As food insecurity continues to rise, North York Harvest Food Bank (NYHFB) is seeing more people than ever turn to its programs for support.
Services
Strategy
Design
Copywriting
Fundraising
Rather than simply finding ways to meet growing demand, NYHFB saw an opportunity to rethink how that support could be delivered.
With the lease on their former warehouse coming due, North York Harvest Food Bank (NYHFB) faced a major decision. Instead of renewing their lease, they launched the Catalyst for Change capital campaign, with the goal to raise $6 million to build a new, 30,000 square foot community food hub — triple the size of their former home.
The vision extended far beyond the building. NYHFB wanted to shift from an ongoing, never-ending crisis response to one that offers long-term solutions that would equip, and empower the community for years to come. A larger facility means more than just helping 1 in 10 Torontonians find food to eat: it means creating repeated programs aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty itself, not simply treating one symptom of the greater problem.
The challenge wasn’t just the dollar amount. The campaign had to be complete before their warehouse lease ended, meaning a fundraising effort that would typically take years had to be accomplished in just 12 months.
NYHFB reached out to us specifically, thanks to our previous work raising millions of dollars for similar charities. They knew that if anyone could help them, we could!
We got to work developing a campaign identity the community could rally behind. We created a compelling case for support, built a major gifts program, and developed presentation tools that empowered the team to engage donors with confidence throughout the campaign.
The result? NYHFB reached their $6 million goal in just five months, seven months ahead of schedule!
More importantly, the campaign helped create a lasting community asset that will support North York residents for years to come. We’re proud to have played a part in helping make it happen.
