Did you know that volunteering can be a great way to get out into the community and meet new friends?
Gord and Bonnie have been dedicated volunteers with North York Harvest since 2015. Every week they join us in the warehouse to sort food and help new volunteers get the hang of things. Without them we wouldn’t be able to send out quality products to the food bank network. You see, a lot of donations come into the warehouse and they need to be sorted for quality and into categories to ensure that food banks get what they need to better serve our community. This means that dented cans, expired food and other unwanted items don’t make it out the door.
When we have new volunteers join us (such as corporate teams or community groups) Gord and Bonnie are there to share their knowledge which enhances the experience for others. But they aren’t the only ones teaching people, “Every day is a new learning experience,” says Gord, “So many foods come through here that I have never heard of – and I used to work in the grocery business! People I sort with teach me about the food and how to use it in new recipes.”
Bonnie and Gord both agree about their favourite part of volunteering at the food bank – meeting people from different walks of life. “I enjoy meeting people from corporations, schools, seniors’ programs, special needs program and more! Volunteering is a great way to be social!” says Bonnie.
There are many benefits to becoming a volunteer in your community! Not only are you helping other people but you will also meet new people, learn new things, keep fit and build confidence.
Comments Off on A Community of Food and Friendship
Community. Every day I hear the word. But what does it mean to be a community? The dictionary defines it as “a social group whose members reside in a specific locality, share government and often have a common cultural and historical heritage”. Sure, that’s an okay definition but it also sounds pretty boring right?
At North York Harvest, we focus on community as part of our mission. It means more than just a boring definition – it means people coming together to make something incredible happen. It’s about respect, sharing, thoughtfulness and dignity.
One such community group in the NYH family has shown those incredible qualities and more.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Norma who resides in Lawrence Heights. This amazing woman brought her community together and is making a huge impact in the lives of others. Norma saw a need in her neighbourhood. She noticed that many of the seniors living in the area survive on very low incomes and, living alone, dealt with fear, depression, rejection and isolation. She realized that she could make a difference.
From gardening and grocery shopping, to coming for a visit and having a cup of coffee with them, Norma has been volunteering to support seniors in Lawrence Heights for years.
Quickly she realized she could bring her community together through the joy of food. When I asked her why food was so important, she told me, “The isolation these seniors feel can cause malnutrition. They are depressed and lonely so having them get together for a meal nourishes more than their bodies, it nourishes their hearts. I try to put myself in their shoes. I hope there is a program for me when I am that age.”
With the help of her neighbours, she put together a social lunch on Mondays for the seniors in her community. She reached out to NYH for food support – and because of your generosity, we were able to provide the ingredients for these meals. They were provided with fresh produce, meat, dairy and canned goods. Your support has also given them the opportunity to start a Wednesday coffee club as well as put on a couple of community barbecues.
I didn’t realize that many of the members of this group suffer from strokes, diabetes, mental illness or do not have the ability to cook for themselves. Norma told me how important the lunches and coffee dates are for seniors to get together in a place that is safe and welcoming.
“Many of the residents are afraid of getting out there because of their age, vulnerability, illness, mobility, depression or isolation. This type of activity gets them out of the house so they can interact with others who understand them. They feel respected.” This is what building community is really about.
She told me about the first meal the group had together and they enjoyed chicken noodle soup. They were delighted to enjoy a fresh cooked meal. “I was almost in tears when a client told me she couldn’t remember the last time she had homemade soup.” The idea of having a homemade bowl of soup may not seem like much, but to others it can mean the world.
As I listened to Norma share, I could hear her passion for these seniors and the role this program plays in their lives. “At the Canada Day barbecue, one of the seniors known for not being very interactive with others was dancing and having a great time. Another lady that can barely walk was dancing and holding hands with her son.”
I asked her how long she’d like to keep this program going – her answer … FOREVER. Her goal is to continue this program as long as the program has the resources to do so.
“We have a social responsibility to our seniors. We were dependent on our elders as children and one day we will be dependent on others. Every bit helps. Everyone involved can do wonders.”
Thanks to your generous support, NYH is able to welcome wonderful initiatives and community programs into our family. Programs like this prove what a community really is.
That’s so much more touching than a boring definition.
To support programs just like this one, please make a gift today!
What do you usually do on Family Day? The holiday is not even a decade old but has already given millions of Canadians an extra day off during the year to take a break and enjoy time with family.
Kathy, Matthew and Christian volunteer regularly at the food bank as a family activity. We love having them around giving support and helping us out with corporate and community sort groups.
When I think of Family Day, I think about families doing something special together. And The Leeder-Chiarottos demonstrate that each day!
Matthew and Christian took some time to answer questions I had just in time for the upcoming holiday.
Tell us about yourselves
We are two brothers, 10 and 12 years old. We live in North York with our mom, dad and our two precious cats Sam and Dean.
How long have you been volunteering?
We have been volunteering with the North York Harvest Food Bank for about a year and a half now.
Why did you decide to volunteer as a family?
We decided to volunteer as a family because we feel pretty lucky for everything that we have. My mom is big on helping others so she wanted us to learn to do the same. There is a lot of negative in the world and we would like to be the positive.
Why choose to volunteer with the food bank?
When you volunteer you need to choose wisely about how you will spend your time. There are not a lot of volunteer opportunities for kids our age that are interesting or that you can get promoted for doing good work.
My mom looked at a bunch of different things for us to do together and when she spoke to Lisa at North York Harvest, she was really positive about us coming in. We love to cook as a family and volunteering with food seemed like a good fit.
Since joining the team, we have had the chance to sort food, help with corporate groups as well as promote the food bank to the community. We have learned a lot about the problems people face putting good food on their tables at home.
Matthew & Christian with MPP Laura Albanese
What is your favourite part about volunteering as a family?
We like volunteering together because we talk and have fun. We meet interesting people and learn from everyone we connect with. After we sort food together or work with a corporate group we feel great. You know that you are making a difference with your family and that’s rewarding.
“You know that you are making a difference with your family and that’s rewarding”
What do you do outside of volunteering?
Outside of volunteering we play a lot of hockey in the winter and golf and tennis in the summer. We hang out with our friends and travel with our parents.
What do you tell your friends about your volunteering experience?
I tell them it is a great experience. Volunteering has changed my life and how I view things. I see that people are less fortunate than I am and I want to help people more. – Christian
The atmosphere at the food bank is great. Everyone is very friendly. Our friends have all asked us if they could come to sort food and help out. When we come to the food bank we don’t see the people who donate and we don’t see the clients that receive the food but we see all the people that come together in the middle to make it happen. Working with all these people, with their own reasons for volunteering, is so fascinating, uplifting and rewarding. Who knew that checking expiry dates, sorting food, making boxes, weighing all the donations could bring so many people together. – Matthew
Any memorable stories you’d like to share?
Last Christmas we were asked if we could help deliver some Christmas presents for one of the Food Bank programs. We all went out over the weekend to make sure that the kids received their gifts. All the kids were so happy to receive something special for themselves. It was moving because we were helping people get their Christmas. We were happy for our own Christmas because we were part of this experience.
One of the corporate groups we worked with was so cool that they decided to do a mannequin challenge during the food sorting. We had been in a flash mob before but never a mannequin challenge. Once everyone stopped laughing we all froze into position while they filmed. They put it to music and posted it on YouTube.
What would you say to someone that was thinking of becoming a volunteer?
Definitely don’t just think about volunteering. Volunteer! Even if you are a kid you can make a difference.
What are your family day plans?
We will make breakfast for our parents because we make wicked pancakes. We’ll probably play a few games. Watch an episode of the X Files. Chill with our cats. Make dinner together in a family master chef challenge
It’s so great hearing about different volunteer experiences! It truly enriches the lives of not only the person benefiting from the service, but also the volunteers themselves.
Thank you so much to Kathy, Matthew and Christian for making a huge difference in the warehouse and in the community!
Hunger doesn’t hibernate and neither did you during the 2016/2017 Winter Food Drive! Because of your INCREDIBLE support, funds, volunteer time and enthusiasm we raised OVER $250,000 & 250,000 lbs. of food!
This means that we can provide 750,000 meals to people that are in need of food this winter. THANK YOU!
There were more than 200 food drives in our great city run by families, volunteers, businesses, schools, faith groups, community groups and more.
Some highlights of the Winter Food Drive include:
Incredible Employee Engagement
The TRCA has been a community partner of NYH for a number of years but recently we have done more projects and programs together. All of the TRCA staff are involved in food and fun fund events to support of the work of NYH!
They’ve collected food, held raffles and draws, hosted food events and had a great time doing it!
During the winter food drive, the TRCA came in to sort food and also held their annual holiday party in support of providing 5,525 meals this winter to families in our communities.
Foods from Around the World
Delarie Murphy, Mutsa A Mawora-Lewis and Sarkis Kurkjian are international students from Citi College . They joined the Winter Food Drive and proved it doesn’t take many people to make a BIG impact. Hailing from Syria, Jamaica & Trinidad; these incredible students raised 530 lbs. of food! Not only that but they knew that many people appreciate food that is familiar when visiting the food bank – so they made sure to donate food they enjoy from back home. Food bank users come from all backgrounds and it is greatly appreciated when they feel comfortable with the food they feed their families.
Redtastic
The Redtastic team is a group of volunteers that dedicate their time to support Kadian when she runs hundreds of sort groups throughout the year. Jane, Janet, Gord, Sari, Bonnie, Linda, Haley, Steve, Enzo, Laura and Willare always reliable and make a big difference in the warehouse. During the winter food drive they were extremely helpful by providing guidance and support to not only Kadian but to new volunteers. Even when a group isn’t scheduled they will make time to come sort during the slot available. They are incredibly dedicated and we couldn’t sort through all of the donations that make it on the food bank shelves without them!
Biggest Food Drive
We had a tie this year for the largest food drive. Schools around the city are huge contributors to the food drives and this year Ledbury Park PS& Faywood ABCboth raised an incredible 4500 lbs. of food EACH! That will provide 13,500 meals to the community!
Families Feeding Families
Michael Bros. Excavating has been a donor to NYH for many years. A company run by siblings Peter, Tullio and Rosemary; they care deeply about giving back to their community.
This year they encouraged employees, vendors and contractors to join them in providing food for families in need. They raised an incredible 2,714 lbs. of food and came by the office 4 times to drop off their donations.
“We are very proud of our employees and brokers and value everyone’s involvement and cooperation. We will definitely encourage our group to once again, collect and drop off non-perishable food in the spring for our Easter Drive.” says Rosemary.
Thank you so much to everyone that put their time, effort, funds and support into making this the best food drive yet!
Thousands of people right in your community are able to access the food they need to get by this winter because of YOU! Thank you!
We are amazed as always by the tremendous support we received during the winter food drive and look forward to sharing a food friendly 2017 with you!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
We all have our own reasons why generosity and sharing is important. We can also show it in different ways. Like making a monetary gift to charity, volunteering or even holding the door open for a stranger.
So we asked some of our amazing donors and volunteers – why do you give?
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!
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!
Your 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.
More 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.
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.
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.
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.
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