Tag Archive: volunteers

  1. World Food Day

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    Today is World Food Day and we want to know what it means to you?

    Does it make you think about all of your favourite foods?

    How they taste or smell?

    How they are made?

    Where they come from?

    Or does it make you think about people who may not have enough food to eat?

    World Food Day was created to be a day of action against hunger across the world.  October 16th was declared World Food Day in 1945 by the United Nations in an effort to end hunger.

    Many people don’t think of their community when they think of hunger in the world.  It seems to be something that you only really see on television or in the news.  But the reality is that almost 1 million Canadians use a food bank every month.  13,000 of them happen to be your own neighbours.

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    Hunger and the need for help can happen to anyone.  Low wages, loss of a job, family tragedy, health issues, and many more reasons contribute to poverty in Toronto.  54% of the people that use our services have skipped meals in order to pay for other things such as utilities, rent, transportation or even so their own children can have a meal.  A parent never wants to make the choice between feeding their children and paying the rent.

    What can you do to help?

    There are many ways that you can get involved in your community and help put an end to hunger in your own backyard.

    Together we can make a real impact and help parents, grandparents and children overcome the struggle of not having anything to eat.

    Today is World Food Day, but let’s make every day the day that we lend a hand to those in need.

    “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
    – Dr. Seuss

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  2. National Volunteer Week

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    Dear Volunteer,

    It’s National Volunteer Week in Canada, and we want to take a moment to highlight you, the people that fuel North York Harvest Food Bank’s mission, day in and day out.

    Each year North York Harvest Food Bank works with over 2000 volunteers, over 120 of which are “Core Volunteers” who come in at least once a month. You put together food hampers, answer the phones and ride on our trucks as delivery assistants. You are not just helpers, but ambassadors of our organization. You provide fresh perspectives and deepen our connection to the community of Northern Toronto. But most importantly, you share our vision of a city where no one goes hungry, and work tirelessly help families in need put food on the table.

    “At North York Harvest, we work with so many amazing volunteers”, says Lisa Anderson, Manager of Volunteer Services. “Your optimism, caring, hard-work, and grace are inspiring.”

    Your community and corporate volunteer groups also play a huge role in helping those struggling with hunger. So far this year we’ve seen you organize an incredible 341 food drives. During this same period we’ve also had over 1700 people attend our volunteer group food sorts, helping to sort and package 265,000 lbs of food. Martine Valentine, an employee of CIBC, and a long-time supporter of NYHFB, has been helping coordinate corporate food drives and public sorts in her office for years.

    “It is important to us as an organization to assist our neighbours in need”, says Martine. “We especially enjoy contributing in a positive way to the community in which we work. It is a great feeling to chip in, help out in anyway way we can, large or small. It gives us an appreciation for what we have, which is plenty.”

    So thank you, volunteers. Thank you for your hard work and for the lives you’ve changed. We wouldn’t have made it this far without your dedication and support.

    Click here to find out about current volunteer opportunities, or email lisa@northyorkharvest.com to get involved today.