Tag Archive: partner agencies

  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. 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/

  3. No Child Should Go Without a Lunch

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    When you look back on your childhood summers, chances are that some of your happiest memories were spent outside playing on a sports team, going to summer camp, or taking a family vacation. But what if you had to choose between putting food on the table and giving your children an active and healthy summer?

    IMG_0372Abi, a mother of four and a social worker at a local women’s shelter, knows about tough decisions like this. Years ago she was forced to pull her daughter Toyo, a promising young basketball player, off of the summer team she played on because it simply wouldn’t fit in their family’s already tight budget.

    “It really came down to paying for food and rent, and paying for basketball, and as much as we wanted to support her being active and involved, we just couldn’t afford it”, Abi recalled.

    This reality check inspired Abi and Toyo to start the Lady Ballers Camp (LBC), a free summer program that reaches out to young girls in marginalized communities and gives them a safe, active and positive place to spend their summer vacation.

    Shortly after starting the program, Abi recognized the need for food assistance and reached out to North York Harvest for support.

    “In the past some kids would come without food, and it’s a very hard situation for them to be in”, she remembered.

    This year, thanks to your support, the camp was able to offer a free lunch program made up of your generous food donations. Your gifts are ensuring that children are eating what they need to have a healthy lifestyle and reach their full potential.

    “The fact that we can provide a uniform lunch for everyone makes for a healthier and a much more inclusive environment”, said Abi.

    IMG_0381

    The Lady Ballers are just one of the many North York Harvest member agencies helping your community members dealing with hunger. And the good news is that you have the power to keep their shelves stocked with the good food their children need! 

    To make sure that no child goes without a lunch this fall, please donate to North York Harvest Food Bank today.