Daily Bread shows its true colours

For the fourth year in a row, Daily Bread marched in Toronto’s Pride Parade this July.  Followed by Daily Bread’s Fighting Hunger truck, staff and volunteers showed their stuff in an amazing array of rainbow-coloured Geisha costumes.

Costume planning for the next year begins as soon as one Pride Parade ends, and is spear-headed by Daily Bread’s Food Services Manager, Todd Lamswood and his husband Kenny Brace. Along with friend Doug Willows, hours of work go in to hand-sewing each of the costumes. “Walking in the parade as a part of Daily Bread is a great way to show just how much we support the Pride Parade and what it means. Every year, the reaction is great – people really loved the costumes and we loved being a part of the whole day,” said Todd.

Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who participated. From decorating the truck, driving the truck, making costumes and wearing them! A huge amount of work goes in to this event every year. Most of all, thank you to everyone who came to show their support at this year’s parade!

A donor we can count on

Screening for Poverty: Identifying an Important Social Determinant of Health

“A 41 year-old woman with no documented medical history or family history of disease presents to you complaining of occasional chest pains on exertion. How many would order a stress test to rule-out cardiovascular disease?” asks Dr. Gary Bloch, to a captivated audience of resident physicians currently in training at an academic learning day – a few hands go up. “Now how about if she were a smoker or had high cholesterol?” – several more hands go up. “Now how about if I told you she earned less than $12 000 per year through part-time work, while renting a $600 per month bachelor apartment?” While some more put their hands up, many in the group look at each other, unsure of how this information would impact their diagnostic decision-making.

Dr. Bloch, a Family Physician at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital and a founding member of Healthcare Providers Against Poverty (HPAP), is an advocate for poverty screening. “Just as screening is important for other conditions or risk factors, like smoking, high cholesterol or domestic violence, so too is screening for poverty,” he says. Dr. Bloch and HPAP have been instrumental in producing a primary care intervention tool on poverty that is now endorsed by the Ontario College of Family Physicians and will likely soon be made available to every Family Physician in the province for use in clinical practice. Read the full article by Naheed Dosani at HealthyDebate.ca.

Volunteers celebrate giving back at annual appreciation BBQ

Almost 200 of our dedicated volunteers joined staff outside our warehouse for our annual volunteer appreciation barbeque this July. The volunteers were thrilled to attend and were even happier to be outside underneath our beautiful willow tree, and the rain that was forecasted for the day stayed away.  Last year’s BBQ was held indoors to due to an extreme heat alert, which ended up being the hottest day in Toronto! 

Volunteers were blown away by the homemade burgers, popcorn, and the decorations that were done just for them by staff.  Many people were surprised to see so many other volunteers at one time, because our regular volunteers often work with the same 10 or 15 people and with a 107,000 square foot warehouse, it’s easy to miss the more than 50 volunteers we have daily in the food bank, kitchen, warehouse, sorting floor and reception. It was a nice surprise for them to realize that it takes a lot of extra hands to help us mobilize food to those who are in need.  Thank you Daily Bread Volunteers!

Why Joanna King gives, every month

They say if you do something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. Fortunately, the habit of becoming a monthly donor only takes a few minutes and can last a lifetime!

Joanna King recently formed this habit when she began donating monthly to Daily Bread back in May. Joanna grew up in Toronto hearing about Daily Bread and usually donated during the holiday season. Since starting to work in the not-for-profit sector herself, she knew the impact that monthly donations have. 

With that in mind, when Joanna heard from us last spring, she promptly signed up. “I don’t usually  respond to requests in the mail,” she explains, “but it struck me that it seems crazy we think people are only hungry at Christmas time. People need to eat all year round.” Joanna now donates monthly because “it’s easier on the finances to spread it out and I know that Daily Bread can do more with it. They know what they need and they can purchase more with my donation.”

Joanna wishes that more people knew that many of those who rely on food banks are working for a living, but the money just doesn’t stretch far enough. She’s right. At Daily Bread, we see plenty of “working poor” people. The reliable funding from our monthly donors helps us to meet the growing need for assistance. As Joanna says, “even small amounts add up when multiplied by twelve months. That $20 can be the difference between a kid eating breakfast or going hungry.”

Since becoming a monthly donor, Joanna views her community in a new light. “I see many low-income families in my neighbourhood and feel like I am probably helping people I walk by every day. Being a donor makes you feel connected in a whole new way. It enriches your life.” We agree Joanna! And we thank you and every one of our monthly donors for getting involved and making an impact in our community.