Tag Archives: food banks

Half Billion Dollars Worth Of Food To Canada Communities As Food Insecurity Deepens

October 30, 2026 The Silo Leave a comment

126 million pounds of fresh, healthy food reached more than 16,000 community programs, supporting 7.2 million people in need across Canada.

TORONTO, ON — October, 2026 — Second Harvest rescued and redistributed $564 million worth of surplus food in fiscal 2026, helping community organizations respond to growing demand while preserving their limited budgets for other essential services.

The organization’s newly released annual report shows a 41 per cent increase in the value of food redistributed compared with last year, helping more people facing food insecurity access nutritious food and easing pressure on the community organizations supporting them.

“More than a number, this is a story about what we can accomplish when we come together with a shared purpose of radically improving Canada’s food system,” said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. “As communities face growing demand for food, our donors, volunteers, non-profit partners and staff are making sure more good food reaches people who need it. Together, we’re rescuing more food, feeding more people and building a more resilient food system.”

The need for that support remains pressing.
The State of Food Charity in Canada, a survey conducted by Ipsos for Second Harvest, found that 9 in 10 non-profit organizations surveyed experienced increased demand for food over the past year. Nearly half reported receiving no support through the federal, provincial or regional food bank network.

Second Harvest helps fill that gap by connecting surplus food from farms, manufacturers, retailers and other businesses with organizations serving their communities. Most of the rescued food was perishable, making storage, transportation and timely distribution critical to putting it to use.
Through its food rescue operations, Second Harvest:  Helped provide an average of more than 349,000 meals a day. Prevented an estimated 402 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. Saved more than 85 billion litres of water from going to waste. The report shows what is possible when the food system works to prevent good food from going to waste.

By connecting businesses with community organizations and investing in storage, transportation and processing, Second Harvest kept valuable food in use.   For more information on Second Harvest’s impact in 2026, see the full annual report here.

About Second Harvest
Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization and a global thought leader on food waste and perishable food redistribution. It rescues unsold surplus food from thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to redistribute it to non-profits in every province and territory. This prevents harmful greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere while improving access to nutrition for millions of Canadians experiencing food insecurity.

Beyond food rescue and redistribution, Second Harvest is deeply involved in advocacy, research, training and education. Its groundbreaking reports, such as “The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste,” provide critical data and insights to inform public policy and educate the public on sustainable food systems.

Second Harvest is committed to driving systemic change, helping to shape policies and practices that reduce food waste and address its role in climate change, while also supporting communities by providing them with the food they need. 
To learn more, visit www.secondharvest.ca    
For the Silo, Giao Chau.

Featured image- “Grim reality- over 2 million Canadians now accessing food banks each year.” Inside Halton.

Philanthropy

Each November American Thanksgiving Includes Lots Of Giving Back

November 24, 2025 The Silo Leave a comment

Every Thanksgiving, thousands of our friends below the border strive to make sure everyone has a meal. If it’s the third Thursday in November you can count on a lot of generous giving.

Most take part in the holiday’s rituals, including traveling to spend time with family and counting life’s blessings, and 19% also donate to charities to help others eat well around the holiday, according to a recent poll. It is a time of year that many Americans volunteer at food banks, churches or service organizations in order to help prepare meals or provide ingredients to those without enough.

Volunteers with Operation Turkey, a national nonprofit based in Austin, Texas, cook and deliver thousands of Thanksgiving meals complete with turkey, stuffing, gravy, vegetables and a slice of pie.

After 25 years, the all-volunteer organization has expanded to about 20 cities and now operates in states beyond Texas, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania. “It’s inspiring and humbling watching our local community rally together to make a difference for their neighbors,” says Josh Ortiz , an Operation Turkey volunteer in Dallas. “It all matters and makes a difference.”

People serving Thanksgiving meals in a commercial kitchen (© Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images for Feeding America) — Volunteers serve food at a church in Chicago the day before an earlier Thanksgiving. (© Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

Exercising for a cause

Many Americans want to help others while also getting in a little exercise before the big meal. (The average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, according to the Calorie Control Council). Thus, turkey trots — events where people run or walk to raise money for charities — are held in cities and towns across the country. Turkey trots make Thanksgiving “the biggest U.S. running day of the year,” according to the website RunSignup.com.

How about Canadian Thanksgiving Calories?

Ohio Turkey Trot

The 5K Turkey Trot in Granville, Ohio, drew 1,900 runners in 2024 and raised $130,000 usd/ $183,300 cad for a local food bank. Michelann Scheetz, of St. Luke’s Church, which organizes the annual event, says a team of volunteers works to pull off the Thanksgiving Day tradition that started in 2005. America’s Trot for Hunger, held in Washington, is now in its 24th year and draws thousands.

Jessica McCrorie, who served as a teen ambassador for the national nonprofit Feeding America, said she saw Thanksgiving bring out her own and others’ spirit of generosity. While volunteering with Island Harvest, McCrorie helped the nonprofit in Melville, New York, collect 30 turkeys and hundreds of dollars in donations at a grocery store.

“I feel like people may have felt more generous and connected to the issue of hunger because the Thanksgiving holiday is a time for family and friends to come together and share a meal,” she told Feeding America .

Culture

Nine Percent Of Canada High Incomers Considering Using Foodbanks

August 22, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Few Canadians are immune to the rising cost of living, according to a new report from Statistics Canada, with 9 percent of those in the highest income quintile considering using a food bank.

Data from spring 2024 shows that while 42 percent of Canadians are concerned over rising food prices, about 9 percent of those in the highest income bracket report they may have to turn to a food bank or similar community organization for help. That number rises to 14 percent for those in the second-highest income bracket, StatCan said.

A cart is filled with bags of food during a Thanksgiving food drive for the Ottawa Food Bank, at a grocery store in Ottawa on Oct. 7, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Nearly half of Canadians report struggling to meet day-to-day expenses, up 12 percentage points from 2022 to 45 percent.

The survey found that the number of Canadians who feel “quite a bit” or “extremely” stressed over financial issues increased slightly since 2022, from 33 percent to 35 percent this year.

Families with children and those living with a disability are struggling the most, StatCan said.

Fifty-five percent of families with children say rising costs have impacted their ability to cover daily expenses, compared to 42 percent of households without children and 37 percent of single Canadians.

Shrinkflation– a sneaky way of charging more by giving less. General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Those with disabilities are also more likely to be facing financial difficulties, with 57 percent saying they are struggling to meet daily costs, compared with 43 percent of those without a disability.

Housing is one of the biggest concerns Canadians cite, with nearly four in 10 saying they are concerned about their ability to afford a home because of rising prices. The number has risen from 30 percent in 2022 to 38 percent this year.

StatCan found that renters are more uneasy about increasing prices than homeowners, with nearly two-thirds of renters “very” concerned over housing affordability compared with about one-third of homeowners.

Food prices are another top concern for those surveyed, with more than one in five Canadians saying they may not be able to afford groceries. The number has risen to 23 percent, up from 20 percent two years ago.

Of those worried about food prices, 8 percent say they are very likely to need help from an organization such as a food bank. Another 15 percent say they are somewhat likely to need community help.

More than one in four families with children say they expect to turn to food banks and similar organizations, compared to one in five for other household types, StatCan said.

About one-third of Canadians with a disability say they expect to get food from a community organization in the next six months, compared to one in five of those without a disability, the agency said. For the Silo, Chandra Philip / The Epoch Times. The data was collected between April 19 and June 3.

Unique Ontario Bill 36 (designed to promote Local Food) passes final Vote

November 5, 2013 The Silo 1 Comment

Ontario is moving forward to help promote the good things that are grown, harvested and processed in Ontario with today’s passage of the Local Food Act, 2013. The new legislation is part of a strategy http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/localfood.htm to build Ontario’s economy by making more local food available in markets, schools, cafeterias, grocery stores and restaurants. This will create jobs and expand the province’s agri-food sector.

The new legislation — the first of its kind in Canada — will increase local food awareness, and boost sales by setting local food goals and targets in consultation with sector partners. The act will also create a non-refundable tax credit of 25 per cent for farmers who donate their surplus harvest to eligible community food programs such as food banks, and proclaim a Local Food Week that will take place annually, beginning the first Monday in June. Building a stronger agri-food industry is part of the government’s economic plan to support a dynamic and innovative business climate, invest in people and invest in infrastructure.

QUOTES

“The Local Food Act will benefit people by making the connection between buying local and helping grow an important Ontario industry. If we increase demand to homegrown food, we will create jobs and boost the agri-food sector’s contributions to our economy. It’s an important and historic step forward and I thank everyone who helped support this legislation.” — Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario and Minister of Agriculture and Food

“The Local Food Act will serve as a constant reminder of the bounty of Ontario. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is happy to see that it will target food literacy, local food use and will help farmers attend to the needs of others through a community food donation tax credit.” — Mark Wales, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

“By raising the profile of local food, the Local Food Act will provide Ontario food and beverage processors with an opportunity to further develop local food systems and market development strategies. Ontario consumers are demanding high quality food and drink, and our processors are willing and able to deliver. ” — Steve Peters, Alliance of Ontario Food Processors

QUICK FACTS

The Local Food Act will also require the government to produce an annual local food report on its activities to support local food.  The province’s agri-food sector contributes approximately $34 billion to the economy and supports more than 740,000 jobs across Ontario.  The province’s farmers produce more than 200 commodities, including fruits, vegetables, livestock, dairy, poultry, grains and oilseeds. Food processors in Ontario purchase about two-thirds of the food that is produced on the province’s farms. 

Ontario’s Local Food Fund is part of a $30 million investment from the province to create jobs and support innovative local food projects over the next three years (2013-2016).

LEARN MORE

About the Local Food Fund and how to apply http://news.ontario.ca/omafra/en/2013/09/growing-more-local-food-opportunities.html . Discover award-winning local food innovators in Ontario http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/premier_award/2012-13/winners/index.htm. Be adventurous in the kitchen by visiting Foodland Ontario and trying new recipes http://www.ontario.ca/foodland/foodland-ontario.

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