Richmond Hill Community Food Bank
55 Newkirk Rd L4C 3G4 Richmond Hill, ON, Canada

C'mon down to Elgin Barrow Arena parking lot and support today's MP Food Drive for our food bank! It's contactless drop-off from your vehicle, and you might even be rewarded with a hot cup of coffee! Non-perishable food items happily accepted, along with cash donations, too, up to 2 p.m.! Thanks to MP Jowhari and his crew for helping feed hungry families in our community.

MP’S FOOD DRIVE AT ELGIN BARROW ARENA: Mark Saturday, Nov. 21 on your calendar to support MP Majid Jowhari’s Food Drive for our Richmond Hill Food Bank. It’s set for Elgin Barrow Arena at 43 Church St. S., (one block east of Yonge, north of Major Mackenzie) and runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The MP notes: during these challenging times, more and more of our neighbours need the help and support provided by the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank. As we head into the holiday seas...on, please take a few moments to donate to our community food bank. All donations of non-perishable food are gratefully accepted, but critical items needed include: canned meat, canned tuna/salmon, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, jam, instant coffee, macaroni dinners, canned stew, canned vegetables, canned fruit, toothpaste and shampoo. Cash donations will also be accepted. COVID-19 protocols will be in place during this food drive, so please wear a mask! See more

This is the enthusiastic and generous group of people from Richmond Hill Christian Community Church, who did a Thanksgiving food drive for our food bank. Pastor Maymie Lau and the church’s Food Bank Drive Team, with help from ministry assistant Tracy Tang, organized the extremely successful food drive. The donations more than filled the food bank’s van after our first snowfall, and required two more trips to the church to pick up the rest! Our grateful manager, Lee Reynolds, said it’s one of the biggest church food drives we’ve seen for our food bank. Volunteers and especially hungry families are very appreciative!

Bringing our food bank a generous financial donation today, were these representatives of the Retired Teachers of Ontario, District 34 (York Region). Craig Lee (right) is on the executive of the organization, and Donna Smith (centre) is a member. They presented food bank manager Lee Reynolds with a cheque for $2,000, which will be put to good use purchasing perishable food items, which are typically not donated to our food bank. Donna has much empathy and knowledge about food insecurity in Richmond Hill, having helped to start the food bank more than 30 years ago when it was part of Richmond Hill United Church. Thanks to the Retired Teachers organization for helping to feed hungry families in Thornhill and Richmond Hill!

Thornhill residents Arman Danesh and Andrew Mihalache, of the organization Your Hand in Mine, delivered many boxes and containers of food to our food bank this week. They collected some of the food items with other volunteers, and also picked up donated food from Richland Academy all gratefully received by warehouse helper Bob Ewart and volunteer Marney Beck Robinson. In all, it’s estimated to be 900 lbs of food a very welcome and needed boost to our food bank!

When several Richmond Hill Fire vehicles turned up at our food bank this week, it turned a few heads! But clients and volunteers quickly realized it was a mission of food rescue with a truckload of food donations brought to our warehouse from all fire halls across our city. The firefighters unloaded all the food onto shopping buggies and every spare cart and dolly, so volunteers could bring it all into our warehouse. Thanks so much to Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services for having drop-off bins at all fire halls and for bringing much-needed donations to our food bank!

Halloween Haunt for Hunger’s Ken Samells arrived at our warehouse post Halloween with a large drop-off of food donations. He worried that pandemic restrictions on trick or treating might affect the level of food donations, but his neighbour, Brad, and his team from York Regional Traffic Services helped ensure the Oct. 31 food drive was an overwhelming success. Ken also handed some cash donations to our manager, Lee Reynolds, who passed on grateful thanks on behalf of everyone at the food bank.

Sincere thanks to the Oak Ridges Lions Club and No Frills for making this fall food drive on Oct. 17 happen - our food bank manager and our clients are very grateful! Top photo shows our manager, Lee Reynolds, receiving the cheque and non-perishable donations at our food bank on Oct. 20.

Thanks again for your Thanksgiving food drive, and we're delighted to hear that Canadian Tire plans to do another food drive in December for our food bank!

Today Rev. Philip Der of St. Christopher’s Anglican Church (left) brought in a very generous financial donation to our food bank, gratefully received by our manager, Lee Reynolds. She answered questions of the representatives of St. Christopher, telling them how our food bank operates and explaining how financial donations are used to buy perishable items not contributed by the community, such as eggs, meat, milk and cheese. In the many weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we appreciate all food and financial donations from the many generous and supportive churches in our community, such as St. Christopher’s thanks so much!

Just before Thanksgiving, Holy Trinity School teacher Brian Csinos (left), director of experiential learning at the Richmond Hill school, brought in a carload of donations from the school’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. He delivered nine grocery buggies worth of food items from the students and the school’s Help the Society organization to our warehouse helper Bob Ewart. Our manager, Lee Reynolds, told Mr. Csinos that especially during the pandemic, when some schools have been forced to curtail their fall food drives, food donations from Holy Trinity are especially appreciated. For many years, the students and staff at Holy Trinity have supported the food bank, and in this challenging year, their ongoing support is even more gratefully received.

Harvey's dropped by recently to donate coupons for free hamburgers for our front-line volunteers and our clients. Their representative handed out the coupons via a social distancing hockey stick to Lucy, while fellow volunteers Ann and Becky hold our food bank thank you sign. This delicious donation is much appreciated!

For four days prior to Thanksgiving, the Canadian Tire store on Silver Linden at High Tech Road in Richmond Hill did an internal staff food drive for our food bank. They also encouraged customers to donate items or cash. The result was two large shopping carts of food some purchased with donated funds by Assistant General Manager Bronwyn Ellison (centre, long red hair) that pretty much filled an SUV! Our food bank manager and volunteers are so appreciative that this Canadian Tire store and its employees have been spreading the word about our food bank and actively supporting hungry families in our community - thank you!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING: Vanessa Ley and Heidi Kreiner-Ley from Jos. Kreiner Real Estate Ltd brokerage in Richmond Hill brought in a carload of frozen meat days before Thanksgiving weekend to distribute to our food bank clients. The very generous donation, purchased at Longo’s, was gratefully received by food bank board member and volunteer Marney Beck Robinson. We’re wishing all families in Richmond Hill a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and blessings, noted Heidi, a sentime...nt shared by our Richmond Hill Food Bank board members, volunteers and general manager Lee Reynolds, who reminds both donors and clients that the food bank is closed Monday for the holiday. You can safely support your local food bank any day of the week by going online to our website richmondhillcommunityfoodbank.ca, then click on the donate button and receive an immediate receipt! See more

On Tuesday, Florence Wang (above, black mask) brought in many boxes and bins filled with food donations collected during last Saturday’s German Mills Community Thanksgiving Food Drive, which were gratefully received by our manager, Lee Reynolds. Florence and her neighbours also sold face masks to benefit our Richmond Hill Food Bank, which serves hungry families and individuals from both Thornhill and Richmond Hill. Another generous financial donation brought in recently was from representatives of Verve Senior Living in Richmond Hill (second photo). Our board of directors and all our clients are so thankful for this support during this season of Thanksgiving!

Ontario Provincial Police and 407 ETR teamed up at the end of September to give our food bank a big boost. Standing in front of the food bank van to receive the financial and food donations were warehouse helper Bob Ewart and manager Lee Reynolds. They were very grateful to receive 1,300 pounds of food, plus $320 in financial donations from the OPP 407 detachment, represented by Officer Gerry Klassen (far left), and 407 ETR liaison Steve Diminie (far right). Richmond Hill resident Craig Callan (second from right) helped facilitate the donation to support our food bank and they all smiled safely from behind their masks during the transfer of the food into our food bank van. Many thanks from our volunteers and clients during this season of Thanksgiving!

WOW, what a truckload of donations was brought in today to our food bank from the North Toronto Chinese Alliance Church on Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill! Food bank manager Lee Reynolds (far right) gives a happy thumbs up for all the food brought in by Assistant Pastor Rev. Richard Xu and his team. As part of their Thanksgiving food drive from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4, they did a four-hour church drive through, which helped them collect even more food items. Our manager, our board of directors, and most of all, our hungry client families say a big thank you!

On Saturday our Richmond Hill MPP Daisy Wai showed her support for the food bank at the neighbourhood Thanksgiving food drive in southwest Richmond Hill. She Tweeted out this photo and message: "Please consider making a donation to your local food bank. Earlier today, I donated masks designed for children to our local Food Bank in Richmond Hill. They will distribute masks to people who need them. Thanksgiving is around the corner & they need all the support they can get!" Thanks to Daisy, and all those who brought food to the two food drives in Richmond Hill and Thornhill on Saturday and remember, you can easily donate, securely and safely, online by going to our website richmondhillcommunityfoodbank.ca and click on the red "donate" button.

SMOKE ALARM DONATION: Today fire prevention educator Shanyn Godward (left) and Richmond Hill Fire & Emergency Services personnel donated life-saving smoke and CO2 alarms for client families served by our food bank. A pleased longtime volunteer and food bank board member Mary MacCon (in face shield) accepted 250 alarms and accompanying fire safety kits. While supplies last, they will be offered to individuals and families coming to our food bank a wonderful, tangible way to help keep residents safe in their homes. Our manager, Lee Reynolds, and board of directors are sincerely grateful for this donation.

Sincere thanks to the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill for collecting food for our food bank during last weekend's Bottle and Food Drive. Your support of the less fortunate in our community is outstanding!

THORNHILL FOOD DRIVE: If you live on the Markham side of Thornhill, there’s a Thanksgiving food drive coming to your neighbourhood this Saturday! Florence Wang and family are presenting a German Mills Community Thanksgiving Food Drive and Mask Sale to benefit the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank at their home at 3 Groveview Court, south of John Street and west of Don Mills Road. Come anytime Sat., Oct. 3 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and drop off urgently needed non-perishable food or hygiene items (see list on the flyer). If you need masks, there will be a collection of face masks available for purchase; with funds also being donated to our food bank. Efforts such as these really help feed hungry families in Thornhill and Richmond Hill. Come support the less fortunate in your community during this season of giving.