Tag Archive: policy

  1. Our community put Queen’s Park on NOTICE!

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    An older woman gives a speech at a rally with a North York Harvest Food Bank banner visible in the background.

    The cost of living is skyrocketing out of control while wages and social supports fall far behind – trapping more people in poverty every day.

    Our community decided they weren’t going to go unnoticed any longer.

    On Thursday, October 23, hundreds of people from food banks, drop-in centres, meal programs, community organizations, and disability justice and housing advocates took over Queen’s Park to demand a rent freeze, raising the minimum wage, and higher social assistance rates.

    “People like me get notices all the time. Notice of late payment, notice of arrears, notice of layoff, notice of eviction — even notice of insufficient funds when we try to pay our groceries” says Goldie, a long-time client and supporter of our Lawrence Heights Food Space.

    “But instead of fixing the cracks in the system that too many of us are falling through, our government has allowed them to grow even bigger. So we put them on notice: We won’t be ignored any longer.”

    Eight buses from across the GTHA, including from each of our Community Food Spaces, brought hundreds of individuals to the doorstep of our decisionmakers to have their voices heard.A hand-drawn sign that describes someone finally getting an apartment but it's full of pests and mold. The landlord says if they don't like it, they can move out.

    A life-size installation of the board game Snakes and Broken Ladders was displayed before the Legislative Assembly, with each square representing a crack in a broken system.

    North York Harvest Food Bank supports 30,000 food bank clients per month. We provide all the numbers and data on food insecurity through our annual Who’s Hungry Report, but we wanted to help create space for the people behind those numbers, whose voices, too often, go unnoticed.

    Fight for a city for all of us. Join North York’s movement to put the drivers of hunger, inequality, and unaffordability on notice. Be part of a collective movement that won’t be ignored. Join noticenorthyork.ca.

    Queen’s Park ON NOTICE was co-organized by North York Harvest Food Bank, ACORN Ontario, Campaign for Adequate Welfare and Disability Benefits, DJNO, Fair Rent Ontario, FMTA, Income Security Advocacy Centre, Justice For Workers, ODSP Action Coalition, Raise the Rates Coalition, Social Planning Toronto, York South-Weston Tenant Union, and the Weston King-Mount Dennis Neighbourhood Centre.

  2. It’s been one year since the flood

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    What we learned and what we did after the flood

    Empty shelves can be seen inside of a walk-in freezer.

    A North York Harvest Food Bank box floats in a giant puddle.

    It’s been a year since North York Harvest Food Bank faced one of the biggest challenges in our 40-year history.

    On July 16, 2024, a torrential downpour hit Toronto. Nearly 100mm of rain fell in just three hours, leading to massive flooding and blackouts across the city.

    At North York Harvest, our loading docks flooded, rain poured into the warehouse, our delivery truck was damaged, and our freezer broke.

    The power outage caused us to lose a significant amount of fresh, refrigerated food intended to nourish our community — at a time when we were already running low on essential items.

    Between the food and damages to our infrastructure, North York Harvest was faced with a devastating $50,000 loss.

     

    But thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community, we were able to rebound quickly to continue providing emergency food support to individuals and families in need.

    Many of our partner agencies were also reeling from the flood. Because of the support we received, we were able to help our network with water damage repairs, and purchase new fridges and other equipment to ensure they could run community food programs safely again.

    A Community Victory

    A group of people sit around a table at North York Harvest Food Bank while a person at the front of the room leads a discussion and writes on a whiteboard.

    We knew it wasn’t if we would flood again, but when.

    North York Harvest worked with our partner agencies, residents, and community organizations to discuss the effects of the flood, and how we could move collaboratively toward solutions.

    We were joined by then-Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who amplified our concerns and supported our call for long-term solutions in a letter addressed to the prime minister.

    On August 30, 2024, an investment of $323-million from the City of Toronto and the federal government was announced to bolster the Rockcliffe-Smythe area against future flooding!

    A dozen people stand for a group picture in front of a North York Harvest Food Bank backdrop.

    Looking Ahead

    In reality, the flood was a wake-up call.

    This disaster made it clear that North York Harvest had outgrown our current space at 116 Industry St. — a place we have called home since 2015.

    In 2015, we supported over 13,000 clients every month, now we serve 30,000 — a 130% increase.

    On top of this, our social enterprise FoodReach supports 175 essential drop-in meal programs, food banks, school snack programs and other non-profits in delivering affordable food to communities that need it most.

    Our warehouse is bursting at the seams with insufficient freezer, refrigeration and dry storage space, while we’re grappling with a leaky roof and broken equipment.

    All of this is hindering North York Harvest’s ability to operate at full capacity and compromises a critical supply chain that supports 30,000 clients every month.

    A Bold Path Forward

    A rendering of the new North York Harvest Food Bank Community Food Hub to be opened in Downsview.

    We can’t hold our breath every time it rains, and we can’t meet the rising needs of our community in our current space.

    That’s why North York Harvest has launched a $6-million capital campaign to build a 30,000 sq ft. community food hub that will reimagine what a food bank can be.

    We’re building a home for our community that can nourish thousands, provide stepping stones to stability, and power innovation and long-term solutions.

    It will allow us to distribute more food, create local jobs, and build long-term solutions to food insecurity and poverty in our city.

    What we learned from the flood

    In times of crisis, community care is crucial: Compassionate people stepped up any way they could to ensure North York Harvest could continue distributing emergency food.

    When we fight for our community, we win: Residents and community organizations have been raising the alarm bells about flooding for years. Together we made change happen.

    Turning a crisis into a catalyst: The lease in our current space is ending, our infrastructure is failing, and the City of Toronto declared food insecurity an emergency. Instead of losing hope, we’re meeting the moment in the most transformational chapter in North York Harvest’s history. Join the movement today!

  3. What happens to food after it’s donated?

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    The journey of a food donation

    Have you ever wondered what happens after you drop off food at North York Harvest Food Bank?

    Lettuce give you an example…

    A man wearing a green branded shirt stands at the back of the warehouse next to boxes of food being delivered.

    Our community partner Future Fresh Farms arrives at the warehouse on a Friday morning with a generous donation of their fresh, locally grown lettuce! They turn unusable, grey commercial space in Toronto into urban vertical farms to produce aeroponically grown food.

    Over the past three months they have contributed 1,062 lbs of fresh produce to fight food insecurity and support our community!

    A person wearing a red North York Harvest Food Bank shirt holds lettuce in a warehouse setting.

    Once food arrives, our Operations team receives the items, weighs, and tracks them so we know how much food we have on hand to distribute, how long we’ve had it, and when/where it will be delivered to support individuals and families in need.

    People sort through food items in a food bank warehouse.

    For non-perishable items dropped off from food drives or partner organizations, they’re added into the donation bins in our sort room to be inspected for safety by our diligent volunteers, and then sorted into boxes by category.

    North York Harvest supports 30,000 clients in meeting their food needs every month, so food has to move in and out of the warehouse quickly and efficiently – especially perishable items like lettuce!

    Each week we distribute about 46,000 lbs of food across our four community food spaces and our network of 37 partner agencies.

    En Route

    The lettuce is loaded up first thing in the morning into one of our delivery trucks.

    First stop: Our Lawrence Heights Community Food Space.

    A man with skids of food lowers them from the back of a delivery truck in a parking lot.

    The Community Food Space is located within the Lawrence Heights Community Centre in the dance studio.

    Our driver Oscar arrives at Lawrence Heights ahead of their program day at 11am. Volunteers help unload skids of food to put on the shelves and into the fridge as they set up for a busy day providing nourishing food to our community.

    A person wearing a red North York Harvest Food Bank apron holds their thumbs up and smiles with fresh lettuce visible in front of her.

    Tables, chairs, and shelving are pulled out of storage and loaded with non-perishable items from the morning’s delivery. In addition to non-perishables, clients will also have access to milk, eggs, bread, cucumbers, and of course, lettuce.

    Lawrence Heights serves a diverse community, supporting 1340 clients every month in meeting their food needs.

    A person wearing a mask holds a bag of fresh lettuce, smiling.

    One of our community members, Flor, says, “I was so happy to see lettuce available!”

    “It’s hard for seniors to find work. I’m having surgery soon, and I need the nutrients to be healthy, but when I go to the grocery store everything is so expensive,” Flor says.

    “Whenever I get fruits and vegetables from the food bank, I like to make them into healthy juices,” she adds.

    Every day our community comes together to ensure neighbours facing food insecurity have enough to eat. Every donation: From bottles of cooking oil, to pasta, and fresh produce makes this critical journey from our warehouse to our food spaces and into the hands of someone who needs it.

    Learn how you can donate food and funds to support our neighbours in need.

  4. Photovoice Project: Meet Hanna

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    Our Photovoice project draws from a participatory research method that uses photography and stories. Our aim is to provide a platform for our community to voice their lived experiences around food access. Hanna is a North York Harvest Food Bank client who agreed to share her story.

    By Hanna Subbota,
    Submitted April, 2024

    I am Hanna Subbota, and my daughter is Diana. We are Ukrainians, from a city in the Dnepropetrovsk region. I graduated from ZaporizhzhyaA woman stands over a stove holding a can of food she is pouring into a pot, smiling. University, where I studied medicine and worked as a nurse for five years before I became a chemistry and biology teacher for 18 years – and then I had to leave Ukraine.

    It is so sad what is happening in my hometown. Our city continues to be shelled every day. It is not safe anywhere.

    My 17-year-old daughter and I left the city of Nikopol on March 7, 2022, at the beginning of the war because in front of us is Energodar (by water, 8 kilometres away) and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which was captured by our enemies on March 4, 2022.

    They started to scare us that the nuclear power plant would be blown up. If this happens, it will be worse than Chernobyl. A lot of people will die from radiation within a radius of 100-1000 kilometres. 

    We went through a difficult evacuation: We lived for 7 days in Poland on cots, 2 days in Germany, and then arrived in France, where we received a visa to Canada. We lived in France for almost 2 years, but over the last 3 months they stopped paying us assistance. 

    We began to accumulate debts, plus we borrowed money for tickets to Toronto, since our program (Assistance to Ukrainians) ends on March 31, 2024.  

    We received $4,500 to help the Ukrainians, but we paid $2,800 for two months rent for one room. We paid off debts, gave away the money we took from other people for tickets to Toronto – so there is no money left. I don’t have anything.

    A woman stands with an employee at a food bank who is wearing a red North York Harvest Food Bank apron.Right now, I have an urgent need to find housing. I am getting evicted in four weeks and it is very stressful – it is an emergency again for me and my family.

    I have not found a job yet. I do not speak English well. But North York Harvest Food Bank came to the rescue. 

    Now every Wednesday, once every two weeks, I go to the food bank for the necessary products: canned food, cereals, sweets, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and hygiene products.  

    We began to receive the necessary products from which we prepare food: our favorite borscht, mashed potatoes, porridge, salad. I am hoping to take courses to improve my English by so I can work in Canada. But first, I need to be financially stable and find housing.

    We are very grateful for the help of North York Harvest Food Bank and all the people who help us.  

    Thank you very much!!!

    A woman stands in her home around a table full of food.

  5. Transforming food support into community power

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    Transforming Food Support Into Community Power

    For 40 years, North York Harvest Food Bank has been a lifeline in the community— connecting people with dignified food assistance and critical resources they need to survive.

    But now our lease is up and cannot be renewed; we have to move in 2026.

    With 30,000 clients relying on us for emergency food support every month, we have to act quickly or risk disrupting essential operations.

    That’s why we’re launching Crisis to Catalyst: A bold $6-million capital campaign to build a new 30,000+ sq. ft. Community Food Hub.

    This urgent situation has brought our organization to a transformational turning point: We’re shifting from crisis response to long-term solutions that will empower our community for generations.

    Our new home will reimagine what a food bank can be – not just a safety net, but a launchpad for innovation. We will power local employment, support shelters, strengthen hundreds of partner agencies, and help thousands of families move from crisis to stability.

    This Hub will:

    • Strengthen warehousing and logistics for hundreds of community agencies
    •     Support student nutrition programs in schools, libraries, and beyond
    •     Triple our food storage capacity to meet rising demand
    •     Expand cold storage tenfold to deliver more fresh, nutritious food
    •     Scale up our Leadership in Logistics workforce development program
    •     Deliver food to shelters through our partnership with the City of Toronto
    •     Enable national food initiatives in partnership with Food Banks Canada
    •     Reduce the environmental impact of food waste
    •     Develop more innovative initiatives that deliver sustainable, long-term reductions in poverty
    •     Create shared space for community organizations to work, innovate, and grow — together
    •     Advance food security across Ontario by supplying affordable food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations through our social enterprise, FoodReach.

    But we can’t do it without you.

    The City of Toronto has recognized food insecurity as an emergency, with 1 in 10 residents now relying on food banks to survive.

    This is our moment — and yours — to turn crisis into catalyst.

    When you support this campaign, you’re investing in more than food; you’re investing in people, potential, and possibility. You’re sparking lasting change — felt in every meal served, every job created, every child nourished, and every barrier broken.

    Join the movement today.

    Nine people stand behind a booth at an outdoor market holding fruits and vegetables. Some are wearing North York Harvest Food Bank aprons.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  8. 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!