Niya sees local harvests as community abundance
Niya sees local harvests as community abundance
Every year, hundreds of hands reach up into the branches of urban fruit trees, gathering fruit that would fall to waste, later sharing that fruit with community. So many people make this magic happen: tree registrants, fruit pickers, pick leaders, Steering Committee members, and more.
As we wrap up a record-breaking 2025, and look towards the 2026 season, we’re taking time to introduce some of the people who make Not Far From The Tree a vibrant part of Toronto.
Meet Niya!
Niya first connected with Not Far From The Tree through an event for community organizations where she was sharing her expertise in fundraising and donor engagement. As the founder of the Food Security Giving Circle at the Toronto Foundation, she was already deeply immersed in the city’s philanthropic landscape. After meeting with our Program Director and learning more about the organization’s roots, Niya realized the mission mirrored her own professional and personal dedication to food justice, leading her to join the Steering Committee.
Niya is driven by the belief that local food should be a bridge to community, not a struggle to access. She is drawn to NFFTT’s ability to turn a simple harvest into a powerful tool for physical, social, and environmental wellbeing. To Niya, the beauty of our model lies in its ripple effects: it doesn’t just put fruit on tables; it deepens social ties, facilitates a vital connection to nature, and strengthens the city’s sharing economy in a way that feels both sustainable and urgent!
What inspires you to volunteer your time as a Steering Committee member?
The values alignment is an obvious inspiration, but more inspiring is the deep commitment of the NFFTT community to building this sharing economy. Whether it’s the passion and energy my steering committee colleagues bring to hours of visioning and planning, or the commitment of our pick leaders to create meaningful experiences for program participants, or our incredible staff who are regularly educating us and sharing insights with grace and good humour – each interaction is an inspiration to keep showing up.
“To me, sharing the harvest means making local fruit accessible to folx who may not otherwise be able to enjoy it while fostering friendships and strengthening social ties for a more resilient community.”
How does your role on the committee connect to your personal or professional passions?
As a wellness professional the fact that NFFTT’s programming supports physical, mental, social, environmental, and financial wellbeing in powerful ways aligns with my passion of supporting whole person holistic health. My role on the steering committee empowers me to help design and steward the realization of a vision of a future where local food is more accessible to communities who would otherwise struggle to access it while deepening social ties and facilitating a connection to nature.
Why do you think it’s important for others to support NFFTT, whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word?
So much of NFFTT’s success draws from a strong community with shared values. As loneliness and social isolation rise to previously unseen levels, and as affordability and food security continue to decline in Toronto it is critically important for folx who know of the real value that NFFTT provides in terms of access to local food, relationship building and connection to nature to share and support with time, talent and treasure that so we can invite in folx who haven’t yet realized the value.
How does being part of NFFTT connect you to your community or city in a meaningful way?
Being part of NFFTT connects me with Toronto in many ways – from awareness of how climate shifts are impacting tree health and local food production, to making new friends at community gathering, to chemically changing my body when I nourish myself with local apples – each interaction connects me more with this city.
Further Reading
Ali found connection between tech and community at NFFTT