Oasis Dufferin Community Centre has been serving the Dufferin-Davenport community since 1994. At the time, founder Phyllis Ortiz saw the need for new Canadians to have access to a place that would meet their emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Since then, it has become an integral part of the dynamic community it serves.   At the heart of their programming is a holistic approach to support. “We strive to create diverse programs that focus on overall health, as well as mental health”, says Harry, Food Programs Manager at Oasis Dufferin.   In addition to their food bank ..read more

In the spirit of National Volunteer Week, we wanted to take a moment to express our profound gratitude to the incredible individuals who dedicate their time and energy to support our mission. Throughout the week-long celebration, we’ve been humbled by the generosity and selflessness of over 3,505 volunteers who collectively contributed a staggering 99,011 hours of service in this fiscal year alone. These volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization, enabling us to provide emergency food access for the one in ten Torontonians that rely on food banks. Their tireless efforts have allowed us t ..read more

The federal government has taken an important step on the Canada Disability Benefit by launching the program in the 2024 budget, however, the funding allocation and roll-out details are inadequate in providing the support people living with disabilities urgently need. The budget allocates $6.1 billion to the Canada Disability Benefit over six years and will be available to an estimated 600,000 Canadians starting in July 2025. Eligibility for this program has been set to Canadians with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate. Additionally, the program will be capped at $2,400 per year for eac ..read more

The Housing Help Centre (THHC), located at Kennedy Road and Lawrence Avenue, has been a Daily Bread Food Bank member agency since 2022. What started as a way of supporting individuals and families facing issues of food access due to the COVID-19 pandemic, very quickly required a restructuring of the program to better meet the community’s rising needs.  As their name suggests, The Housing Help Centre doesn’t just offer a food program. Their small but mighty team offers a holistic approach to support; helping low-income clients access rental housing, along with employment resources, and now ..read more

On April 11, Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank, testified at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to discuss the state of food insecurity in Canada and solutions moving forward. Prior to the pandemic, Daily Bread would serve approximately 65,000 clients per month. The pandemic doubled this number to a crisis level of 120,000, and finally, this past February this number hit a record high rate of 301, 354 clients served. Each month in Toronto, there are now 13,000 individuals who make use of a food bank for the first time. Nationally, this growth has increased by 30 ..read more

Research shows that around 10–12 per cent of Canadians do not file a tax return, thereby missing out on benefits they may be entitled to receive. Unfortunately, this is much higher among individuals living in poverty.  Daily Bread’s latest report from the Click/Hear program, through which we regularly survey participating food bank clients, examines the barriers that food bank clients face when it comes to tax filing and explores prospective solutions to ensure people receive the benefits they are entitled to.   As food bank use increases to historic levels, with a new record of ..read more

In a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), in partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank and Disability Without Poverty, Canadians were asked about their views on the Canada Disability Benefit. Although results found overwhelming support for the benefit, Canadians are critical of the pace of implementation and do not trust that government will follow through. The survey conducted by ARI found the following: Overall, nine-in-ten (91%) say they support the proposed Canada Disability Benefit, including at least four-in-five of past Conservative voters (83%), and nearly all past Liberal ..read more

In the lead-up to the highly anticipated federal budget on April 16, Canadians from coast to coast are raising their voices in unison, advocating for a cause that transcends partisan lines: the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).   A recent survey, conducted by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank and Disability Without Poverty, has unveiled that over nine-in-ten (91%) Canadians support the Canada Disability Benefit.   This includes at least four-in-five past Conservative voters (83%), and near unanimous support among past Liberal (98%), NDP (99%) and ..read more

As you approach the church that houses Grace Pascoe Care Centre (Grace Pascoe) on a Thursday evening, the first thing you’ll see is the line that snakes down the road.   Grace Pascoe, a Daily Bread agency for years, had shut down soon after the pandemic started for many reasons. But in 2022, when the church that housed the program reached out to the local Beaches community, resident Adrienne decided she wanted to give back and assist with it.   She reached out to her own connections, who helped set the revitalized program into motion. Though Adrienne and the volunteers had ..read more

What began as a random act of kindness by Otto Pick irrevocably changed the trajectory of the Pick family.  It set a path to the creation of the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation – a foundation that would ultimately be responsible for hundreds more acts of kindness.  In 1938, Otto Pick, accustomed to helping strangers, offered a ride to a bedraggled hitchhiker travelling from neighbouring Germany.  The hitchhiker shared stories of the atrocities taking place under the Nazi regime, warning that Hitler’s army would soon invade Otto’s home country of Czechoslova ..read more