Tag Archive: toronto

1. How one young community leader spent her summer nourishing neighbours

   August 27, 2026 11:23 am Comments Off on How one young community leader spent her summer nourishing neighbours

   

   It started with a comment.

   Isabella heard from a neighbour that they weren’t really eating three meals a day anymore—just lunch. It was all they could afford.

   The more Isabella spoke with people in her North York community, the more she heard variations of the same story. For neighbours struggling with the rising cost of living, food is often one of the first things to be cut back.

   As a recent high school graduate, Isabella decided she wanted to spend her summer making a difference. She applied for a grant from Youth Fund Canada, which helps young people start a meaningful community initiative.

   Isabella was awarded $5,000 from the fund and reached out to North York Harvest Food Bank to partner. This support couldn’t have come at a better time. Summer at the food bank typically means emptier shelves. The support dries up, but the demand is just as strong.

   Isabella called her project Kindness Kitchen, an initiative to help make sure people in her community had access to nutritious food.

   We connected Isabella with our partner agency, Mount Zion Filipino Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Every month they serve over 300 community members, including many seniors and families.

   Stretching every dollar to reach more neighbours 

   Isabella used her grant to make biweekly food purchases from our social enterprise, FoodReach.

   By buying food for Mount Zion, Isabella is helping to fill a nutrition gap at a critical time. But her impact goes even further. By purchasing through FoodReach, she is able to take advantage of FoodReach’s bulk purchasing power, ensuring every dollar spent gets more food for the community at lower prices than a standard retailer. And surplus revenue from FoodReach sales are reinvested right back into North York Harvest Food Bank’s community programs. 

   “It feels nice to know that I’m making an impact because I wanted to relieve some of the burden on families, especially with food — it’s something everyone needs,” Isabella says.

   Every order Isabella makes includes a canned protein, 2-3 fruits, snacks, and other essentials. “The FoodReach team helps me to pick the right foods and tells me what’s on sale, I feel really supported by them and Mount Zion,” Isabella says.

   

   “It’s wonderful, there are some staples that we aren’t always able to give, so sharing that with Isaballa, she’s able to purchase these essential items,” adds Mae, who runs the food space. “Oil is something clients ask for a lot, and it was a nice treat because their eyes would light up when they saw it.”

   Idea to impact

   Isabella came to North York Harvest Food Bank with an idea.

   We helped connect her with a community organization that knew its neighbours, a social enterprise that could make her dollars stretch further, and a network built to move food where it is needed most.

   Thanks to incredible neighbours like Isabella, when someone says, “I can only afford one meal a day,” our community has the capacity to respond.

   Thank you for helping us build a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.

2. How Melvin came to volunteer, and left with a new career

   August 26, 2026 4:16 pm Comments Off on How Melvin came to volunteer, and left with a new career

   A year ago, Melvin wasn’t sure what his future would look like.

   After the hours at his job were suddenly cut, the stability he had relied on disappeared. Despite having studied computer engineering, finding work in his field was proving difficult. With fewer hours and fewer opportunities, Melvin found himself spending more time at home, unsure of what would come next.

   Then, an unexpected opportunity opened a door.

   Melvin’s mother noticed that North York Harvest Food Bank was looking for volunteers at Albion Public Library. Melvin jumped at the chance to help his community —not knowing that volunteering would eventually help him build a new career.

   “I liked interacting with the community knowing you’re making a difference … I’m the kind of person who really likes to lend a helping hand when someone needs it, he says.

   While volunteering at our Albion Library Community Food Space, Melvin learned about Leadership in Logistics, our paid workforce training program that helps people develop the skills, certifications and experience they need to pursue careers in warehousing and logistics.

   He jumped at the opportunity.

   From volunteer to student

   Over four weeks, our paid training program creates hands-on learning and skills development opportunities right in our warehouse  — not instead of the vital food support we provide every day  — but integrated into it.

   Students gain the skills they’ll need to succeed while helping North York Harvest Food Bank support 30,000 clients facing food insecurity every month.

   During the program, Melvin learned alongside fellow students, gaining practical experience and industry certifications. Just as importantly, he gained a pathway forward.

   That pathway led to a full-time job with Canadian Tire Corporation.

   

   Now, one year later, Melvin is celebrating his first anniversary with the company, and reflecting on just how much has changed.

   “The program impacted me very well. Since then I haven’t had to ask my family for money. It’s made me more independent,” Melvin says.

   “It made me very grateful to wake up and have a job considering how tough it is to get a job nowadays. I’m thankful for the opportunity North York Harvest Food Bank and Canadian Tire have given me.”

   After months of dedication, he has moved into new roles with additional responsibilities—a meaningful sign of how far he has come since the day he first walked into the Community Food Space as a volunteer.

   “In an overall sense, things have been great, much better in comparison to how I was doing well over a year ago. I am very thankful for everything that has come my way since I have been hired,” he says.

   For Melvin, it started with a volunteer opportunity at a local food bank. From there came training, new skills, and a first step into a new career.

   And sometimes, one opportunity can change everything.

3. July Community Food Hub Update: Bringing Our Vision to Life

   July 30, 2026 1:20 pm Comments Off on July Community Food Hub Update: Bringing Our Vision to Life

   Last fall, North York Harvest Food Bank launched our Crisis to Catalyst campaign, an ambitious plan to build a new 30,000+ sq. ft. Community Food Hub designed to meet the food insecurity crisis head on, while building long-term solutions.

   Now, we’re proud to share that construction is officially underway at our future home on Chesswood Drive, and our excitement is building!

      

   The markings on the concrete floor are beginning to define new spaces, while plumbing is being installed throughout the Hub. You can already picture the future

   washrooms, community kitchen, and handwashing stations that will support volunteers, staff, and community members.

   One of the most exciting sights is the enormous opening in the concrete floor. This is where our industrial-scale freezer is being built, insulated from the ground up to safely store hundreds of pallets of fresh, nutritious food. Just beside it, an equally impressive space is taking shape for our new refrigerator. 

   Altogether, this 5,000 sq. ft. refrigerated space will dramatically expand our ability to store and distribute fresh produce, dairy, and culturally relevant food across our food bank network. This will also scale up our social enterprise FoodReach, growing capacity to buy more locally grown food to distribute at affordable prices to schools, libraries, and drop-ins across Southern Ontario.

   Every pipe, every wall, and every layer of concrete brings us one step closer to opening a Community Food Hub that will transform how food is distributed across Toronto.

   Building skills and partnerships along the way

   We’re also thrilled to announce we have teamed up with our long-time partner Building Up to support construction of the Hub, while also supporting our community. Building Up is a non-profit social enterprise that helps people facing employment barriers find pathways to successful careers in the trades.

   Through this partnership, 35 trainees from Building Up will gain hands-on skills and work experience in the trades over 1,000 training hours.

   “The construction of the Hub is an example of our community wealth building approach in practice,” says Executive Director Ryan Noble, “and it demonstrates our commitment to supporting social enterprises and procurement practices that benefit our local community.”

   We’ll be back next month to share more updates from our future home. In the meantime, take a virtual tour of the Community Food Hub!

4. A Message from Executive Director Ryan Noble: A new foundation for food security

   July 29, 2026 2:02 pm Comments Off on A Message from Executive Director Ryan Noble: A new foundation for food security

   

   Ryan Noble; Executive Director, North York Harvest Food Bank

   Last month, North York Harvest Food Bank reached a major milestone: breaking ground on the construction of our new Community Food Hub.

   By the end of the year, the Hub will become the home of our main offices and distribution centre. Three times larger than our current warehouse with a tenfold increase in cold storage capacity, this new facility is at the core of how we will address the rising demand for food assistance.

   Over 40 years of community care have brought us to this pivotal next chapter—made possible by neighbours showing up for one another through countless volunteer hours, food and financial donations, and the simple yet profound decision to see a problem in our community and choose to be part of the solution.

   If you’ve supported North York Harvest, you’ve helped build the foundation for everything that comes next.

   

   The Hub represents the next step in our collective reimagining of what our food bank really is – vital, community-oriented infrastructure. North York Harvest Food Bank came into being when a number of smaller programs and organizations realized that they could all benefit from a shared truck and warehouse space. Over the next four decades, those needs have continued to grow and evolve.

   Building a stronger food system in Toronto

   Today, our warehouse and transportation fleet, along with our planning and logistics systems, staff and volunteers support hundreds of nonprofit organizations all across southern Ontario. We maintain our traditional work of distributing donations through our network of partners, and have found new ways to leverage our capacity and capabilities in support of our community. 

   Your support has also helped us grow innovative solutions like FoodReach, our social enterprise that procures and delivers affordable food for shelters, schools, libraries and community meal programs. Pooling this purchasing power, we can lower food prices across the nonprofit sector, increase the amount of food assistance that we can provide while freeing up resources for community programming.  Up to 70% of this food is grown or produced in Ontario, supporting local farms and manufacturers and helping to build a more resilient food system. By receiving, warehousing and distributing this food, it creates employment pathways for our clients through our Leadership in Logistics program. 

   Put together, our activities form a virtuous cycle; investing locally, generating income and creating jobs in our community through the way we distribute food and provide emergency assistance. Food insecurity is ultimately an economic challenge that requires an economic response. For North York Harvest, this starts with seeing ourselves as a vital piece of infrastructure, connected to the broader food system and local economy, and addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

   The Community Food Hub will take this thinking to the next level, writing a new chapter for North York Harvest Food Bank as we move towards our vision of a community where everyone can meet their food needs.

   Thank you for helping to write this next chapter with us.

5. “The difference is dignity”: How FoodReach supports Toronto’s shelter and drop-in network

   June 29, 2026 11:26 am Comments Off on “The difference is dignity”: How FoodReach supports Toronto’s shelter and drop-in network

   

   Every weekday, The Common Table at Church of the Redeemer opens its doors to some of Toronto’s most vulnerable residents.

   With just four staff and more than 80 volunteers, the program serves approximately 250 meals a day, alongside outreach services, housing support, harm reduction, psychotherapy, clothing programs, art therapy, and even a quiet, safe place where community members can rest.

   “The fact that people feel safe enough and trust us enough to come in and sleep says a lot about the kind of space we’re trying to create,” says Beverley Galandzy, Volunteer/Kitchen Coordinator and Outreach Worker at The Common Table.

   But as food costs continue to rise and demand grows, maintaining that level of care has become increasingly challenging.

   “We’re running out of food more often than ever,” Beverley says. “Our grocery bills have quadrupled since before COVID. We stretch every dollar we can.”

   That’s where a program from the City of Toronto comes in — with support from our social enterprise FoodReach.

   Healthy, local food for people who need it most

   Creating Health Plus (CH+) helps shelters and drop-in meal programs access fresh, healthy ingredients to supplement their food programs, including dairy, protein, seasonal produce, and other essentials.

   FoodReach forms the logistics backbone of CH+ — coordinating deliveries for shelters and drop-in meal programs across Toronto.

   As a social enterprise of North York Harvest, FoodReach operates on a mission-first model: Every decision and every delivery puts food security first.

   FoodReach offers a diverse food catalogue with 70% of items sourced locally; strengthening the non-profit food supply chain while supporting local businesses.

   The Common Table reconnected with CH+ last year, and now has consistent access to fresh, nutritious ingredients that would otherwise be difficult to afford.

   “It’s been incredibly helpful,” Beverley says. “This is one of the most comfortable times we’ve had because of the food we’re receiving.”

   CH+ recipients can order add-ons to their standardized weekly delivery directly through FoodReach, which offers some flexibility for programs to customize the food they receive based on the unique needs of their communities.

   “Access to fresh eggs allows us to prepare more nutritious breakfasts, while the cheese helps make those breakfasts — as well as scones and casseroles — more hearty and satisfying,” says Beverley. “Having fresh milk for coffee and tea instead of powdered milk or coffee whitener makes a noticeable difference in both quality and dignity for our members.”

   For people experiencing homelessness, these improvements matter.

   “Overall, our meal program has become far more robust, delicious, and nutritious,” says Beverley. “Nourishing, high-quality food supports both physical health and a sense of care and respect.”

   We are grateful to partner with the City on such an impactful program, so non-profits like the Common Table can continue doing what they do best: Caring for their community and serving food that is both healthy and dignified.

   

6. Peter’s Story: “People need a voice”

   June 26, 2026 1:08 pm Comments Off on Peter’s Story: “People need a voice”

   

   Peter was working as a Registered Practical Nurse, primarily in geriatric care, when he began to lose his sight as a complication of diabetes.

   Soon, he was completely blind and unable to continue working in a career he loved.

   With significant barriers to employment, Peter applied for the Ontario Disability Support Program. His partner and son are also on ODSP, and month to month Peter says, it leaves them just scraping by.

   “About half of our income goes to paying our rent,” Peter says. “There are no frills living on ODSP. I can’t remember the last time we went to see a movie. I can’t remember the last time we went to do anything that wasn’t completely free.

   “You learn to clip coupons, anything to stretch a buck. If you work, you can pick up a shift or work overtime but on ODSP, that’s it.”

   Peter is not alone. A single individual on ODSP can receive a maximum of $1,408 per month, leaving them trapped below Toronto’s deep poverty line of $1,833. At North York Harvest Food Bank, 1 in 3 clients is living with a disability.

   “I didn’t realize how isolating and very limiting being on ODSP would be,” Peter says. “And blindness really does cut you off from people in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

   It was at our Oriole Community Food Space where Peter first learned about the Community Advocacy Group — and signed up right away.

   From shared experience to collective voice

   Emergency food support is a vital part of the work we do every day. Coming through our doors can mean the difference between someone eating that day, or not; having enough money for rent, or not. This work makes an immediate short-term impact for 30,000 client visits every single month — but it will never solve food insecurity.

   That’s why North York Harvest’s advocacy strategy brings people most impacted by poverty together to fight for real change, so no one needs to turn to a food bank in the first place.

   Through our Community Advocacy Group and NOTICE campaign, Peter is making sure the realities of living on ODSP are heard by elected officials.

   Peter sits on the group’s Steering Committee, which helps co-plan North York Harvest’s advocacy strategy including rallies, petitions, deputations, and more, to put the drivers of hunger and unaffordability on NOTICE.

   “People who are experiencing poverty and food insecurity are the ones who are experts in that, and they can speak to it in a way that we absolutely never could,” says Sarah Watson, Director of Community Engagement at North York Harvest.

   “We want to create platforms and opportunities so that people have chances — that they might not have otherwise — to be seen and heard in their own words.”

   

   Earlier this year, members of the committee co-organized a rally on the day Toronto City Council was voting on the budget, which brought over 100 clients to City Hall to fight for a fairer city for all. Afterwards, our community was invited to Mayor Olivia Chow’s office to speak directly about the budget.

   “People need a voice,” Peter says. “Advocating for people who need help is something I need to do, because some people have had societal and generational hardship inflicted upon them.

   “We deserve stable housing and we deserve fair treatment. I didn’t ask to be blind, I didn’t ask to be on ODSP — but here I am. What is our government for, if not to help us?” 

   ---

   Do you agree that hunger and poverty in our city have gone unnoticed and underfunded for too long? Join NOTICE and fight for a city for all of us!

7. Take a Virtual Tour of our new Community Food Hub!

   May 28, 2026 3:36 pm Comments Off on Take a Virtual Tour of our new Community Food Hub!

   

   With the arrival of spring, we’re seeing rain, renewal, and growth!

   All of those are things happening here at North York Harvest Food Bank too — yes, even the rain. As we continue to grapple with leaky infrastructure and insufficient space to support the growing needs of our community, we’re beyond excited to share an update on our new home.

   Construction contracts have officially been signed for our new Community Food Hub, opening later this year!

   Our new home will help North York Harvest Food Bank realize the most transformational chapter in our history. The 30,000 sq. ft. space will be 10x larger, which will allow us to distribute more fresh food, train more people for full-time employment, and support even more non-profits with access to affordable food.

   We’re looking forward to opening our doors and celebrating this milestone with you in just a few months!

   In the meantime, we invite you to take a virtual tour of our new home. Renderings of both our warehouse and office space will guide you from the reception area, sort room, fresh food kitchen, and more.

   Thank you for your partnership in reimagining what a food bank can be, and redefining how we fight food insecurity in Toronto.

8. North York Harvest expands workforce training to fuel pathways to employment in Toronto

   May 20, 2026 12:04 pm Comments Off on North York Harvest expands workforce training to fuel pathways to employment in Toronto

    

   

   We’re proud to announce Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) as the lead Workforce Training Partner for our Leadership in Logistics program, an innovative workforce development initiative that connects individuals to meaningful employment and long-term stability.

   This partnership comes at a pivotal moment, as North York Harvest Food Bank prepares to open our new Community Food Hub, a 30,000+ square-foot distribution centre designed to expand access to fresh food while investing in long-term solutions to food insecurity.

   Leadership in Logistics is a paid, four-week hands-on training program that equips participants with in-demand skills in warehousing, distribution, and supply chain operations. Through a combination of technical training, certifications, and wraparound support, the program is designed to create real pathways to employment, helping individuals move beyond crisis and toward stability.

   
   Hear from a recent LIL grad, Olusola, about how the program gave him renewed energy and hope for his life in Canada with his family.

   With the opening of the Community Food Hub, the program will expand – training more participants, increasing job placements, and strengthening connections to employers across the sector. This growth will not only support individuals, but also help build a stronger workforce pipeline and keep economic opportunity rooted within the community.

   “Food security is about more than food, it’s about income, opportunity, and access,” said Ryan Noble, Executive Director at North York Harvest Food Bank. “Leadership in Logistics is one of the ways we’re working to address the root cause of food bank usage by connecting people to meaningful, full-time work. With the support of Canadian Tire Corporation, we can expand this program and reach more people at a time when it’s needed most.”

   As lead Workforce Training Partner, Canadian Tire Corporation will play a key role in supporting program delivery and creating employment pathways for participants. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to building stronger communities by investing in people.

   

   “At Canadian Tire Corporation, our purpose is to help make life in Canada better – and that means investing in people and the communities they call home,” said Caitlin Patterson, Manager, ESG Strategy and Community Impact at Canadian Tire Corporation. “We’re proud to support North York Harvest Food Bank’s Leadership in Logistics program and help connect people to skills, training and meaningful job opportunities.”

   The Community Food Hub will serve as both a food distribution centre and a space for innovation, bringing together food access, workforce development, and social enterprise under one roof. By expanding programs like Leadership in Logistics, North York Harvest Food Bank is not only addressing the symptoms of food insecurity, but helping to build long-term economic resilience and community wealth.

   This partnership underscores a growing recognition that solving hunger requires more than just food, it requires long-term solutions that create opportunity, build local capacity, and keep resources circulating within the community we serve.