What We’re Building Together – And Why It’s Bigger Than Food

On February 10, more than 100 North York Harvest Food Bank community members stood outside Toronto City Hall as the city debated its annual budget.

Many had never been there before. Some had never spoken publicly before. But they were there to talk about something they live every day: what it means to try to make ends meet in a city where the cost of living continues to rise. 

Hundreds of people from community organizations across Toronto stood shoulder to shoulder on a frosty February afternoon to make their voices heard. Our community members stepped up to the microphone and spoke about rising rents, unstable work, and the trade-offs they’re forced to make every day. 

For Kanma, a community ambassador, it was a powerful moment. “Standing in front of so many people and speaking on behalf of our community – it felt both nerve-wracking and empowering. Being able to stand up and speak publicly gave me a chance to say our experiences matter, and that we deserve to be heard.” 

“It reminded me that ordinary people have the power to stand up for what is right,” she says. “For me, it was about courage, solidarity, and believing our voices can help create change.”

Where change begins

The rally was a pivotal moment – but it didn’t start there. What happened that day is part of a broader shift in how North York Harvest Food Bank is approaching its work – one that has been building over time.

That work is called NOTICE.

NOTICE is a campaign that brings people together to speak directly about the conditions shaping their lives, and to be part of the decisions that affect them.

“One of the things that I like about NOTICE is that it turns something that can feel really isolating and stigmatizing into something empowering,” says Chiara Padovani, former Senior Specialist in Advocacy and Community Engagement at North York Harvest. “Because you’re not doing things by yourself. You’re coming together, and working together, to build a community and movement of people experiencing the same challenges.”

That shift – from isolation to shared experience – is where change begins.

From support to something more

For decades, food banks have been designed to respond to immediate need. That work remains essential. But as demand continues to rise year after year, it has become increasingly clear that emergency responses alone cannot solve a long-standing, systemic issue.

“We know the emergency food work we do is critical,” says Sarah Watson, Director of Community Engagement at North York Harvest. “It’s an answer to people not having enough food today. But we also know that it doesn’t move the dial on the long-term food security of folks.”

Over time, that struggle has led to a broader question: What role can a food bank play – not just in responding to emergency need, but in addressing the conditions that create it? At North York Harvest, that question has led to an expansion of what the work can look like. Not instead of food access, but alongside it.

“What we realized is we can create space for the people experiencing this crisis to be heard in their own words,” Watson says.

Bigger than food

Today, North York Harvest’s broader approach includes advocacy, community organizing, and creating pathways for people to engage in policy decisions that affect their lives.

Through NOTICE, community members are sharing their experiences directly – whether that’s through public events, policy conversations, or ongoing engagement with decision-makers.

“Community food spaces aren’t just about providing food,” says Brianna Greaves, Senior Manager of Programs at North York Harvest. “They’re also an opportunity where people can come together and break some of the isolation and most importantly, start to build community power and a strong and unified voice to advocate for change.”

Putting the world on NOTICE

NOTICE is built on that shift: from individual experience to shared experience, and from shared experience to collective voice. A voice that’s ready to demand attention.

“So many times, people are the ones getting put on notice,” says Chiara. “Notice of insufficient funds, notice of arrears… all of these things that feel really scary and intimidating.”

“What NOTICE does is flip that. It’s saying that actually, this isn’t a personal failure. All my neighbours, all the folks in the food bank, are experiencing the same thing. And now we’re putting the drivers of poverty on notice.”

Do you agree that hunger and poverty in our city have gone unnoticed and underfunded for too long? Join NOTICE and fight for a city for all of us!