Metro Morning hosts special broadcast to help local food banks

You'll be able to watch Metro Morning's live special from 6-7 a.m. ET.

It's a special morning at CBC Toronto as Sounds of the Season, our annual fundraiser in support of local food banks, kicks off in earnest with a live special of Metro Morning.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Friday's show is going live in front of a small group instead of the normal large crowd. But many of those in the Glenn Gould space are front-line heroes of the pandemic, who have been nominated by those impressed by their work. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is also adding to the importance of fundraising and supporting local food banks. Feed Ontario found nearly 600,000 people across the province used a food bank in the last year.

In Toronto, new clients outnumbered existing users at the city's network of food banks and community food programs for the first time ever, according to the annual Who's Hungry report from the Daily Bread and North York Harvest food banks.

This morning you'll hear from food bank leaders as well as people who rely on their services.

There will also be some terrific music to get you ready for the holidays from performers like TOBI, The Weather Station, Tyler Shaw and Nuela Charles. You can expect some celebrity sightings as well, including a certain Toronto Raptors superfan.

And you'll hear from CBC Toronto personalities as well as some old friends like Matt Galloway and Tom Power. 

Jason D'Souza is hosting the show, which begins dark-and-early as usual, or 5:30 a.m. ET if you're going by the clock.