Bay St. lawyers battle for bragging rights and charity in TTC blitz

Bay St. law firms will be collecting donations for Fort York Food Bank during the morning rush hour on Thursday, May 4 at downtown TTC subway stations. (CNW Group/Fort York Food Bank)

TORONTO, May 1, 2017 /CNW/ -

STORY:

• Enthusiastic groups of volunteers from six Bay St. law firms will renew their annual challenge to raise the most cash at TTC stations during the morning rush hour on Thursday, May 4, 2017, with proceeds going to the charity Fort York Food Bank (FYFB)
• This is FYFB's 9^th annual TTC Blitz and accompany 'Bay St. Challenge', an event which is one of the largest individual sources of funding for the charity
• FYFB is one of Toronto's largest charitable food banks, serving the entire downtown west community (essentially from Yonge west to Dovercourt and Bloor south to the lake).
• FYFB is 1 of 10 Canadian organizations in Charity Intelligence's Impact Fund, reflecting the charity's success in financial transparency, accountability to donors and cost-efficiency. (FYFB puts over 95% of every donation towards programs)
• Participating law firms this year include:
• Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
• Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP
• Norton Rose Fullbright LLP
• Stikeman Elliott LLP
• Torys LLP

MEDIA INFO:
WHAT AND WHO:	9^th Annual TTC Blitz benefiting the Fort York Food Bank
WHEN:	Thursday, May 4 during the morning rush hour
WHERE:	At various TTC stations: Yonge/Bloor; Wellesley; College; Queens Park; Dundas; Queen

STORY OPPORTUNITIES DURING EVENT

• Interviewing Board chairman Chris Murphy on the importance of this event to the community the food bank serves
• Interviewing volunteers from participating law firms
• Providing brief overview of the event in news coverage (with some visuals)

ABOUT FORT YORK FOOD BANK AND WHO WE SERVE

FYFB was founded in 1998, and is a grassroots charitable organization that directly assists families and individuals in need who live in downtown Toronto. The charity is non-denominational, receives no government funding and is not politically aligned.

FYFB is volunteer-driven, with only one paid staff member and is one of the largest food banks serving Toronto. It puts over 95% of every donation towards programs and serves over 1,100 clients every month, approximately 40% of whom are recent immigrants or refugees, 15% are children and 18% seniors. The typical client survives on $4 per day after housing costs.

FYFB provides vital services that can help prevent homelessness within this vulnerable population, by feeding the hungry through the provision of groceries and hot meals and helping people get on track by offering a variety of supportive services in a safe environment so they can find jobs, safe housing, and appropriate social/community programs. Being a local organization, FYFB staff and volunteers take the time to speak with clients that come through the door, as each client contact is an opportunity to establish trust and identify core needs beyond the immediacy of food.

Our thanks to CNW Group for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE Fort York Food Bank

Tim Foran, 416-986-8515; [email protected]