Last December, I was a very small part of something extraordinary. We held the first ever Toronto Miracle in aid of our city's food insecure. I even recorded a podcast about it.
As the pandemic persists, the need for food access keeps growing. Too many Torontonians struggle to access safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. Rising food prices and housing costs are forcing thousands of people, who were already living close to the edge, to access food banks and community food programs. Daily Bread Food Bank reports that visits have increased more than 50% in the last 12 months with over 124,000 visits in June 2021 alone. And according to Food Banks Canada HungerCount 2021, one third of food bank clients are children.
Toronto Miracle returns for a second year and invites residents of Toronto to register for pickup and then leave a non-perishable food item on their doorstep on December 4 by 10:00 am. Volunteers will collect the donations which will be redistributed to community agencies. The one-day event aims to bring together all 140 Toronto neighbourhoods to raise 250,000 pounds of non-perishable food items in a single day.
“I think many Torontonians would be surprised to learn the breadth of community food programs that exist in our city, and just how many people lean on them for food access,” said Kiera Toffelmire, spokesperson for Toronto Miracle. “Be it the person sitting next to you on the TTC or the student who cashed you out earlier today, our neighbours need our support. We are calling on you, Toronto, to make this miracle happen.”
Toronto Miracle is working with established food security organizations, including Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest, Second Harvest Canada, Scarborough Food Security Initiative and Salvation Army, to assist in the collection and distribution of the food. These organizations collectively serve over 300 community agencies across the city.
Torontonians can show their support by donating non-perishable food items on December 4, volunteering for the event, and helping to spread awareness of this inspiring initiative. People interested in donating can visit torontomiracle.org/donate and complete the pickup registration form. For volunteer opportunities, visit torontomiracle.org/volunteer.
About Toronto Miracle
Toronto Miracle is a city-wide food drive started in 2020 by a group of Torontonians who were concerned about the impact COVID-19 was having on our city. Inspired by similar successful events held in Chatham-Kent, Windsor-Essex, Northwest Territories and Montreal, community members decided to run an event in Toronto that would give everyone an equal opportunity to participate in making a difference.
