On Saturday, April 4, more than 200 volunteers brought energy, teamwork and a shared sense of purpose to Daily Bread Food Bank for the annual spring food sort. In just a few hours, they sorted an incredible 49,969 pounds of food, which will be distributed to Daily Bread’s more than 200 food programs across Toronto.
The event also welcomed several elected officials, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mayor Olivia Chow, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa, MPP Lee Fairclough (Etobicoke–Lakeshore), MPP Michelle Cooper (Eglington-Lawrence) and Councillor Amber Morley (Etobicoke–Lakeshore).
Premier Ford welcomed volunteers, thanked them for giving their time over the holiday weekend, and spoke about the importance of working together, across political lines and all levels of government, to support communities. The premier and other elected officials also joined volunteers on the sorting line and wished everyone a safe and happy holiday.
But the heart of the day belonged to the volunteers themselves. Addressing the room, Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington spoke to both the urgency of the crisis and the power of collective advocacy.
“Right now, more than one in 10 Torontonians rely on Daily Bread for food,” he said. “For too many of those people, hunger doesn’t take a holiday. By giving their time this weekend, our volunteers are sending a clear message: this level of need should not be accepted as the new normal. The nearly 50,000 pounds of food sorted today represents nearly 50,000 meals—meals that will nourish seniors, families and countless others struggling to put food on the table across our city.”
Neil also stressed that emergency food support alone is not enough to address the root causes of hunger. He emphasized the need for policy reform, pointing to ongoing efforts to work with elected officials to strengthen the Ontario Disability Support Program, safeguard the Canada Disability Benefit and improve social assistance programs so people can afford to live with dignity.
Daily Bread’s Spring Food Drive runs until May 19, with a goal of raising $3.7 million and 1.2 million pounds of food to help meet historic levels of need across the city.
To the volunteers who joined us this weekend and to everyone contributing what they can—thank you for being part of the movement to end hunger in Toronto.
Make a difference today by donating to Daily Bread Food Bank and supporting emergency food programs across the city.
