Tag Archive: toronto

  1. Setting the Table – The Power of a Meal

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    A message from Aniska Ali,  North York Harvest’s New Director of Development and Marketing

    As Thanksgiving approaches, I, like many of you, am preparing to welcome family and friends to my home. Pumpkin printed napkins have been fished out of storage containers, recipes have been bookmarked, and shopping lists have been made. My daughter has been collecting leaves for weeks for our table’s centerpiece, her part of our family’s annual tradition. On Monday, she’ll help set the table, and I’ll fuss in the kitchen, bickering with my husband and my sister about how much sage to add to the stuffing and how frequently to baste the turkey. These are our rituals, these are the acts that make Thanksgiving familiar and special – these are things I’ll remember as time goes by.

    Food is a big part of my life. Talking about the power of it, and sadly, the lack of it for so many in our community fills my days. What often gets lost in our rush to make sure there’s enough is an understanding of the role food plays in uniting us. The sharing and enjoyment of a meal is a simple, but profound, pleasure that brings us together, across cultures, ages and backgrounds. Eating together is, and should be, a daily experience of connection.

    Unfortunately that is simply not the case for the 15,000 people we serve each month. Skyrocketing housing prices, precarious employment and social assistance rates that have failed to keep up with the cost of the living put the joy food brings out of reach for so many of our neighbours. Sadly, we know all too well that loneliness and isolation go hand in hand with living in poverty.

    That’s why North York Harvest offers programs like community kitchens to give people in our neighbourhood a chance to meet friends, cook together, and share a meal in a welcoming place.

    As Maudlyn, one of our members and a retired caterer told us recently, “This program is a commitment to myself.  It gets me out of the house to socialize with others. My favourite part is actually setting the table, it feels like we are having a real family meal”.

    Thank you for making stories like Maudlyn’s possible. Thank you for believing as we do that, everyone deserves a safe place where they can meet people, build friendships, feel included and eat delicious food regardless of their income. Thank you for investing in programs like these that make North York Harvest so much more than a food bank. We hope you know just how much your support means to us and the community we serve.

    From all of us here, Happy Thanksgiving!

    Looking for a way to make sure everyone has a place at the table? Make your gift here: https://northyorkharvest.com/donateffd/

  2. Who’s Hungry in Our City?

    Comments Off on Who’s Hungry in Our City? Each year North York Harvest Food Bank teams up with the Daily Bread Food Bank to release the annual “Who’s Hungry” report.  It is a snapshot of food bank use in Toronto. Surveys were conducted on a completely voluntary basis within participating food banks.  33 food banks participated and over 1400 surveys were used to create the report. This report always releases staggering numbers and highlights the problem with food insecurity in our local community and the affect it has on our neighbours in Toronto.  

    Food Bank use in the Inner Suburbs has grown 68% since 2010

    We have been seeing a major increase in visits to the North York Harvest Food Bank.  Residents may be forced to leave the city core to find more affordable rent. Though being able to afford both rent and food is still out of reach for many.

    Who's Hungry

    The growth in the east end has increased dramatically.  Food bank use in this area of the city has increased 30% compared to 4% or less in other parts of the city.  Many of the residents there are newcomers, having fled due to international conflict or natural disasters - most paying around 82% of their income on rent alone.
    “I HAVE COPED BY NOT EATING WELL OR SOMETIMES I DON’T EAT. ACTUALLY I DON’T EAT ABOUT ONCE A WEEK BECAUSE THERE ARE EXPENSES FOR MY ILLNESSES.” ~ SURVEY RESPONDENT  

    Social Assistance just isn’t enough anymore

    The lack of sufficient income brings many people to food banks.  The average monthly income for clients is just $816.50. For a city like Toronto that will not even pay for rent on a one bedroom apartment. 34% of adults have gone hungry at least once every week because they spend all of their income on rent and utilities leaving them struggling to pay for other items such as food, clothing and transit. Sacrificing food can lead to poor mental and physical health.

    Who's Hungry

    “I AM DEPRESSED, HAVE GAINED 50 POUNDS. I HAVE LOST FRIENDS AS I CANNOT AFFORD TO SOCIALIZE OR HAVE TTC FUNDS TO GO TO THEIR HOMES.” ~ SURVEY RESPONDENT  

    Usage of food banks by seniors has skyrocketed

    Within just a year, food bank usage of people ages 65 and up has increased by 26.8%!  It is also quite possible there is a higher need among seniors but many may not be able to attend the food bank due to barriers such as transportation or lack of physical ability.  

    Who's Hungry

    22% of seniors have skipped meals for an entire day because they couldn’t afford to eat – for many of them, it happened almost every month. Many report using their small amounts of money on prescription medications.  Lack of food can worsen any pre-existing health problems seniors may have. Another reason that seniors are accessing the food bank more than ever is that many aren't getting a boost to their income through the Guaranteed Income Supplement they may be entitled to receiving. The reason many are not receiving this benefit could be sheer lack of awareness, the difficulty in applying do to lack of technical support or language barriers.
       

    Read the full report here.

     

  3. From Farm to Food Bank

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    It’s always great when we can provide fresh and healthy food to people using the food bank!

    Did you know that local farms are also amazing supporters of the food bank? We rely on farms in the area to provide fresh food donations each week!

    Because of our incredible donors at Lincoln Mushroom Farm, we’re able to ensure that our neighbours have access to great, organic produce!

    I joined NYH driver, Alberto on a road trip to Stoney Creek, ON for a lovely tour of the farm as well to pick up a large donation of delicious mushrooms!

    Check out our photo tour!

    Alberto and our tour guide Bob are showing off only SOME of the mushrooms at the farm!

    Did you know mushrooms were grown inside?  This is one of eighteen growing rooms!

    Baby mushrooms in one growing room

    Ready to be picked

    I love portobellos!

    Filling one of the grow rooms with compost for the next batch

    Employees packing mushrooms for the food bank!

    Behind them is the size of delivery Lincoln Farms made to the food bank that day!

    After loading the truck with mushrooms to help the food bank, meal programs, community kitchens and much more!

    Mushrooms are a great source of B vitamins, fibre, minerals and vitamin D – a perfect addition to any meal.

    What is your favourite mushroom recipe? Here are some great recipes to try out next time you pick some mushrooms up for your family!

    Do you or someone you know have a farm and would like to donate fresh produce to help over 15,000 people that use NYH services each month?

    We’d love to share your passion for healthy food with our community!  Contact Rowena at 416-635-7771 ex 30 / rowena@northyorkharvest.com to learn how you can help!

  4. Basic Income Basics

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    There has been quite a lot of talk about basic income lately in the news.  A basic income is a guarantee to Canadian families and individuals that they will be able to meet a minimum income level regardless of employment status.

    This could mean big things for the hundreds of thousands of people in Toronto that struggle to make ends meet to pay for everyday needs such as rent, utilities, transit and food.

    This has come up for a lot of debate among Canadians. It also raises a lot of questions about the impact on our communities and economy. In an effort to answer some of the most asked questions about basic income,  I spoke with Elaine Power, co-founder of the Kingston Action Group for Basic Income Guarantee. 

     

    How do you think basic income will benefit the community?

    If we had a basic income program that was available to all who needed it and a basic income program that effectively eliminated poverty, there could be dramatic benefits to the community. The research suggests that public health would improve and health care costs would drop. Eliminating poverty means that kids would have a better start in life, do better in school and have fairer chances in life, and this could also decrease crime rates over time.

    If we take away the desperate need for people to find any kind of work that they can, it could liberate people to engage their passion and contribute to their communities through volunteer work and the arts, or to take risks, e.g., with a small business, that they wouldn’t otherwise do. When people have basic economic security, it enables them to dare to do new & different things.

    I believe that a basic income program will help build social solidarity, to rebuild a sense of the collective, that we are part of neighbourhoods and communities.

    How will this impact the economy & the taxpayer?

    People who live in poverty spend their money on basic necessities, like food, shelter, clothing, activities for their kids. They won’t be taking their money out of the country for expensive vacations. That will have an economic multiplier effect, and could make a profound impact in smaller, more rural communities that are struggling. 

    Research shows that poverty has a high economic cost and that poverty reduction has a big return on investment. A report by the Ontario Association of Food Banks suggested “With the huge savings that could be achieved over time by reducing poverty and its burdensome social costs, the province could very likely pay for the need mix of policies without asking taxpayers for anything more.”  The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has calculated that every dollar invested in reducing poverty would result in about a $2 return on investment. In other words, poverty reduction is at worst cost-neutral and likely would save money over time.

    Do you feel as though there could be any negatives/drawbacks that come from having a basic income?

    Well, the negatives or drawbacks depend on the type of basic income program that would get implemented. There are different models. Some on the political right would like to see the implementation of a basic income in order to reduce other government supports and services, like public housing. This would not improve the lives of people living in poverty or likely reduce poverty overall, because people would have to pay more of their income for what are now public services. We would not see the types of economic savings I mentioned above in that case.

    I am a proponent of a progressive basic income that is part of rebuilding the social safety net, would improve the lives of people living in poverty and would result in dramatic reductions – or the virtual elimination – of poverty.

    How will this affect the food bank and food bank users?

    The best sign of the effectiveness of basic income or any poverty reduction/elimination strategy would be that food banks are able to close up because of lack of demand. Those who founded food banks back in the 1980’s thought that food banks were an “emergency” response to an economic downturn and that they would close once the economy improved. I have a report from a meeting of food banks in Toronto and area from 1991 that wrestles with the question of when and how Toronto food banks might close. An effective basic income would allow food bank users to acquire food like everyone else. They still might choose to attend hot meal programs, food skills programs, community gardens and community kitchens – but there will be more freedom and choice to do that, not a sense of dire need.

    Is the proposed amount of $16,989 enough to get by for individuals?

    Like social assistance, the problem with a fixed amount is that the cost of living varies quite a lot across the province – from Toronto to Windsor to northern Ontario. As I understand it, the rationale for making it less than the LICO ( low income cut-offs) or the LIM ( Low Income Measure) is that people will get other federal income transfers, like the GST credit. But I suppose part of the idea of the pilot is to assess if the amount is enough.

    Others, like Guy Caron, who is a candidate in the federal NDP leadership race, has proposed a basic income that would be set using the Low Income Cut-off or LICO which is adjusted for city and family size.

    What do you say about the idea from opposers that people will go on BI just to “stay home and be lazy”?

    This is probably the most common oppositional response to the idea!!

    If you ask people if they (personally) would just stay home, everyone says “of course not!.” The reality is that about 70% of people who live in poverty are working, which speaks to the inadequacy of minimum wages.

    The reality is that any basic income, whether the Ontario pilot amount or an amount tied to the LICO, is not luxurious. Most people will want to seek paid employment to supplement their incomes. And most people work for reasons other than money.

    And the other issue that this objection is based on is that the only work that is valuable is paid employment. We do all sorts of unpaid, unrecognized, invisible work at home and in our communities, including all the volunteer work that gets done for and at food banks. This is valuable and important work. What basic income will help us do is to decide where to put our time and energies in activities that are meaningful and important for us and for our communities. Some people may “stay home and be lazy” for a little while. Most people would not do that for very long – and if they do, perhaps they need other services to help them find meaningful activity.

    The benefits of a progressive and effective basic income for those living in poverty and for our communities overshadow the objection that a small percentage of people might “stay home and be lazy.”

    The idea of a basic income is a very exciting move forward in our communities. To learn more about the basic income pilot project, visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-basic-income-pilot

    More Resources:

    Kingston Action Group for Basic Income Guarantee

    Basic Income Initiative

    Basic Income Canada Network

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  5. A Family Away From Home

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    Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with the incredible volunteers and clients at the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space.  Located in a tiny room inside Northview Heights Secondary School, the hustle and bustle of getting prepared for the upcoming drop in made the room buzz.  Operating outside of school hours, volunteers make sure the shelves are stocked and fridges full to help community members put food on the table.

    Elis, who manages the food space, treats everyone that enters like family.  Everyone is in this together and a VIP in the eyes of the caring volunteers.

    One of the VIP clients using the food bank is Anna.  Anna has been living in Canada for 11 years after leaving Uzbekistan because she was unable to find work.

    After working 9 years at local Russian grocery stores, Anna had a child named Nikita and found herself out of work in order to take care of him each day.  She had to go on social assistance but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to cover all of her expenses from rent and utilities to food and baby supplies.  She was in a bind.

    While searching for a way to get baby powder and baby food, Anna came to the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space. When she arrived, the helpful volunteers let her know that not only she could receive baby products, but she was also given food for herself.  Anna was amazed by the kindness and generosity that was located right in her neighbourhood. She has been coming to the food bank for the past year now which has helped her stretch her small income.

    To get to the food bank, Anna walks with Nikita in his stroller.  During the harsh winter months, she was unable to take her stroller through the icy and snowy sidewalks and had no way to access the food bank.  Thomas, a volunteer, took the time to drop off food to her home for three months so Anna and Nikita wouldn’t have to go without.  “It was amazing that someone was willing to come and help us out when we couldn’t get around,” says Anna, “the food bank volunteers are wonderful!”

    After Anna’s father passed away, her mother is still living in Uzbekistan alone.  Anna hopes that her mother will be able to join her in Canada so they can be together again.  “If she comes to stay with me, she’ll be able to help take care of Nikita so I can go back to school and get a full time job,” says Anna who dreams of becoming a paralegal one day to support her family.

    Anna would recommend that anyone who needs help in her neighbourhood visit the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space.  “They are so caring and have been so helpful to Nikita and myself. If someone is in need of help they will bring you in and treat you like family.”

    At the Bathurst Finch Community Food Space, it is about more than just putting food on the table, it’s about bringing family to that table.

    Would you like to support people in your local food bank like Anna?  Make a donation here

    Want to join a team of volunteers making it happen in the food bank? Check out our latest volunteer opportunities

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  6. 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

    IMG_6646

    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

    IMG_7758

    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
    IMG_7816 - Copy

    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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  7. Poverty and the Ontario Budget

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    Many things have changed to improve our lives over the past 20 years. In the 90’s cell phones were most regularly seen on television, and even then they were huge and clunky. Video calls, now an every day occurrence, were the stuff of science fiction movies. We’ve made progress on a lot of fronts, but sadly, dealing with poverty is not one of them.

    Ontario just released Budget 2017 – A balanced budget for a stronger, healthier Ontario, which includes new measures to support low income individuals in our province, such as universal drug coverage for youth, a basic income pilot project and a 2% increase in social assistance rates. These are welcome developments to be sure, but still fall far short of addressing the challenges faced by people living in poverty.

    As we all know, the cost of living, especially in Toronto, has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. Housing, energy, transportation and food costs have all risen dramatically. But our social safety net has not only not kept pace, it’s lagged shockingly behind.

    In 1993 a single person receiving benefits from Ontario Works received $663 per month, or $1,010 in today’s dollars. Today, that rate is just over $700. Imagine trying to live in the city of Toronto for $700 per month. The combination of higher costs of living and decreased levels of social assistance drive people into chronic, grinding poverty, and force them to make tough choices, like pay the rent or feed their families.

    We know that food insecurity is not caused by a lack of food, but insufficient money with which to purchase food. It’s made worse by other public policy deficiencies, such as lack of affordable housing, lack of affordable childcare, and a meagre minimum wage.

    Social assistance in the past has been put into place to help prevent people from falling into chronic poverty during tough times due to something such as a job loss, serious illness or disability. This is causing many to make tough choices with their limited resources. Most spend 70-80% of their money on rent alone. After paying non flexible bills such as rent and utilities, people on these programs are left with just $7.91 per day to pay for necessities such as food, childcare or transit fare. Many people in this position make the choice to forgo a meal just to get by.

    Our policy choices in these areas are not without their costs. When people can’t afford to live healthy, dignified lives, we all pay the price in lost human potential, intergenerational poverty, higher health care costs and poverty-related crime. In a recent report, Social Planning Toronto pegs the cost of poverty in our city at $5.5 billion per year.

    The time to change the conversation about poverty in our communities is long overdue. Let’s take this time to reflect on the kind of communities we want to live in. Let’s ask ourselves what kind of lives we want for ourselves and our fellow citizens. And let’s make our voices heard.

    Want to learn more?

    Read the Who’s Hungry Report

    Ontario 2017 Budget

    The Cost of Poverty in Toronto

    Building a Better Ontario

    Inflation Calculator

    Ontario’s soaring poverty gap ‘starkest’ for single adults as welfare rates stagnate

    *Sources Ontario Association of Food Banks & Who’s Hungry

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  8. Volunteer Appreciation 2017

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    We absolutely LOVE our volunteers!  Every year they come in to sort food, help with pickups and deliveries, help people directly in the food banks, assist in the warehouse, give a hand in the office and so much more!

    Without YOU we wouldn’t be able to ensure that more than 15,000 people in our city have access to the food they need.  THANK YOU!

    We wanted to thank you in a special way so we made a fun video for our incredible volunteers.  Volunteer appreciation week is April 23-29 so don’t forget to hug a volunteer and show them some love!

    Want to join the team?

    Click here for more info or contact Lisa at 416-635-7771 x 29 or lisa@northyorkharvest.com

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