Another Voice of Support

Hi Wendy,

I had a wonderful day on the truck with Blaine. It was very rewarding and eye opening. You don't always realize the depth and breadth of need for food in Toronto, but the 6 stops we made that day helped me gain a better understanding of the types of agencies and groups and individuals that Second Harvest is helping. While I enjoyed the day, it also made me realize how fortunate I am and have been. I think everyone should do this at least once.

I intend to do it again in the coming year - more than once. I will be in touch when I have some dates determined. I'd like to do a couple of weekdays to be able to see the agencies in the downtown core that Second Harvest supports.

I’m not sure if I can do this over email, but I'd also like to increase my monthly donation. I can see that it takes a huge amount of funding just to keep the trucks fuelled and running smoothly. We were in one of the new trucks - what a generous, worthwhile donation. (No problems getting up and down at the back.)

Thank you for the opportunity to volunteer with Second Harvest. I'll be back!

Kind Regards,

Janice Baker

Words From a Volunteer

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to volunteer as an assistant to a Second Harvest driver. The experience demonstrated to me the very real benefit that Second Harvest provides to communities in need in the Toronto area. Growing up in the suburbs and living in Etobicoke, I have not been exposed to the economic diversity in Toronto. To ride the Second Harvest truck was an eye-opener for me. It helped me realize the need for food distribution programs like Second Harvest and other practical charities that support the Toronto community.

I would describe the experience as "fantastic”. I enjoyed meeting the people from the different community centers. They were all very grateful for the food donations. In some cases, such as the community in Jamestown, it seemed like a community event to take food from the truck into the center. I also met the wonderful folks at Howard Park church. They volunteer their time to prepare food provided by Second Harvest to meet the needs of the community.

Part of the day also included a pick up from the Loblaws located at Dundas and Jane. The Loblaws staff had the meat ready for Second Harvest prior to the pick up. From my brief interaction with these Loblaws staff members, I could tell that they recognize the benefit that Second Harvest provides to the community and they were happy to help out.

The day could not have taken place without Grant, a Second Harvest driver. Grant was most professional and demonstrated this professionalism in all aspects of his job. He is an excellent and careful driver. Furthermore, he interacted with the front line staff and volunteers in a very respectful and professional manner. It seems to me that Grant really enjoys his job representing Second Harvest by picking up and delivering food in the Toronto area. Grant made the experience an enjoyable one.

I know I will continue to think about the experience for some time. Thanks again for the opportunity to volunteer.

Warm Regards,

James Willis

Lunch Money Day

On February 23rd hundreds of workplaces and schools organized Lunch Money Day drives to help raise money for Second Harvest. A warm thank you to everyone who donated money or volunteered their time to make Lunch Money Day such a success. Here are a few stories from the day:

Summerlee Office Solutions
We held a Potluck Lunch. Everyone signed up in advance to bring in a particular (home-made) dish in support of the pot luck lunch. One staff member was in at 7:00 AM with her roast and slow-cooker to make Pulled Pork Sandwiches. People were encouraged to either make a donation or purchase raffle tickets. The lunch was ahuge success. We all ahd very full stomachs by the time the lunch was over, which helped remind us of why we were there.

Bell, Temple
We actually celebrate a "Second Harvest" week. Each day we have a fundraising campaign. Bell, Temple donated gift cards to be used as prizes. One day we will play Bingo - selling bingo cards. Another day a raffle for the gift card prize. Anotehr day we create a game and sell game cards. Another day we will draw for Leaf/Raptors tickets taht hve been donated. Also, the firm allows us to raffle a "Get out of jail free" day. This is basically an extra day vacatino to whomever wins. Tickets are sold at $2 each or 3 for $5. We usually raise over $200 on this one raffle!

Rogers
This year, we continued with our traditional canvassing, raffle ticket sales, and lunchtime events, but we wanted to try something new to spice up our campaign. We decided to put together a cookbook. It turned into a wonderful compilation of recipes from 150 employee submissions. Our initial small print run sold out in less than half an hour and one volunteer had to run back and forth between the sales tables and printing house. We ended up selling more than 300 books.

Maple Leaf Foods
We tried a new idea this year - a lunch buffet. The meat and bread products were donated internally. Employees in our office paid $5 and made their own sandwich at the buffet. We had abuot 75% participation from the employees

Conway Davis Gryski LLP
Everyone at our firm contributes what they can to the 'pot'. We use the money collected to buy lunch for everyone and then the firm doubles the amount adn sends it as a donation to Lunch Money Day. In addition to supporting a great cause, Lunch Money Day provides our small but very busy firm a chance to sit down together, socialize, and talk about issues not related to work.

Starbucks Lunch

I’d to give a big thank you to Sam and all the Starbucks employees at the 110 Bloor West location near Avenue Road. Their assistance and enthusiasm really helped make our Lunch Money Day collection drive a success. Our table was strategically placed near the line-up so patrons had to at least hear what the two people wearing chef hats had to say about supporting Second Harvest. It also helped that we gave away hors d’oevres sized sample sandwiches which hopefully stimulated some sandwich sales for Starbucks.By the way, I personally recommend the Madagascar Chicken.

Subway Lunch Money

I arrived at Sheppard subway station at 6:15 in the morning to put up some posters and set up the Lunch Money Day drive. I couldn’t believe how many commuters were up at that hour. Kudos to the work ethic of the early risers and kudos to all the commuters who stopped their rush to work and donated some money to Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Day campaign. We received $19,082.86 from TTC riders!

Turkey Delights

A couple weeks ago, I participated in the Second Harvest turkey drive. At first, I wasn’t too happy to be there—it was a Sunday, and I felt that my weekend off from school was being wasted, but my feelings changed throughout the morning. We arrived at a massive Loblaws in downtown Toronto at about nine o’clock. There were only a couple early-morning shoppers, but we got started right away, selling turkeys so that they can be donated to families who needed a good Christmas dinner. My brother and I smiled and said, “Would you like to donate a turkey?” about a million times. Some shoppers would just refuse politely, others would motor away at top speed, but many people were kind and donated a turkey (or sometimes more) for families in need. It was a totally new experience for me, and it was a lot of fun. Plus, I got to use the P. A. system in the supermarket, and see a grown man run around in a turkey suit! All in all, at this time of year, volunteering is a great way to help out, and it leaves you feeling like you made someone else happy for the holidays!

Courtney