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Food Banks Canada

Where Generosity Meets Need: The Impact You’ve Made
Learn More About What You Help Us Achieve.

A Message from Kirstin Beardsley, CEO Food Banks Canada

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share why your support of Food Banks Canada means so much. This past year has been another incredibly challenging one for food banks across the country. But through it all, your kindness has made a meaningful difference. Whether you’ve made a donation, signed a petition, or taken action to learn more about food insecurity, I want to acknowledge you—and show  the impact your support has had in the lives of so many people across Canada.  

I can’t thank you enough for being there for our neighbours in need. I encourage you to keep reading to learn more about the work you help make possible.

Kirstin Beardsley, CEO, Food Banks Canada

How your support helps those who need it most:

This is what you make possible.

  • You help ensure communities in need have access to nutritious food. 
  • You help strengthen support for local food banks across the country. 
  • You help drive lasting change so we can reduce food insecurity across Canada.  

Your support ensures that nutritious food reaches every corner of the country.

Did you know? In 2024, you  helped distribute over 300,000 lbs of fresh, donated potatoes to food banks from Nova Scotia to the Yukon through our Food Banks Canada National Food Sharing System (NFSS). This program was developed to help distribute large-scale donations to food banks throughout the country.

The potatoes were donated by a generous farmer in Manitoba who needed to make room for a new crop. Because of caring people like you, they were delivered to people facing hunger instead of going to waste.

Your support makes it possible for Food Banks Canada to partner with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to safely recover and redistribute surplus food at every point of the supply chain. Together, we’re not only helping to reduce the environmental impact of food waste – we’re  supporting millions of people facing food insecurity.

“The potatoes were a huge hit, and a huge help in Faro!  The entire pallet of potatoes were gone within 2 and a half hours!  Fresh food of any kind is appreciated in our little community, and the residents here are thankful for the donation!” – Community Leader, Faro, YK

Learn more.

Your support ensures that nutritious food reaches every corner of the country.

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You help food banks expand their reach and serve more families in their communities.

Did you know? Many food banks are unable to offer perishable food to their clients due to their limited capacity to receive, store and distribute  food. But thanks to you, that’s changing.

Your support of Food Banks Canada allows us to work closely with a network of food banks to identify what they need. This could range from refrigerators, garden equipment or trucks to help expand the variety of foods they are able to offer.
With your help, programs like the Capacity Boost Grant provide funding so food banks can offer more fresh, quality food.

“This grant enabled us to enhance our food storage, including temperature-controlled facilities, ensuring our ability to meet the growing demand for our services. In addition to supporting us in successfully moving back to our shopping model, the funding ensured our ability to keep up with rising numbers long-term. As of December 2023, we are serving over 9,000 families every month.” Kitty Raman Costa, Parkdale Community Food Bank Executive Director

Learn more.

You help food banks expand their reach and serve more families in their communities.

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You help kids gain access to nutritious food during the summer months.

Did you know? Since its inception in 2015, your support for programs like After the Bell has helped fill the gap during the summer months when school nutrition programs pause, and many families face added stress.

In 2025, thanks to caring people like you, 235,000 nutritious, kid-friendly food packs were distributed to 215 communities across the country. These packs follow Canada’s Food Guide, have been reviewed by registered dietitians and are thoughtfully designed to support the health and well-being of children facing food insecurity.
Read below to learn more about how receiving these packs made a huge difference for one child.

Like plenty of his peers, “Maxime,” a school-aged child living in Quebec’s Lanaudière region, attended a day camp during the summer of 2024. But before long, a camp counselor noticed something was off: Maxime was having trouble following directions and keeping up with his group.

The camp’s leaders sat down with Maxime to find out what was distracting him. They learned that he had not had breakfast that morning, so they offered him a bag full of healthy options. Once he had eaten, there was a noticeable change in his demeanour.  From then on Maxime visited the office each morning to pick up another food pack. Before long, he was not only integrating with his group but even emerging as a natural leader within it.

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You help kids gain access to nutritious food during the summer months.

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Bringing Everyone to the Table: Annual Report 2025

Your compassion, generosity and support mean hope for people facing food insecurity.

Given how concerning the number of visits to food banks are, your compassion, generosity and support mean Food Banks Canada can continue to place a strong emphasis on advocating for policy solutions that would greatly reduce food insecurity over time, while also providing immediate relief for people who are food insecure right now.

Too many of us are just one crisis away from experiencing food insecurity, if we haven’t been touched by it already, and we all have a role in ending it. When everyone comes to the table, no one will go hungry.

You can learn more about what you help make possible by reading our annual report.

Read our Annual Report

Your Impact is felt from Coast to Coast to Coast

Soup’s On! Food Transformation and Innovation.

Nothing warms the soul more than knowing someone cares about you when you’re struggling.  And nothing says ‘I care’ more than sharing a bowl of soup with someone in need.

Due to its short shelf life, distributing fresh food can be challenging. But transforming perishable items through methods such as drying or canning, can make it easier to store and transport, so it can reach more people and help fill possible dips in food supply.

Your support for Food Banks Canada means we can work with suppliers including food producers such as farms and fisheries, to transform raw ingredients into more practical and appealing products, like our lentil and oat soup mix.

As a supporter of Food Banks Canada, your gifts are now helping put tasty, nourishing bowls of soup full of Canadian-grown pulses and grains on families’ tables.  Produced specifically for community food banks by Food Banks Canada, your continued support has meant projects like this can be undertaken to transform high quality (and often surplus) ingredients to help feed hundreds of thousands of people experiencing food insecurity in local communities like yours.   Thanks to you, Food Banks Canada can ensure that people have access to the healthy food they need, when they need it most.

Learn more.

Soup’s On! Food Transformation and Innovation.

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You help break down barriers in the North.

According to Statistics Canada, more than one-third of people living in the territories experience some form of food insecurity, compared to around 23% of people living in the provinces. In Nunavut, that figure rises to a staggering 62%.

But thanks to generous donors like you, Food Banks Canada can be there to help.

With support from Food Banks Canada’s Northern Capacity Fund, the Community Garden Society of Inuvik received a grant of $71,950 which allowed them to develop a community kitchen. The fund helped cover the cost to purchase and install of refrigeration equipment, safe food handling equipment, food processing equipment and part-time staffing costs, along with food and meals.

Because of you, northern communities are able to build more sustainable solutions.

“When we first had the vision for expanding our space to have a kitchen in the greenhouse, we couldn’t have imagined in a million years how incredible and versatile this space would be. We were able to run a cafe this summer and hire local students to develop menus that used food grown. We were also able to use this space to expand our programming immensely to run cooking classes. We had kid’s baking nights, cooking classes, and cultural cooking workshops.” – Community Garden Society of Inuvik

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You help break down barriers in the North.

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Looking to the Future: Advocacy and Awareness

Advocating for and addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

Your support helps ensure that no one goes hungry today.  But there is still so much that needs to be done to ensure that no one goes hungry tomorrow.   This can only be done by addressing the root causes of food insecurity, which are poverty and low incomes. 
 

As part of our strategic priorities, Food Banks Canada is working to reduce food insecurity by 50% by 2030 through collective action and policy change. We are working with the  power of the food bank network and those it serves to advocate for effective government policies that address both immediate needs and systemic challenges. 

Your support helps change the conversation and inspire a movement to build a future where everyone in Canada has access to the food they need—today and in the future.  

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FY 26-30 Strategic Plan

A New Direction in Food Banking

At Food Banks Canada, we’re collaborating with the food bank network to accelerate action on the root causes of food insecurity, and boldly reimagining food banking to ensure a better future for all. 

Our Priorities: 

Priority 1: Leading & Mobilizing for Change 

Priority 2: Strengthening the Food Bank Network to Meet Demand 

Priority 3: Improving Access Where It’s Needed Most 

Learn more about our strategic priorities

“Giving back is something I was taught to do since I was very little as a way to practice gratitude for all the things I have.  With the economy changing so much and food prices sky-rocketing, I find myself also starting to worry about how to care for my family.  But in moments of worry, remembering that there are others who are in a much more difficult situation than me, I can again experience gratitude for what I do have.  So that’s why I give back to [Food Banks Canada]. Thank you for all the hard work you and your team do!” 

– Jandy K. – Food Banks Canada Donor 

Help End Hunger.
Make a Donation Now.

Your generous support will ensure that families, seniors and children struggling with food insecurity get the nutritious food they need to reach their full potential.