Tag Archive: staff

  1. 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!

  2. Connecting our community with wraparound supports

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    More than food: Connecting our community with wraparound supports

    One person wearing a mask and an apron sits and smiles next to a person wearing a backpack and sunglasses. There is text on the bottom that reads Meet Elis! North York Harvest's Service Navigation Manager

    Did you know our Community Food Spaces have more to offer beyond emergency food support?

    While we serve nearly 30,000 client visits each month, a vital support for individuals and families facing food insecurity – clients

    An image of an old man smiling and giving the thumbs up from a dentist chair. In the quote text, he expresses gratitude for North York Harvest helping him get access to dental care.

     often have other needs that require additional support to improve their quality of life.

    Our Service Navigation Manager, Elis, helps connect clients with wraparound supports by providing information and referrals to resources such as healthcare and clothing.

    “For sure clients need food assistance, but beyond that, they need housing, furniture, dental information, information about family doctors and child care,” Elis says. “These are other important services that help people to survive.”

    Before taking on this role, Elis worked at our Bathurst-Finch Community Food Space for 10 years, where she and other food space managers provided referrals where they could.

    Thanks to a grant from Community Foundations of Canada: Healthy Communities Initiative, North York Harvest was able to fund this vital work on a larger scale through the Virtual Case Management Program. Clients met with Elis in person or virtually to get the support they needed at times that worked for them.

    Between September 2023-August 2024, 740 referrals were made. The most-needed referrals supported individuals with:

    • Government services
    • Clothing Bank
    • Dentist services
    • Employment support + training
    • Primary care

    A graph indicating top referrals by category such as furniture and dental care services.

    “The support that we got was very valuable and beneficial for us,” says Elena, a North York Harvest client. “Me and my family have a difficult predicament, as I am ailed by health issues and have a young son. Food Bank staff understood the struggles we were facing, supporting and helping us in any way they could … and has helped us with obtaining furniture and clothing.”

    For newcomers, they have to adjust to a new country and start a new life, and they have a lot of urgent needs, Elis says. She says a barrier to these resources is not knowing they exist, which even many Canadian-born clients aren’t aware they can access, such as the Fair Pass Transit Discount and the Childcare Subsidy program.

    Part of the grant was also used to ensure this vital support could continue after the funding ended by providing training to food space managers so each of them could take on some responsibilities of case management.

    However, North York Harvest is still looking for grants to continue to fund and expand this work to support our clients in the next steps toward stability and well-being.

  3. Busting food bank myths with Feed Ontario!

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    Busting food bank myths with Feed Ontario!

    “Why don’t food bank users just get a job?”

    “If we increase social assistance, won’t that make people not want to work?”

    Food banks have been getting a lot of media attention due to the overwhelming demand for emergency food support. Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation is also being spread about what is causing this crisis.

    In December, Feed Ontario hosted a panel discussion to bust some of these myths and misconceptions in our sector. We joined colleagues from food banks across the province to field questions pertaining to our work and the people who access our services.

    Chiara Padovani, North York Harvest’s Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Community Engagement, joined the panel to tackle questions from Ontarians about who is really causing the housing crisis, the realities of living on social assistance, and the solutions desperately needed to reduce food bank use.

    Watch the full panel below

    Thank you to Feed Ontario for having us and thanks to our fellow panelists:
    Myles Vanni – Inn of the Good Shepherd, Sarnia
    June Muir – UHC -Hub of Opportunities, Windsor
    Robbie Donaldson – Salvation Army – New Liskeard

  4. Food for Thought: Food banks need solutions, not scapegoats

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    Food banks need solutions, not scapegoats

    In our Food for Thought series, individuals within North York Harvest Food Bank will share their experience in matters pertaining to food insecurity and poverty. This series will share ideas, lessons learned, and challenge misconceptions as we work toward our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

    Written by Chiara Padovani; Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Community Engagement

    I’ve been a food bank worker at North York Harvest for almost a decade. I have dedicated my life’s work to ensuring people in my community have enough food to eat: a basic human right that is needed in order for people to stay alive.  I’m glad the crisis in food banks is getting attention, but I’d like to set the record straight.

    Yes, there is a crisis in our food banks. Yes, there’s an affordability crisis in our city. But no, international students or immigrants are not to blame.  Everyday, food banks encounter heartbreaking stories of people who through no fault of their own cannot manage to keep themselves and their families fed.  They’re battling an impossible system that bears down on them every day with no reprieve. And every day I have to contend with the fact that I will never be able to fully solve the problems that they’re dealing with, I can only offer some food support so that they don’t go hungry.

    Two months ago I met an international student, *Sharla, who came to our food bank for the first time and she was panicked. She said she had to cut

    At North York Harvest's Community Advocacy Group town hall, a client attaches a Post-It note with a number ranking the importance of newcomer and immigration supports.the hours she was working in half because of a new immigration policy limiting how many hours international students can work. Suddenly out of nowhere, she had to survive on half her income and didn’t know how she could afford to pay the rent. In the same breath she asked me about volunteering at the food bank because now she can’t work full time.

    These are the people we’re told are taking advantage of our food banks? Or causing the affordability crisis? Give me a break. It’s scapegoating, and we don’t have to buy it.  I will not sit silently while the work that I have been dedicating my life to has been weaponized to push an anti-immigrant and xenophobic narrative that does nothing to serve regular people who are struggling day to day, and only serves as a distraction from a broken economic system. 

    In fact, Sharla’s story sounds a lot like every other person’s story who comes through our doors whether they were born in Canada or not. 

    Here’s the truth: the affordability crisis we’re facing in Toronto and across the country has nothing to do with what country your neighbour, classmate or coworker was born in – and believing it does, is just a distraction from the real problem. 

    The number one reason people come to food banks is because they can’t afford their rent. Sharla isn’t raising your rent – your landlord is, and the provincial government isn’t just letting them get away with it, they’re making it easier by removing rent controls. 

    The largest group of new food bank clients are workers, which means even if you’re working full time, you still can’t afford the groceries you need. Sharla doesn’t cut your hours or pay you a wage you can’t afford to live on – your employer does, and the provincial government is incentivizing them to do so by refusing to legislate equal pay for part-time, casual, contract or temporary work. 

    Scapegoating immigrants, international students, migrants and refugees isn’t just a harmful distraction from the real problem, it also gets us further and further away from the solutions we actually need.  Newcomers like Sharla are not the reason your rent is unaffordable, that the company you work for is extracting as much profit as they can without compensating you fairly, that grocery prices are too high, that formerly stable well-paying jobs are being replaced with temp labour. This is our fault, not theirs. We have enabled this system to thrive and to push our communities to the brink.

    Because instead of implementing rent control to stabilize skyrocketing rents or implementing equal pay legislation to curb the rise of low-wage, precarious work – the kind of things that would help everyone and reduce the need for food banks in the first place – we’re being sold that the solution to our problem is just making life more difficult for Sharla? 

    I don’t buy it, and you shouldn’t either. Sharla deserves better than this, and so do we.

    *Name changed to protect client privacy

  5. Our Favourite Recipes

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    Hungry for some meal inspiration?

    Maybe you’re looking for a great snack, dessert, dinner or potluck idea?

    A cherished recipe can either come down from a long family tradition or even just a favourite cookbook. In search of some new recipe ideas, I asked my fellow foodie co-workers what their favourite foods are to share with friends and family. 

    Hopefully you’ll feel inspired to give them a try and let us know how they turn out!

    Tofu Scramble

    Photo: Hot for Food

    “One of my personal favourite things to make is tofu scramble.  It’s easy, delicious, affordable and it wins over everyone I know that tastes it (even if they say they don’t like tofu)! Usually I make it without a recipe and it’s different each time, but when I first started out I used a recipe.  Try this one from Hot for Food!” – Lauren, Communications (NYH Blogger)

    Get the recipe!

    Pasta Salad

    Photo: Jaime Oliver

    “I’m sharing my secrets with you. I make this pasta salad for literally every potluck.

    It’s super fresh and great for summer because you get to use up so many herbs and tomatoes which I always have a ton of in the garden. Plus it’s vegan.” – Sahar, Community Engagement   

    Get the Recipe!

     

    Lasagna Roll Ups 

    “Lasagna, a more costly dish to make, can be much less expensive w/ tofu and egg and fancied up if rolled instead of layered.  I have tried this recipe with family, friends, and program participants over the years and all loved it.  In fact, all program participants thought the beef lasagna that we also made would taste better.  In the end, all couldn’t believe it how good the tofu was and all liked it more than the beef for its taste and price.” – Irene, Community Engagement   

    Get the recipe!

    Carrot & Lentil Soup

    “Carrot & Lentil Soup has full flavour and texture.  Carrots give the soup its colour.  Cumin gives the soup its wonderful aroma and flavour.  Blending the soup gives it its rich creamy texture but without the fat and is a great way to sneak veggies into the meal of kids (or big kids) who don’t like veggies = )” – Irene, Community Engagement

    Get the recipe!

    Herbed Breaded Chicken

    “This cookbook (Healthy Eating by Anne Lindsay) is my favourite one because my parents gave it to me on the first day of university. It is my favourite recipe because both of the girls like to help with the preparation and they both enjoy eating it as well as their friends when they come over.  It is also quick and easy to capture the interest of the kids.” – Leslie, Fundraising

    Get the recipe!

    Peanut Sauce

    “I love this recipe because it is a traditional popular food which provides me the tropical taste I am missing so much. Also, the ingredients are easy to get wherever you are in the world, it provides several vitamins, and it has been proved that most of the people from abroad are likely to like this recipe than other African food.” – Hawa, Fundraising

    Get the recipe!

    Raw Zucchini Salad

    “This is my dish of the summer because it’s quick, easy, light and DELICIOUS! No cooking involved and makes use of a food that if you have a garden you have way too much of!” Rowena, Operations

    Get the recipe!

     

    Jamaican Curry Chicken

    “Growing up with my grandparents in Jamaica was amazing. My Grandmother would always be in the kitchen handling business. We’d wake up breakfast and come home to dinner. The kitchen is always smelling delicious from the aroma of flavors. I was always the pickiest eater in the house so most things I wouldn’t eat. However, while mama was in the kitchen cooking I would keep her company by reciting Louis Bennett ( A Jamaican poet) poems to her. We were never forced to learn how to cook but she is always willing to teach us. Instead of her cooking extra just for me to eat I would ask her, ‘Mama, what’s the easiest and quick food I can cook that would also be filled with flavors?’ and of course she said curried chicken. Up to this day if you ask my friends what’s the first food I’ll offer to cook them when they visit? The answer would be curried chicken.” – Kadian, Fundraising

    Get the recipe!

     

    Banana Bread

    “Here is my fave recipe, Banana Bread.  It is originally from my friend Lillian.   She is Italian, and the recipe is from her grandma.  She called it Nonna Banana Bread.  Unfortunately, she passed away two years ago from cancer.  Our family loved this recipe from the day I got it from her, which was 28 years ago.  My 2 sons and even my dog Peanut would wait for me to take out from the oven.  In less than 5 minutes, one loaf would disappear.  It reminds me about Lillian every time.” – May, Accounting

    Get the recipe!

    Carrot Cake

    “This is my favourite recipe to bring into work because it always puts a smile on the faces of my coworkers!” – Jane, Administration

    Get the recipe!

    What are YOUR favourite recipes? Share them below in the comments or visit us or tag us on Facebook!

    For more of our recipe recommendations, visit our Pinterest Board!

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  6. What to Donate?

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    What should we donate to the food bank?

    There are amazing things that you can donate to help your neighbours that use local food bank programs.  There are also some questionable items that make it into the bins as well.

    The staff of North York Harvest Food Bank made a fun video of what should and shouldn’t be donated to the food bank using real donations.  Enjoy!

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  7. Healthy Eating for Kids

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    Healthy eating. It can be tough for most of us adults to stick to a well-rounded, nutritious diet day to day. With kids it can be a nightmare trying to get them to eat well during the best of times.  It can be especially tough now that so much advertising of sugary foods is directly advertised to children.

    So what is a parent or caregiver to do when a child doesn’t want to eat something healthy?  I went to the experts at NYHFB – Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and Caregivers for their top tips!

    Here are some ideas from the North York Harvest team on how to get a child to enjoy nutritious foods.

    Just give it to them. Exposure is key and if they see you eating healthy they will probably eat healthy too. – Kadian, Fundraising Assistant

    Cook it, don’t offer alternate meals like a caterer. Expose them to many different healthy options. – Maria, Donor Relations

    Make a “kids pasta sauce” with pureed vegetables and strained tomatoes.  – Alberto, Corporate Food Donations Lead 

    When in doubt – hide it!  I make muffins with carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, blueberries, apple etc. and I tell the kids I made cupcakes!  I also sneak in sour cream, eggs and nut butters to add protein;-) – Shirah, Corporate Relationship Manager

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    For parents, be good role models, give reasonable food options (don’t be short order cooks), trust their stomach, its theirs (kids’ won’t starve themselves for long), involve kids in all parts of food prep starting from gardening to shopping to food prep to cooking where possible. If you fail, try, try, try again! – Irene, Registered Dietician, Evaluation Coordinator

    Deal with picky eaters through buffet style meals (prepare ingredients for kids to make their own owl sandwich as example) – Jane, Receptionist

    owl

     My younger son was a picky eater when he was young. We varied his diet as much as he would allow but as parents we tried not to obsess about his diet. He is now 35 years old and a great cook! I think that not obsessing about our son’s diet helped all of us…. but at times, it wasn’t easy. – Lisa, Volunteer Manager

    IMG_6675I always just put the fruit and vegetables in the kids’ lunches with no choice in the matter.  Now though, they favour a lot of fruit and hard vegetables as they have found that cucumbers don’t travel well. The girls also have containers for dips for their veggies.  Another way that we got the girls to eat vegetables is with vegetable filling in canellonis, empanadas and in the sauce on gnocchi. – Leslie, Development Assistant

    Grow food and have them pick it- my daughter eats peas and tomatoes because she used to love picking them. Also, keep things simple – kids often like to see and recognize the individual food items rather than having them all mixed up in a confusing mess. And be flexible in how they get their nutrition – if they like to eat plain tofu but you don’t, set aside some tofu for them before adding it to your stir fry. – Rowena, Director of Food Distribution

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    Smoothies are a fun, healthy and filling option to any meal. – Tammy, Assistant Forklift Instructor

    I found that they would not eat healthy if I had pushed them.  But then they started seeing how much energy I have to be able to work and go for a run afterwards, I said it was because of the way I eat and how what you eat affects your body.  They have started eating the same way and are really seeing a difference. – Harold, Manager of Food Distribution

    Involve kids in the simple decision making concerning food, ask them what they want for dinner. If they prepare it, they are more likely to eat it. et play dates involve snack or meal prep/ food activity (bake cookies, make smoothies, mix drinks) – Ella, Manager, Lawrence Heights Community Food Space
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    Use fun shaped and colorful utensils and dishes to prepare and serve food. – May, Accounting

    What are your tried and tested methods for getting kids to eat healthy? We’d love to know! Share them in the comments or join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter!

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