter to families in our communities.

    Foods from Around the World

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    Delarie Murphy, Mutsa A Mawora-Lewis and Sarkis Kurkjian are international students from Citi College .  They joined the Winter Food Drive and proved it doesn’t take many people to make a BIG impact.  Hailing from Syria, Jamaica & Trinidad; these incredible students raised 530 lbs. of food!  Not only that but they knew that many people appreciate food that is familiar when visiting the food bank – so they made sure to donate food they enjoy from back home.  Food bank users come from all backgrounds and it is greatly appreciated when they feel comfortable with the food they feed their families.

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    The Redtastic team is a group of volunteers that dedicate their time to support Kadian when she runs hundreds of sort groups throughout the year. Jane, Janet, Gord, Sari, Bonnie, Linda, Haley, Steve, Enzo, Laura and Will are always reliable and make a big difference in the warehouse. During the winter food drive they were extremely helpful by providing guidance and support to not only Kadian but to new volunteers. Even when a group isn’t scheduled they will make time to come sort during the slot available. They are incredibly dedicated and we couldn’t sort through all of the donations that make it on the food bank shelves without them!
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    Biggest Food Drive

    We had a tie this year for the largest food drive.  Schools around the city are huge contributors to the food drives and this year Ledbury Park PS & Faywood ABC both raised an incredible 4500 lbs. of food EACH! That will provide 13,500 meals to the community!

    Families Feeding Families

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    Michael Bros. Excavating has been a donor to NYH for many years.  A company run by siblings Peter, Tullio and Rosemary; they care deeply about giving back to their community.

    This year they encouraged employees, vendors and contractors to join them in providing food for families in need.  They raised an incredible 2,714 lbs. of food and came by the office 4 times to drop off their donations.

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    “We are very proud of our employees and brokers and value everyone’s involvement and cooperation. We will definitely encourage our group to once again, collect and drop off non-perishable food in the spring for our Easter Drive.” says Rosemary.

    Thank you so much to everyone that put their time, effort, funds and support into making this the best food drive yet!

    Thousands of people right in your community are able to access the food they need to get by this winter because of YOU! Thank you!

    We are amazed as always by the tremendous support we received during the winter food drive and look forward to sharing a food friendly 2017 with you!