Hunger Action Month comes every September, but this year it’s timed perfectly to place food insecurity and poverty at the centre of municipal elections. Through collective action, we can make sure candidates know they need to prioritize poverty-reduction policies in order to get elected on October 26.
Toronto is deep in an affordability crisis. The city saw 4.1 million food bank visits last year, an inconceivable 340% increase since 2019. One in 10 people in Toronto are relying on food banks to access the food they need. Of these food bank clients, 1 in 4 is a child.
This Hunger Action Month, let’s choose a different path for our city. Here are seven actions you can take to help those facing hunger now and to move us closer to a hunger-free future:
For your next celebration, ask your friends and family to forgo buying presents and instead donate that money to put food on empty tables. Rally your coworkers in a fundraising competition or kick off a donations campaign for your school or congregation. Our online platform makes it easy to start personal, workplace, community or school fundraisers.
What would you ask Toronto’s next mayor? We’re hosting the first major mayoral debate of the election season on Monday, September 14, and we’ll be posing a few questions from the public to the leading candidates on stage.
Submit a question for consideration to ask candidates about their plans to tackle affordability, housing, hunger, or another issue that matters most to you, then register to watch the debate live or bookmark our livestream.
We’re looking for volunteers ages 11+ for the Purolator Red Bag campaign on two upcoming Saturdays: September 19 and September 26. Volunteers will be dropping off empty red bags or picking up bags filled with food donations in the following neighbourhoods: East York, Broadview North, Leaside North, Leaside South, Mount Pleasant East, Corso Italia, South Etobicoke, Runnymede, and The Kingsway. Register for your preferred location and shift at our volunteer registration hub.
Read our latest Who’s Hungry report to understand the current state of food insecurity in Toronto or check out Feed Ontario’s Hunger in My Community tool, which breaks down the food bank use in your riding. Watch our videos to learn about the root cause of food insecurity and what we can do to solve it. When you’re done, share these resources with your networks to spread the word.
Collect non-perishable food items from your friends, families, neighbours or coworkers and drop them off at your local fire hall to help keep local food bank shelves stocked. Bonus: If you’re a high school student in need of volunteer hours, you can earn one hour for every 25 items collected if you register your drive with us and let us know you’re a student earning hours. Find out more.
Give what you can in a one-time donation or become a monthly donor to help provide nutritious food all year.
Multiply the impact of your action exponentially by posting about it on social media with the hashtag #HungerActionMonth. You never know who in your network will be inspired to roll up their sleeves, too! Tag us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X or TikTok so we can amplify your voice.
Thank you so much for your help during Hunger Action Month. Supporters like you are the reason we’re able to meet Toronto’s need while we advocate for policy solutions that will end hunger in the future.
