Tag Archive: Volunteer

  1. Spring Food Drive

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    Spring is in the air and our office is buzzing!  Okay, yes I admit, these past few weeks have felt like we’ve experienced all four seasons at once – but trust me… Spring is almost here!

    To celebrate the amazing weather on the way, we are kicking off the Spring Food Drive and we want YOU to be a part of it!

    The Spring Drive is so important for making sure that the pantries are stocked during the warmer months to ensure no one has to go without!  Together we can make sure that everyone meets their food needs! 

    Help us raise $100,000 and 100,000 lbs. of food!  Your support will help more than 15,000 people each month using food banks, meal programs, prenatal/early parenting programs, community kitchens and other vital services throughout the city.

    Getting involved with the food drive is a lot of fun and helps so many people! Just ask Lauren, who has been running food drives for more than ten years!

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    “I first heard about North York Harvest back in 2005 when I was 14 years old.  A NYH bag came to our house with the local newspaper letting us know how we could help,” says Lauren. “I decided right then to do a food drive. At 14 it was a really cool thing to do. Our first food drive raised 170 pounds and its increased so much since then!”

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    Lauren and her parents have made food drives not only a family tradition, but a tradition within their neighbourhood.  “I love going door to door to see everyone in the neighbourhood.  A lot of the people I grew up with still give every year because they know that people rely on our help. It has become a real connection to the community.”

    What are Lauren’s tips for running YOUR food drive?

    • It is much easier than it looks and it is much more rewarding too! Its benefits are huge!
    • We grocery shop as a family and sometimes with a few neighbours as well –add such items as baby formula, canned proteins. Living in a multi-cultural city and community, we also try to contribute spices and different types of food. Click here for a list of suggested foods to donate

    Over 400 people rely on the food bank EVERY DAY.  You can help!

    What are you waiting for? Sign up today to make a huge difference in your community! 

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    Looking for other ways to get involved with the Spring Food Drive?

    Check out the food drive kit that we put together just for you! It has everything you need to run an incredible food drive!

    Subscribe to Our Enewsletter

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  2. Looking Back at 2016

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    2016 has come to a close.  It’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?  Whether you had a great year or can’t wait for 2017 to start, we can all agree that a lot has happened over the past 365 days.

    Here at NYH, there has been a lot of excitement and progress over the past year.  We’ve seen many accomplishments and triumphs thanks to our amazing clients, volunteers, donors, staff and supporters!  We wouldn’t have had such a terrific year without YOU!

    I asked my colleagues in the office, warehouse and on the front lines what their favourite memories of 2016 were and got quite an impressive response!

    I considered doing one of those end of year top ten lists but then realized that I can’t decide which is the best one!  So here, in no particular order, are some of the great milestones, achievements and moments from 2016!

    2016 was BIG for programs, partnerships, feedback and healthy eating!

    Of course I couldn’t start off without saying THANK YOU for providing food to people in our community!  This year we served more than 15,000 people every month and distributed over 2.3 MILLION lbs. of food!

    On top of putting food on the table for our neighbours in need, there were many other exciting things happening this year, including:

    Child Care Food Delivery

    This year NYH partnered with Learning Enrichment Foundation to bring healthy meals and snacks to over 1400 kids in childcare programs throughout the city.

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    Mission Kitchen

    For 3 months this year, NYH was able to run a community kitchen in the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood.  Each week, participants came together to learn cooking skills and enjoy a meal together.  Learn more about Mission Kitchen here!

    Food Handling Certificates and Meal Programs

    The Oriole Food Space ran a series of community kitchen programs in partnership with Flemingdon Health Centre and Working Women Community Centre, particularly aimed at Syrian refugees. We trained a group of almost 20 Arabic speaking newcomers in food handling and food safety, necessary skills in securing employment in the food sector.

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    Soup Production

    This year NYH got into the exciting world of food production! We partnered with FoodShare & Foodstarter to form a unique partnership to produce a soup that would help our community meet their food needs.  With the help of students and volunteers, we were able to produce a dry lentil soup that will be sold through FoodShare’s Good Food Boxes & Grab Some Good pop up markets.  Each soup sold will put a soup on the food bank shelf for someone hungry in the community.

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    Toronto Star Santa Hampers

    This was first year we were able to distribute a healthier hamper for those receiving the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund Hampers.  Every hamper included perishable items including eggs, cheese, apples and more!

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    Farm Fresh

    Many of our clients were able to visit community farms in and around the city to see first hand where some of the fresh and nutritious produce that goes to their table comes from.

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    Client Surveys

    A comprehensive client survey was conducted in our food banks.  Results are being put together now and will be used to guide future programming to ensure clients receive the best service possible!

     

    Logistics Essentials Workforce Development

    Using our warehouse space, we have embarked on a training program for low income individuals to learn skills for the workplace.  Students will learn technical and employments skills as well as receiving certification for Forklift driving, safe food handling and WHMIS.

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    Lawrence Heights

    Lawrence Heights Community Food Space found a new home at 6 Pengarth Court. LHCFS is also our first community food space to move to the new appointment based model.  This allows clients to have an appointment at the food bank to ensure less wait time, giving them better access to services and supports, and a personal touch.

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    Staff Training

    Our frontline staff have had extensive training over the past year in non-violent conflict resolution, working in communities that experience gun violence, trauma informed care, food handlers certificates, developing a community of practice, program development, evaluation and implementation

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    Advocacy Award

    This year we were honoured with the Advocacy Award from the Ontario Association of Food Banks recognizing our efforts towards addressing hunger in the community.

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    Donor Recognition

    This year we celebrated our donors at Taylor’s Landing.  It was a great opportunity to connect with some amazing people that are helping us provide our services in the community.

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     Don’t miss the 2016 wrap up video!

    There are so many other great memories from 2016 and this was only just a few.

    Do you have any highlights of the year? We’d love to know!  Leave your memories in the comment section to share your views!

    Here’s to an even more amazing 2017 helping our community meet their food needs!

     

     





  3. You Make It Happen!

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    This post is all about YOU and how absolutely GRATEFUL we are to have you in the North York Harvest family!

    YOU make it possible to provide food for your neighbours that would otherwise go hungry.

    YOU come out to volunteer, donate funds, show support and be a part of our community.

    Each month your generosity touches more than 15,000 people in Toronto. Thank you!

    Without YOU we wouldn’t have been able to help your neighbours access food this year.

    This year we shared with you stories from many people.  People who were directly impacted because of you.  And those stories are just the tip of the iceberg!

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    From Jenna, who started grade four this year and loves science and gym class.  And her mom Trish, who had her hours cut at work.  Trish wasn’t sure how to pay the bills.  YOU ensured that Jenna didn’t go to school hungry!

     

    img_7197Your support helped Katherine, a dietician at a prenatal drop in program.  With your help, she was able to teach women about healthy eating on a budget.  YOU ensured that they would be able to feed themselves while they were pregnant and continue to provide nutritious meals as their children grow.

    nirajMore than 800 York University students use the campus food bank every week.  YOU made sure that they were able to access the food they needed to help them concentrate on their studies instead of hunger.

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    Marlene, a volunteer at a local food bank was able to give her neighbours more than just food when they came in hungry.  She was able to connect them with free services throughout the city to help them with parenting classes, recreational activities, resume building and more.

    Over 300 Syrians fleeing war and violence came to the Oriole Food Space after arriving in Canada.  There they have found more than food for their families, but the opportunity for a new life, work, friends and a chance.  A chance they wouldn’t have gotten without your support.

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    And Jennifer who is only 17 years old.  She found herself pregnant and homeless…instead of her original plan to go off to college and start her career.  YOU made sure she was able to feed herself and her son during these tough times.

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    These are only some of the people that you helped this year alone!  There are thousands more people that you directly impact through your generosity and support!

     

    We can’t do it without you and we couldn’t imagine trying!

     

    Thank you for all you do – it makes a world of difference – to us and the neighbours that you may never know.





  4. Changing Lives Through Food

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    Sometimes we don’t realize how much our actions make a difference to people we’ve never even met. But I want to take the time to share with you how your actions of supporting your local food bank have changed lives and come full circle.

    Mr. and Mrs. Perez moved here with their family over a year ago fleeing a very difficult situation back home.  When they arrived, they found themselves needing to go to the food bank to help them get back on their feet.  

    Not long ago I had a chat with them as they were spending time volunteering with us.  They told me that the reason they now volunteer in the food bank is because they want to pay it forward.

    “I want others to know that someone out there cares for them.  Coming from the situation in our past – it can be hard to understand that there are people who actually care.”

    When the Perez family came to Canada, they struggled to find jobs because they didn’t speak English – which in turn meant they struggled to put food on the table for their children.  “It wasn’t until we came to the food bank that we realized people really cared, from volunteers, to staff and donors – everyone wants to make sure that no one goes hungry.  In a country like Canada, no one should have to.” Mr. Perez told me.

    Unfortunately, the number of food bank users in our city keeps growing.  According to the latest Who’s Hungry report, there were over 900,000 visits to Toronto food banks last year. That is a 48% increase in the suburbs since 2008. 

    Mrs. Perez told me that on their first visit to the food bank she was surprised at the kind of options they had, “I was able to find ingredients to make recipes that I used to make for my family back home.  It really helped my children as a lot of this new Canadian food was strange to them”.  Personally when I see the kind of donations that come into the food bank, I am also surprised by the vast variety and selection that sometimes gets donated.  I think it is great that just because a person needs to use the food bank they still are able to have a choice as to what goes into their food hamper, just as they would if going to a grocery store. It’s also important that we have choice to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.

    It’s great know that Perez family have adjusted to Canada and glad to be a part of our community. It can be really hard picking up and changing your life. There are many worries that one can have in a situation like that – whether or not you’ll be able to have a meal shouldn’t have to be one of them.

    These days Mr. Perez works at a full time job and speaks English very well.  His kids go off to school each day having had a healthy breakfast and he just wants the same for people that are now where he was. Each week the Perez family go to the food bank they used to use but now they do to stock shelves and help others pick out groceries to feed their own families.

    Mr. Perez loves giving back to his local food bank, “I am very grateful that I can give back to people that are just like I once was; worrying about whether their children are going to have something to eat that day or not. If not for the food bank, I might still be worrying.”

    More than 16,000 people will use a food bank in your community this month. Because of you they will be able to leave knowing that their kids (and themselves) will not have to go without a nutritious meal to help them get back on their feet.

    Please consider making a generous donation or volunteering to help our new neighbours get back on their feet.

     






  5. Food Sorting Supervisor Volunteer

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    Looking to get some management experience while helping your neighbours in need?

    We’re looking for a Food Sorting Supervisor Volunteer to join us for 3 hours in the morning once per week to facilitate food sorting sessions in the warehouse. A three month commitment is requested.

    In this senior volunteer position, you would train other volunteers to sort donated food products.

    Volunteers follow North York Harvest’s and Ontario Health & Safety Rules and Regulations.  To qualify for volunteer hours, you will need to provide a letter and reference.

    There is only one position of this kind available, apply today!

    Call Kadian at 416-635-7771 x 28 or kadian@northyorkharvest.com

     

  6. Winter Public Sort

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    THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE WINTER PUBLIC SORT!

    This year’s winter public sort takes place on December 10th!  

    Every year we welcome families looking to give back and help their communities during the holiday season.

    To get involved this year, please contact Jane at 416-635-7771 x 31 or email jane@northyorkharvest.com

    We will have 2 sorting sessions: 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm.  

    Please check out the pictures from last year on Facebook (and make sure you like the page)!

     

    Learn more about available volunteer opportunities and how you can give time to make a difference.

     





  7. The Meaning of Thanksgiving

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    Guest Blog by Tina

    What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

    To me it means family, neighbours and community.

    I wasn’t always a member of your community.  My family came here over 20 years ago for a fresh start and I was met with open arms by wonderful families that I now consider to be my family.

    As new arrivals to Canada, we didn’t have the means to celebrate a Thanksgiving meal – but we were invited to share the holiday with a wonderful family that had us over to their home. And that really meant a lot.

    They told us that the true meaning of the holiday is being grateful sharing what we have – they even told us more about our new country and the incredible fresh start and adventure we are about to enjoy.  Thanks to their hospitality – I also had my first taste of pumpkin pie and it remains one of my favourite desserts up until this day!

    These days I volunteer at a local community center that supports newcomers just like I once was. People can go there for food, ESL classes, cooking lessons and job placement support. I get to witness firsthand how generosity from people just like you go a long way to helping people build a new life here in Canada.

    When I think about that special gift we received on our first Thanksgiving – this time of year really gets me in the mood to help people that are struggling to get back onto their feet.  People right in our community.

    This year I will be working with my community center, their staff, volunteers and even families who we’ve helped in the past and are now coming back to pay it forward, to ensure families who are struggling in the neighbourhood have a hot and festive meal on Thanksgiving and have enough food at home all month long.

    And I want to invite you to join me and do the same.

    Let’s Leave Hunger Behind and make this a Thanksgiving to remember. So that 20 years from now, when new families share their stories, they, like I do, will remember with joyfulness, their first fall in Canada.

    We can’t do it without you though!

    Join us for the 2016 Fall Food Drive to make this Thanksgiving and the rest of the fall a special time everyone can be grateful for!

    There are many ways you can join me and the thousands of amazing people in our community working to make a difference!

    Donate – For every $1 you donate, you provide 3 meals to a person that is hungry!

    Volunteer – There are many great opportunities with the Fall Food Drive – join the NYH truck drivers to pick up and deliver food or come out to one of the many great events planned to raise food for our neighbours!

    Run a Food & Funds Drive – This is a fun way to work together as a team with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and anyone else that would like to make a difference!

    Join the Public Sort –Sort food at the NYH warehouse on October 9 for a great way to spend Thanksgiving weekend with your family while ensuring food is sorted and ready to be delivered to families in need!

    Get Social! – Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media to spread the news about the food drive with these great shareables!

    During this season of Thanksgiving, join me in showing our neighbours that we care about them.

    This Thanksgiving, let’s Leave Hunger Behind.

     

     





  8. Hunger Awareness Week

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    Canada is such an amazing country, there is so much freedom and liberties we have that many countries don’t.  This is why I always find it shocking when I see the statistics of people that go hungry in our country.

    Hunger Awareness Week takes place from September 19-23. This is a week where Canadians like you and I band together to raise awareness for the people in our Canada that have to go without something to eat.

    In fact, on September 16 Hon Laura Albanese, MPP joined us at North York Harvest Food Bank to help us sort food during the First Annual Great MPP Food Sort!

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    Did you know?

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    Each day children in our communities may go without a meal. Poverty can lead to poor nutrition and that can affect a child’s grades  and quality of life in the long run.

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    Every province and city in the country is affected by hunger.

    Who uses the food bank in Toronto? They range from many ages and backgrounds.

    • 1/3 of food bank users are children
    • 15% are seniors
    • 40% are on long term disability
    • 40% have graduated from college or university

    But what can we do?

    We can all take a stand and make a difference in the lives of people that are hungry!

    Get involved with your local food bank and the issue of hunger in your community in the following ways:

    bank_cash_coin_coupon_discount_money_piggy_sale_save_saving-512Make a Donation

    A donation of $1 provides 3 meals

     

    082207-green-jelly-icon-business-cart5Run a Food & Fund Drive

    Get your friends, family and coworkers together.  Be creative and have fun while giving back.

     

    Donate Food

    Great items to donate are canned fish, canned beans, canned tomatoes, rice & baby products

     

    hand-heart-iconVolunteer

    There are many ways to volunteer! Join us in the food bank, warehouse, on the truck, at events or in the office.

     

    conference-512Get Social

    Spread the word on all of your social media accounts about hunger in Canada! Find some Hunger Awareness Week tools here.

     

    You can make a difference for the people that are hungry in your community!

    Check out more photos from the Hon Laura Albanese MPP visit on Facebook

    Find out more about Hunger Awareness Week!