Tag Archive: north york

  1. Changing Lives Through Food

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    Sometimes we don’t realize how much our actions make a difference to people we’ve never even met. But I want to take the time to share with you how your actions of supporting your local food bank have changed lives and come full circle.

    Mr. and Mrs. Perez moved here with their family over a year ago fleeing a very difficult situation back home.  When they arrived, they found themselves needing to go to the food bank to help them get back on their feet.  

    Not long ago I had a chat with them as they were spending time volunteering with us.  They told me that the reason they now volunteer in the food bank is because they want to pay it forward.

    “I want others to know that someone out there cares for them.  Coming from the situation in our past – it can be hard to understand that there are people who actually care.”

    When the Perez family came to Canada, they struggled to find jobs because they didn’t speak English – which in turn meant they struggled to put food on the table for their children.  “It wasn’t until we came to the food bank that we realized people really cared, from volunteers, to staff and donors – everyone wants to make sure that no one goes hungry.  In a country like Canada, no one should have to.” Mr. Perez told me.

    Unfortunately, the number of food bank users in our city keeps growing.  According to the latest Who’s Hungry report, there were over 900,000 visits to Toronto food banks last year. That is a 48% increase in the suburbs since 2008. 

    Mrs. Perez told me that on their first visit to the food bank she was surprised at the kind of options they had, “I was able to find ingredients to make recipes that I used to make for my family back home.  It really helped my children as a lot of this new Canadian food was strange to them”.  Personally when I see the kind of donations that come into the food bank, I am also surprised by the vast variety and selection that sometimes gets donated.  I think it is great that just because a person needs to use the food bank they still are able to have a choice as to what goes into their food hamper, just as they would if going to a grocery store. It’s also important that we have choice to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.

    It’s great know that Perez family have adjusted to Canada and glad to be a part of our community. It can be really hard picking up and changing your life. There are many worries that one can have in a situation like that – whether or not you’ll be able to have a meal shouldn’t have to be one of them.

    These days Mr. Perez works at a full time job and speaks English very well.  His kids go off to school each day having had a healthy breakfast and he just wants the same for people that are now where he was. Each week the Perez family go to the food bank they used to use but now they do to stock shelves and help others pick out groceries to feed their own families.

    Mr. Perez loves giving back to his local food bank, “I am very grateful that I can give back to people that are just like I once was; worrying about whether their children are going to have something to eat that day or not. If not for the food bank, I might still be worrying.”

    More than 16,000 people will use a food bank in your community this month. Because of you they will be able to leave knowing that their kids (and themselves) will not have to go without a nutritious meal to help them get back on their feet.

    Please consider making a generous donation or volunteering to help our new neighbours get back on their feet.

     






  2. Winter Public Sort

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    THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE WINTER PUBLIC SORT!

    This year’s winter public sort takes place on December 10th!  

    Every year we welcome families looking to give back and help their communities during the holiday season.

    To get involved this year, please contact Jane at 416-635-7771 x 31 or email jane@northyorkharvest.com

    We will have 2 sorting sessions: 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm.  

    Please check out the pictures from last year on Facebook (and make sure you like the page)!

     

    Learn more about available volunteer opportunities and how you can give time to make a difference.

     





  3. The Meaning of Thanksgiving

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    Guest Blog by Tina

    What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

    To me it means family, neighbours and community.

    I wasn’t always a member of your community.  My family came here over 20 years ago for a fresh start and I was met with open arms by wonderful families that I now consider to be my family.

    As new arrivals to Canada, we didn’t have the means to celebrate a Thanksgiving meal – but we were invited to share the holiday with a wonderful family that had us over to their home. And that really meant a lot.

    They told us that the true meaning of the holiday is being grateful sharing what we have – they even told us more about our new country and the incredible fresh start and adventure we are about to enjoy.  Thanks to their hospitality – I also had my first taste of pumpkin pie and it remains one of my favourite desserts up until this day!

    These days I volunteer at a local community center that supports newcomers just like I once was. People can go there for food, ESL classes, cooking lessons and job placement support. I get to witness firsthand how generosity from people just like you go a long way to helping people build a new life here in Canada.

    When I think about that special gift we received on our first Thanksgiving – this time of year really gets me in the mood to help people that are struggling to get back onto their feet.  People right in our community.

    This year I will be working with my community center, their staff, volunteers and even families who we’ve helped in the past and are now coming back to pay it forward, to ensure families who are struggling in the neighbourhood have a hot and festive meal on Thanksgiving and have enough food at home all month long.

    And I want to invite you to join me and do the same.

    Let’s Leave Hunger Behind and make this a Thanksgiving to remember. So that 20 years from now, when new families share their stories, they, like I do, will remember with joyfulness, their first fall in Canada.

    We can’t do it without you though!

    Join us for the 2016 Fall Food Drive to make this Thanksgiving and the rest of the fall a special time everyone can be grateful for!

    There are many ways you can join me and the thousands of amazing people in our community working to make a difference!

    Donate – For every $1 you donate, you provide 3 meals to a person that is hungry!

    Volunteer – There are many great opportunities with the Fall Food Drive – join the NYH truck drivers to pick up and deliver food or come out to one of the many great events planned to raise food for our neighbours!

    Run a Food & Funds Drive – This is a fun way to work together as a team with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and anyone else that would like to make a difference!

    Join the Public Sort –Sort food at the NYH warehouse on October 9 for a great way to spend Thanksgiving weekend with your family while ensuring food is sorted and ready to be delivered to families in need!

    Get Social! – Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media to spread the news about the food drive with these great shareables!

    During this season of Thanksgiving, join me in showing our neighbours that we care about them.

    This Thanksgiving, let’s Leave Hunger Behind.

     

     





  4. Back to School with a Full Belly

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    Some kids love it.  Some kids hate it.  But it is on the way!  The kids are about to go back to school for another year of learning, friendship and fun.

    Personally, I loved back to school as a kid.  Every year at the end of summer, I got to go to the mall with my mom to buy new clothes and supplies.  We’d usually make a day of it and grab some pizza for lunch.

    I met Jenna earlier this summer.  She told me how she’s really excited to start grade four.  Her favourite classes are science and gym class.  “I can’t wait to see my friends again and tell them about all the things I did this summer!”

    IMG_4316Her mother Trish, on the other hand, is not as excited.  Her hours have been cut at work again and she is having trouble paying for Jenna’s school supplies. “Rent is so expensive – I really can’t afford to pay for extra things Jenna needs.”

    Trish isn’t the only one feeling the pinch in September.  Many clients that come into the food bank struggle with daily expenses. And food is often the most flexible thing in the budget.  Unhealthy food tends to be a lot cheaper than fresh foods so those items tend to make it into children’s lunches. 

    “I always felt terrible when I couldn’t put fresh fruit or vegetables in her lunches – but those things cost so much lately.”

    I’ve seen it myself when buying my groceries.  Fresh produce prices have been skyrocketing; sometimes it is just easier to get the cheaper items while sacrificing nutrition.

    Even though Jenna is still young, she can still tell when there isn’t enough food for a healthy lunch.  “Once in a while I get two oranges in my lunch.  Those are my favourite!  Last year I didn’t get oranges much. Sometimes I didn’t get much to eat at all.”

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    This year Trish turned to the food bank, “I am always so grateful after going to the food bank.  I come home with healthy items for Jenna and myself.  Things like bread, cheese and meat so I can make her sandwiches for lunch.  And there are even eggs so she can have scrambled eggs in the morning – though I prefer mine sunny side up.”

    I’m relieved know that families in Toronto have access to these food banks.  No child should go to school hungry.

    Luckily, your support of North York Harvest helps us ensure that Trish can fill Jenna’s lunch bag with healthy foods each day.  She can also send Jenna off to school having had a healthy breakfast so she can concentrate on her studies.

    Help start the school year off right for kids just like Jenna!  Donate today to ensure no kid in your community goes without a healthy lunch.

     





  5. Sorting Through It All

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    With your support, we serve over 15,000 people that are hungry each month!  As you can imagine, it takes A LOT of food to be able to provide meals for our neighbours in need.

    Through generous donations of individual and corporate donors, we receive 100,000’s of pounds of food.  But all of this food isn’t ready to go out to the food banks – it must be sorted for quality first.

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    I caught up with Kadian Clarke, a staff member at North York Harvest – she works with groups of volunteers to sort through thousands of pounds of food.  Since January, she’s trained and sorted with over 1,000 people including employee groups, schools, sports teams as well as families.

    “My favourite part of the job is teaching people about the foods in the food bank as well as building awareness of hunger in our city.”

    It turns out in order to sort all of this food; there are many rules.  The reason for this is so we can provide the best possible food to people in your community.  That means we can’t accept damaged, unlabeled, expired or half-eaten foods (yes, all of these items come into the warehouse on a regular basis and must be sorted before they reach the food bank).

    “There are 23 categories of food that go out to agencies.” Kadian tells me as she sets up the sort room for her next group.   These categories include baby food, rice, nutritional supplements, snacks and proteins – others in higher demand than others. “The important part of sorting them into these categories is that we can better serve the clients with food they need. This way agencies don’t get a box of random items ranging from tuna to pudding cups when what they really needed was canned beans.”

    We are extremely thankful for all of the donations that we receive, but some of them can be completely strange.  I asked some of the staff what items they’ve seen through the years that made them raise an eyebrow.

    We definitely see the wacky and the weird in our bins on a regular basis for example:

    • Graham crackers from a company that went out of business years ago
    • Vegetable soup that expired in 1995
    • Lawn fertilizer
    • Firewood
    • Caviar that was 10 years past the best before date
    • Rotting eggs
    • Cut off shorts
    • Expired military rations
    • Hazmat suits

    Thankfully, most donations received are exactly what our clients are looking for in a food hamper: items like canned fish, canned tomatoes, beans, rice and baby food.  It’s important that we take the time to sort and categorize these items. Unfortunately sorting through unwanted items is a lot of extra work.  And it takes valuable time and money to dispose of anything that is damaged or expired.

    Volunteers come in to sort with their coworkers or friends and end the session knowing more about hunger in the city and why their help is so essential. The thing that Kadian sees volunteers take away from the food sorting experience is a sense of accomplishment within the community.  “After each sort session, we share how many pounds of food were sorted and how many families they are helping.  This way the volunteers get to see their hard work pay off first hand.  The groups feel great about being able to make a difference.”  And make a difference they do.

     

     

     

     




  6. Get Involved with Us!

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    Join us as we strive for a Hunger Free Toronto!

    There are many options to get involved and help our neighbours that are hungry!  Together we can provide healthy food for people in our community.

    Run a Food and Funds Drive!

    There are many different ways to run a Food and Funds Drive – from bake sales, to jeans day to games at a fair. It’s easy and a fun way to team build with your family, friends or coworkers!

    Just contact Leslie or Click Here to get started.

    Get more great tips on how to Amp Up Your Food and Funds Drive!

     

     

    Attend an Event with Us

    Getting together for an event is so much fun!

    We’re in your community at BBQ’s, concerts, festivals and more. Come and see us soon!

     

     

    Volunteer

    There are so many great volunteer opportunities to help people meet their food needs!  You could volunteer in the food bank serving clients, help out in the warehouse, hop on the truck to deliver food, join us at events and much more.  Check out our volunteer opportunities.

     

    Make a Donation

    Your support directly impacts the lives of thousands of adults, seniors and children in our city and ensures that our neighbours have enough to eat.  DONATE TODAY!

     

    Donate Food

    You can pick up some extra items and drop them off at your local grocery store or fire hall. Or you can make a donation right to the warehouse (including fresh items) at 116 Industry Street.  Not sure what to donate? Check out our list of top suggested food items.

     

     

    Get Social!

    Let’s get together on social media!  We’d love to hear from you on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or LinkedIn!

     

    Sign Up for the E News!

     

     

    Whichever way you choose to get involved – we are happy to have you!  Thank you so much!



  7. Need for Space

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    People may not think of things like paying electrical bills, storing groceries and supplies or even having a functional bathroom when thinking of a food bank.  But these are problems are very real for food banks, youth shelters, soup kitchens and more. Lack of space is a serious issue that charities – especially small ones – face.

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    View in PDF

    Keep up to date with what’s going on in your community! Sign up for the E-Newsletter!

     

     




  8. Connecting Through Food

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    Shirah Stern

    Guest blog by Shirah Stern, Development Associate Corporate Giving

    Did you know that there are free toy lending libraries in North York?  Or literacy programs to prepare children for school? I sure didn’t before I went to visit Weston Area Emergency Services (WAES).  WAES is a food bank that falls under the NYH umbrella offering emergency food hampers to people in need.  It was there I met volunteer Marlene Jones.  And she sure taught me a lot about community services I didn’t even know existed!

    mjonesMarlene has been volunteering with WAES for almost a year now.  After retiring, Marlene wanted to give back because she personally felt grateful for the education and career that she has had in her life.  Her passion for health and nutrition naturally led her to a volunteer program that helps people in her neighbourhood access the food they need.  “Having access to good food is so important for family health,” she told me. “It’s also important that members of our communities are aware of programs to support people regardless of their personal income or background. Especially if they have kids.”

    With four young children, I often wonder why kids don’t come with a manual.  We all want to be the best parent that we can and these free resources are a huge helping hand for many that don’t have a ready support network.

    As a retired public health nurse, Marlene informs clients of nearby programs that they didn’t know they had access to.  These range from parenting programs and educational tutoring to newcomer workshops and recreational activities.  And these are available for anyone in the city. Because Marlene shares her knowledge, these families know where they can go to make their lives just a little bit easier.

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    Marlene shared the joy she feels being able to assistant clients with their food needs and help them get other supports they need.  Young, single mothers come to the food bank to put food in their bellies, and walk out with information about summer camp their children can attend.  A man struggling with being laid off from work will come in to get extra items for dinner and leave with the number of a service to help him update his resume.  There are so many other examples of people in your neighbourhood that benefit from these programs.

    Referral services and connections are part of what makes food banks so important to our community.  I have worked at NYH for many years and I didn’t even know that some of these programs were available (toy lending library??!!).  And working in the social service sector, if I wasn’t aware, I can imagine many other families in our city that could really use these services aren’t aware of them either.  Sharing is caring.

    I really admire the generosity and thoughtfulness of Marlene and other volunteers at WAES – they truly demonstrate the value of volunteering and helping others in the community. “It takes a village to raise a child,” share Marlene.  And she enjoys being a part of it.

    Families in our city are accessing programs that are helpful because of connections made in the food bank.  It is because of you that we are able to make connections like this happen. Thank you for being part of our village.

    Each day many volunteers put their time and heart into making a difference in the community through volunteering.  If you are interested in volunteering with us please contact us – we’d love to have you join the team!

     

     

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    Want to know more about free programs offered in the city?  Call Toronto Health Connections at 416-338-7600 or 211 to access community resources for anyone.