The JRA’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive is back on Sept 30 at Cintas (Runnymede and Dundas) from 10-1pm.
We host this food drive to address the following realities in our community:
· In 2022, there were close to 1.97 million food bank visits to Daily Bread Food Bank Agencies — the highest number of visits ever recorded in the city's history, and a 42% increase over the year prior.
· Before the pandemic, there were about 65,000 client visits per month. The pandemic doubled this to 120,000. Now, visits have more than doubled again to 270,000 in May 2023!
· Close to one in three food bank visits are children and youth
· Almost one in two food bank clients reported a disability or health condition that is expected to last a year or more
· Food bank respondents disproportionately identified as Black (18%) or Indigenous (3%) compared to the general population (10% of the Toronto population identifies as Black, while 1% identify as Indigenous).
· 29% of adult food bank client respondents reported going hungry at least once per week or more, and this was the case of 12% of children. 24% of children were going hungry at least once a month (includes those going hungry weekly).
JRA Community Champion Volunteers will be handing out bags and flyers on their streets across the Junction the weekend of Sept 23/24. The flyer lists the most needed items. Please fill your bag and put it on your porch or somewhere visible on Sept 30th for pick up. If you do not receive a bag or if your food donation is missed, you can drop off your bag at the JRA’s contactless drive-thru at Cintas (Runnymede/Dundas) on Sept 30th between 10am-1pm.
All the food collected will be collected and distributed by Daily Bread Food Bank supporting many programs located right here in our neighbourhood.
Thank you for caring about your community!
Do you Need Food? The JRA believes that access to food is a basic human right, not a privilege. To find a food bank or for up-to-date information on your nearest food bank please contact 211, or visit www.211Toronto.ca