Hand Up Toronto Marks Hunger Action Month Amid City’s Food Insecurity Emergency

September 2025 – This Hunger Action Month, Hand Up Toronto is highlighting the urgent need for action against food insecurity, following the City of Toronto’s declaration of a food insecurity emergency in January 2025. With food insecurity affecting thousands of households across the city, Hand Up Toronto continues to deliver healthy, accessible food and vital support to families through its twice-monthly pick-up program at Scadding Court Community Centre.

The program, powered by volunteers and made possible through the generous support of partners such as Foodshare and Global Medic, has grown into an essential service for hundreds of Toronto families. 

In just one year, the initiative has:

• Distributed 2,309 food boxes across 22 pick-up events

• Served 408 unique families, each receiving an average of 5 boxes

• Provided 1,973 boxes to pre-registered families and 336 to walk-in participants

• Donated 39 surplus boxes to the Bike Brigade, further extending community impact

• Supplied 1,741 TTC passes, reducing transportation barriers for families accessing support

Beyond food distribution, Hand Up Toronto works to connect families with wraparound supports at Scadding Court. The Human Services Integration team from the City of Toronto joins monthly to provide access to social services. Families have also benefited from hygiene kits from Step Stones for Youth, children’s books from Green Dupatta, and contributions from other community partners, helping reflect Hand Up Toronto’s commitment to dignity, opportunity, and holistic community care.

“Food insecurity is a crisis in our city,” say volunteers at Hand Up Toronto. “Hunger Awareness Month is about recognizing this reality and pushing for long-term change, and it’s an opportunity to highlight that community-driven supports are possible when we come together.”

Hand Up Toronto extends its gratitude to Scadding Court, community partners, volunteers, and donors for making this work possible. As Toronto faces unprecedented demand for hunger relief, the organization remains committed to ensuring families have access not only to food, but also the resources they need to thrive.

Hand Up Toronto is a volunteer-powered nonprofit dedicated to addressing food insecurity by providing families with healthy food and connecting them to essential community supports. For more information about Hand Up Toronto or to learn how you can get involved, please visit www.handuptoronto.com.

Media Contact:

Lindsay Quinn

Board Member

Hand Up Toronto

info@handuptoronto.org