On October 12, nearly 200 volunteers gathered at Daily Bread Food Bank to help sort and pack 42,237 pounds of food for the thousands of Torontonians turning to food banks for emergency food access. The day served as a powerful reminder of the impact we can make when we come together with a shared purpose.
“One in ten Torontonians is relying on you today to be able to get the food that they need for their family,” said Neil Hetherington, CEO, Daily Bread Food Bank, to on-site volunteers. “As much as we are going to work today and sweat today, we are going to use that to fuel us to advocate a little harder.”
The event was attended by several local policymakers, affording us the opportunity to have open conversations with them about the state of Toronto’s food insecurity crisis. Attendees included Mayor Olivia Chow; Premier Doug Ford; MPP Christine Hogarth; MP James Maloney; Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services; and Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure.
Mayor Chow spoke on-site to the incredible spirit of community shown by our volunteers: “You are giving hope, you are giving food, and you are sending a message to people in Toronto that they are not alone.”
Premier Ford echoed this sentiment, emphasizing how people from all walks of life and political backgrounds united to support a common cause. “Together, we are so much stronger,” he remarked. He also urged community members to join in the cause by donating essential food items: “If you have a tin of food, dry goods, please come down to the Daily Bread Food Bank or drop food off at your local fire hall.”
Over the last six months, there have been close to 2 million client visits to Daily Bread member food banks in Toronto — this is a 25% increase compared to the same period last year. Now more than ever we must rely on the support of community members, like those who attended the Thanksgiving public food sort, to partner with us in the fight to end hunger in our city.
You can make a difference. Donate today to help us meet our ambitious Thanksgiving drive goals of $4.6 million and 200,000 pounds of food raised by October 31.
