Every year, the Greater Toronto Apartment Association (GTAA) hosts its Spring Hope Food Drive to gather food donations for local area food banks. However, the event has been paused for the last two years due to health and safety concerns stemming from the pandemic.
This pause coincided with a significant increase in food bank visits across the Greater Toronto area, with many people struggling financially, and facing food costs that have risen by 5-7% this year alone.
We’re pleased that the food drive continued this spring, with the total amount raised to date by the GTAA now at $8,500. Of that amount, Concert provided a donation of $3,500, a total of $500 for each of the seven residential rental buildings. All funds raised will go in support of three organizations that support the communities where our buildings are located, the North York Harvest Food Bank, the Daily Bread Food Bank and the Mississauga Food Bank.
“Concert has a long history of giving to these communities, and as we begin to return to some normalcy in our lives, it is critical that we refocus our attention on these much-needed services," says Rod Pirie, Vice President, Property Management at Concert. “This year Concert is proud to again support the Spring Hope Food Drive – albeit a little differently than in previous years.”
Before the pandemic, Concert rental staff and residents would drop food items off to a centralized location at each property, teams would go door to door to collect donations, and the respective food bank organizations would pick them up at the end of the day.
This year Concert introduced a hybrid model, accepting both in-person donations as well as placing posters with QR codes around the building for donations to be submitted directly.
“Giving back to the communities where we work is what we do, and I’m grateful to be at a company that walks the talk,” says Pirie.