Fort York comes to College St.

logo for Fort York Food BankThe Fort York Food Bank has moved to 380 College at Borden. Opening times are 9am to 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Around 60 clients a day now visit the site, and trucks from Daily Bread and Second Harvest deliver supplies twice a week each. The name comes from its original location (as Daily Bread Food Bank) at Bathurst and Front. It then operated for 13 years from a storefront at Bathurst and Dundas.

The Fort York Food Bank (FYFB) is a well-established charitable organization that offers counselling, training, and advocacy as well as basic nutritional requirements. It serves the area from the lake to Bloor, and from Yonge to Dovercourt. FYFB provides food for local seniors, students, and families to cook at home, and will soon resume offering hot meals to people coming in to pick up groceries. Clients register with the service to receive three-day supplies of food, and to connect with other community programs, use a computer for job and housing searches, and fill out government forms such as income tax returns.

Non-perishable and fresh food is brought to the side door on Borden at four set times each week, and is unloaded swiftly. Volunteers run the operation, with only one paid employee. The Fort York Food Bank is recognized for its efficiency in ensuring that donations of labour, food, and money work together for maximum effect.

The website at fyfb.com offers a wealth of information about this multiservice organization, with links for donations and information about volunteering. You can follow its current news on  Facebook and Twitter as well. A printable PDF file from 2014  (download it here) uses statistics and narratives for a vivid overview. The photos below show some of the basics. Use the white arrows to see the whole set.

You are welcome to visit the operation yourself to see how it works and make yourself known as a neighbour. The Project Manager Mike Schoonheyt and the Volunteer Coordinator Margaret Cantwell can be reached onsite at 416.203.3011 or through the email address info@fyfb.com.