Toronto Prenatal & Postpartum Guide

Publication Date | April 21st, 2021

Food Banks near Women's Health in Women's Hands Clinic

Women’s Health in Women’s Hands provides healthcare to racialized women from the Afro-Carribean, Black, Latin American, and South Asian communities in surrounding Toronto municipalities. Hover over & click to view food banks near their clinic in downtown Toronto.

Major Food Banks in the Greater Toronto Area

To find your local food bank, please call at 416-203-0050 during regular business hours. After hours, please call 211. Due to COVID-19, no longer taking walk-ins except on Thursday

Daily Bread Food Bank’s goal is to provide healthy and nutritious food now, while working for food security and poverty reduction for the long term. They distribute about 9 million pounds of food a year to 135 member agencies operating over 170 food programs in Scarborough, Etobicoke, central and downtown Toronto. Of the estimated 90,000 people they help in a year, one-third are children. 

Contact Information

  • Website 
      • Please visit here to book an appointment
  • Hours:
      • Mon-Fri | 8am – 4pm
  • Address: 191 New Toronto Street Toronto, ON M8V 2E7 
  • Phone: 416-203-0050

The Mississauga Food Bank is the central food bank in Mississauga. They provide food for 2.6 million meals each year through a network of 44 member agencies across the city including neighbourhood food banks, breakfast clubs, soup kitchens, shelters, and after-school programs. Every month they provide food for over 242,000 meals serving about 17,500 children, families and seniors across Mississauga. 

Contact Information

  • Website 
  • Hours: 
      • Mon, Tue, Thur | 9am – 5pm
      • Wed | 9am – 8pm
      • Fri | 9am – 1pm
  • Address: 3121 Universal Drive Mississauga ON L4X 2E2
  • Phone: 905-270-5589

The Food Bank of York Region delivers fresh, frozen and non-perishable food to 64 Agencies and non-profit housing co-operatives across York region. Their clients include community food pantries, community meals, women’s shelters, homelessness shelters, women’s programs, youth and transitional housing, outreach services, substance abuse programs, senior’s programs and the OSPCA. In 2017, they collected and delivered almost 900,000 pounds of food that helped feed over 14,000 individuals with 31% being children. 

Contact Information

  • Website 
  • Hours: 
      • Mon-Thur | 9:30am – 5pm
      • Fri | 7am – 3pm
  • Address: 8201 Keele Street, Units 5 & 6, Concord, ON L4K 1Z4
  • Phone: 437-317-3710

North York Harvest Food Bank works to engage their community in meeting the food needs of northern Toronto by providing dignified food assistance, education and long-term solutions to create a community where no one goes hungry. In 2017 NYH raised over 2.3 million pounds of food and over 1.6 million dollars, providing 4.8 million meals and serving over 16,000 people each month through 47 member agencies. They run 77 food programs including community food spaces, neighbourhood food banks, meal programs, women and youth shelters, after-school programs, prenatal programs, community kitchens, community gardens, and nutritional classes.

Contact Information

  • Website 
  • Hours: 
      • Mon-Fri | 9am – 5pm
  • Address: North York Harvest Food Bank, 116 Industry Street, Toronto, ON M6M 4L8
  • Phone: 416-635-7771 Ext 0

Knights Table is a charitable organization offering social supports, food bank, and hot meals 365 days of the year to vulnerable individuals and families impacted by hunger, poverty & homelessness in Peel. Founded in 1990, Knights Table has evolved into a vital community resource with a mission to help alleviate hunger in the Peel region to people regardless of colour, culture, religion, economic status, gender, sexual orientation or social condition. Forty percent of their service users are children under the age of ten. In the past year, 15,086 individuals and families came through our doors for help. Our committed volunteer base of 2,307 donated 41,507 hours and assisted in preparing and serving 79,921 hot nutritious meals and distributed 720,170 lbs of donated food to support individuals and families living in poverty in Peel.

Contact Information

  • Website 
  • Hours: 
      • Mon-Fri | 8am-10am, 12-6pm
      • Sat-Sun | 8am-10am, 12-4pm
  • Address: 287 Glidden Road, Unit #4 Brampton ON L6W 1H9
  • Phone: 905-454-8725

Feed the Need in Durham promotes people’s social and economic well-being by supporting food security across the region of Durham. They achieve this through large scale collection, storage and distribution of both fresh and non-perishable food items to their 62 member agencies; all which represent emergency food providers across their community including food banks, food pantries, meal programs, soup kitchens and shelters. Last year they distributed 1.2 million pounds of food or the equivalent of 980,000 meals.

Contact Information

  • Website 
  • Hours: 
      • Mon-Thur | 9am-5pm
  • Address: 371A Marwood Drive Oshawa, ON L1H 7P8
  • Phone:905-571-FTND (3863)

Resources, Support Groups, & Helplines

Programs

  • Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program –  A free weekly program for pregnant individuals facing challenges such as financial concerns or recent arrival to Canada. You can find a community program closest to you.
  • Healthiest Babies Possible –  One-on-one nutrition counselling in Toronto that also provides interpretation services and food certificates.

Resources

Pregnancy

  • Pregnancy calendar – A week by week calendar that allows you to follow your baby’s development.
  • Your local public health unit – Public health units have programs for pregnant women. Contact your local program for more information.

Breastfeeding

Postpartum Care

  • Postpartum Information – Information about post-partum, including breastfeeding & social services from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
  • Vaccines & Immunization – Immunization is the safest way to protect your child from vaccine-preventable diseases. View for more information from the government of Canada.
  • Contraception Methods Guide – Explains the different methods of contraception that are available
  • Caring for Kids – Information from the Canadian Pediatrics Society on attachment & bonding

Websites

Helplines

  • Assaulted Women’s Helpline (GTA): 416-863-0511
        • Provides 24/7 crisis counselling and referrals to shelters, legal advice, and other help. Support is available in over 200 different languages, including 17 Indigenous languages 
  • Talk4Healing: Toll-free 1-855-553-4325
        • Provides 24/7 culturally sensitive crisis counselling, advice, and support for Indigenous women & their families living in urban, rural and remote communities, both on and off-reserves. Support is available in English, Ojibway, Oji-Cree & Cree
  • Emergency Shelters: 211 or toll-free 1-877-330-3213
        • Provide security for women and their children fleeing violence and abuse 
  • Ontario 211 Helpline: 211 or toll-free 1-877-330-3213
        • Provides 24/7 assistance in getting connected to community, social, health-related and government services in your local area
  • Fem’aide: toll-free 1-877-336-2433
        • Provides 24/7 crisis counselling and referral services for Francophone & French-speaking women

Public Health Insurance

Canadian Passports

  • Passport fees – This page outlines how to pay for your passport fees.
  • Canadian passport – This page provides information about applying for an Adult Canadian passport.
  • Child Canadian passport – This page provides information about applying for Canadian passports for Children.

Cultural, Religious, & Community Groups

Midwifery 

  • Midwifery handout Explains what services are covered while clients are in midwifery care, and what they will still have to pay out of pocket for (e.g. hospital stays).
  • How do I find a midwife? – Information on how to find a midwife in Ontario. From Settlement.Org.
  • Midwifery in Ontario – Information about midwives and services provided by midwives in Ontario. From the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Social Work 

General 

Crisis Lines

  • The Mental Health Helpline: 1-866-268-1154
  • Ontario Telehealth: 1-866-797-0007
        • Crisis line open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Call for health information from a Registered Nurse. 
  • Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566
        • Crisis line open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Call for suicide prevention support.
  • Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 
        • General: 416-408-4357
        • GTA: 416-408-4357
        • Peel: 905-459-7777
  • Gerstein Crisis Centre: 416-929-5200 
        • Available 4 hours a day 7 days a week

Women’s Resources (Referral Needed)

  • Mount Sinai Hospital — Perinatal Mental Health Program
        • 700 University Ave., 3rd floor, Toronto, ON 
        • 416-586-4800 ext 8325; 416-586-4800 ext. 8630 (for questions about the telemedicine program) 
        • Services: consultation, assessment, ongoing patient care (in clinic or virtually) 
        • Eligibility: women 18+ who are planning on having a baby, are pregnant, or have a baby and are at risk of developing mental health challenges/are experiencing anxiety or depression. 
        • Referrals: fax to 416-586-8596 (fill out perinatal referral form on their website)
  • Sunnybrook Hospital — Women’s Mood & Anxiety Clinic: Reproductive Transitions 
        • 2075 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON 
        • 416-480-5677; fax: 416-480-7842
        • Services: assessment, treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, education to family members, short-term group and individual therapy
        • Eligibility: women experiencing mood issues across lifespan, including during pregnancy and postpartum 
        • Referrals: fax online referral form 
  • Women’s College Hospital — Reproductive Life Stages Program
        • 76 Grenville St., 7th floor, Toronto, ON 
        • 416-323-6230 
        • Services: education, psychotherapy, medication, along with a multidisciplinary team approach to helping depression and anxiety prenatally and postpartum. 
        • Referral: from GP or midwife. Fax to 416-323-6356 

Women’s Resources (No Referral Needed)

  • Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
        • 2 Carlton St., suite 500, Toronto, ON
        • 416-593-7655 
        • Services: classes to help prepare women for the birth of their children. Education on healthy birthing, labour and delivery, exercise, nutrition, breastfeeding etc. 
        • Eligibility: racialized women, 16+, from African, Black, Caribbean, Latin American and South American communities 
  • Healthy Babies Healthy Children 
        • Services: weekly postpartum group or phone check in through Toronto Public Health nurses 
        • Eligibility: women who have recently given birth or have adopted a child and are experiencing episodes of postpartum adjustment 
        • No OHIP card needed, service is free and voluntary 
        • Referral: can self-refer by calling Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600 or by using e-chat via their website
  • Parkdale Community Health Centre — Postpartum Mood Disorders Group
        • 1229 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON 
        • 416-537-8222 ext 3303 
        • Services: Women’s Connection Program offers weekly maternal support on Tuesdays from 2-4pm; Prenatal Women’s Support Group on Thursdays from 10-11:30am or 1:30-3pm. Get support and information from nurses, dieticians, settlement workers, and counsellors, as well as snacks and a bag of groceries. Child care is provided.
        • Eligibility: open to birthing, non-birthing and adoptive mothers and their partners/families. 
        • Referrals: self-referral; call 416-537-8222 and speak to Grazyna at ext. 3303 or Isabel at ext. 3305
  • East Toronto Postpartum Adjustment Program 
        • 955 Queen St. E. Toronto, ON — 416-469-7608
        • Services: Weekly postpartum group/phone check in from Toronto Public Health nurses.
        • Eligibility: Women who have recently given birth and are experiencing mental health challenges. It is a self-referral program.

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Authors | Claire Dong, Dilini Kekulawala, Brintha Sivajohan

              Liz Dayo, Kimya Manouchehri, Avika Misra, Hannah Roberts, Vaishvi Patel (Reproductive Health)

              Ishita Aggarwal, Carly Alfano, Balsam Arwini (Sexual Health)

References

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  3. CDC and breastfeeding. (2020). Retrieved Feb 18, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/index.htm
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  5. Diet and micronutrients. (2019). Retrieved Feb 18, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/diet-and-micronutrients/index.html
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