FIND A FOOD BANK

DONATE NOW

Home › Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Food Banks Canada is committed to upholding the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in our work environments and throughout the food bank network.

We recognize that food insecurity disproportionately affects historically underserved communities who have been impacted by racism and colonialism, as well as by social exclusion due to disability or economic status.

Poverty and food insecurity do not impact everyone the same, and we know systemic barriers can restrict access to the supports our network seeks to provide. 

Through our work, Food Banks Canada focuses on supporting these communities both through our focus on preventing hunger tomorrow, and relieving hunger today.

PREVENTING HUNGER TOMORROW

Preventing hunger tomorrow through research and advocacy to identify and understand the root causes and intersections of food insecurity and systemic barriers in Canada, and to drive meaningful public policy targeted at these root causes, to decrease food insecurity.

Within our research we are expanding our focus on racialized and Indigenous groups, who have been disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. We are working to identify, highlight and address the intersections between food insecurity and systemic barriers in Canada.  Our research is people-centered and inclusive of people with lived experience of food insecurity and incorporates an awareness of systemic racism in the collection and use of race-based data.

Learn More about our efforts to End Hunger in Canada 

Examples of this within our planned work include:

  • Our 2022 HungerCount report will continue to disaggregate findings by racialized and Indigenous groups, and specifically monitor for changes in need among these populations compared to historic trends
  • A population-based survey to explore the extent of food insecurity and food bank usage among the general population compared to those from racialized and Indigenous populations
  • A community-based research project which will seek to highlight and amplify the voices and experiences of people with lived experience of food insecurity
  • The development of a new poverty measure for Canada – the Material Deprivation Index, which will ensure that the experiences of racialized and Indigenous populations will be integrated in our understanding of food insecurity in Canada

This research will inform the development of our policy recommendations for all levels of government to address the deep causes of food insecurity and food bank use across the country, with a specific focus on policies that support racialized and Indigenous populations.

PREVENTING HUNGER TOMORROW

Preventing hunger tomorrow through research and advocacy to identify and understand the root causes and intersections of food insecurity and systemic barriers in Canada, and to drive meaningful public policy targeted at these root causes, to decrease food insecurity.

RELIEVING HUNGER TODAY

Relieving hunger today through our network of dedicated food banks, we strive to provide nutritious, culturally appropriate food to everyone in Canada who needs it and improve access to services. 

As we focus on the very real need that exists today from coast to coast to coast, we have a dedicated focus on improving access to nutritious food to anyone in Canada who needs it. Food insecurity can affect mental health, lead to chronic health issues and impact a person’s ability to learn. Access to food gives people a chance to thrive. 

As a network we have a common goal to increase access to nutritious food to the people who are food insecure in Canada.  Examples of ways this can be achieved within our plan include:

  • Mapping gaps in service and supply across the country against the populations to identify strategies for targeted investments to address these gaps 
  • Building relationships with communities in the North and increasing investments in Northern food banks and community food strategies which target their critically high food insecurity rates while ensuring that investments are driven by community leadership 
  • Focus on cultural and societal barriers that have prevented some food insecure populations from accessing services and identifying ways to improve services to break down barriers to support these populations
  • Providing resources for communities to grow food for their own use, or for renewal of access to ancestral food sources 
  • Investing in regional food transformation, especially of perishable food, to allow for regional food surplus to be shared to populations with food deficits

Learn more about Food Banking in Canada

RELIEVING HUNGER TODAY

Relieving hunger today through our network of dedicated food banks, we strive to provide nutritious, culturally appropriate food to everyone in Canada who needs it and improve access to services.

Thank you to our donors and partners whose support helps ensure that all our efforts to curb food insecurity and hunger reflect the realities of all Canadians.

RESEARCH – WALMART CANADA & FOUNDATION

It is critical that through our research we focus on identifying and understanding the root causes and intersections of food insecurity and systemic barriers in Canada to allow us to drive meaningful policy targeted at these root causes, to decrease food insecurity in Canada.  

The Walmart Foundation has invested in the community Participatory Action Research project that explores issues that impact food access and food security among those struggling to afford food. This project will lead to the building of knowledge and impact across the food bank network, informed by those with direct lived experience. 

“As part of our strategy to become a regenerative company we are advocating and driving systemic change to build more inclusive communities across Canada. We will use our size and scale to make an impact towards a more just and equitable society across Canada”

– Nabeela Ixtabalan, Executive Vice President People and Corporate Affairs, Walmart Canada

RESEARCH

It is critical that through our research we focus on identifying and understanding the root causes and intersections of food insecurity and systemic barriers in Canada to allow us to drive meaningful policy targeted at these root causes, to decrease food insecurity in Canada. 

 

 

Learn More

RESEARCH – WALMART CANADA & FOUNDATION

GRANTS

Across the country, vulnerable groups are continuing to encounter inequitable social and economic conditions. Refugees face extensive disadvantages resulting from their forced displacement. Adapting to life in a new country can be depleting, which is why it is so imperative to improve access to affordable, culturally appropriate foods that play a significant role in the emotional and mental well-being of newcomers to Canada. Food Banks Canada engaged its partners to respond to the immediate food and settlement needs of asylum seekers arriving in Canada.

With contributions from Walmart Canada and the Walmart Foundation, Food Banks Canada introduced its $200,000 Afghan Refugee Food Support Fund to help food banks and other food security organizations purchase and move culturally appropriate food and community supports.

Shahpoor Amiri, store manager at the Walmart Kingsway Village Supercentre in Oshawa, ON said “We’ve worked hard, started new lives and now we’re giving back. That’s why I’ve been helping sponsor my fellow Afghans. I feel it is my duty to help my people, who never asked for this fate.”

He says he’s proud that Walmart Canada is donating to Food Banks Canada to provide hundreds of thousands of meals to the newly arrived Afghans in Canada.

“My fellow Afghans will need sponsors. I have personally sponsored Afghan refugees and continue to do so. I know this has inspired other Walmart associates to do the same, including some of my assistant managers: Patricia Kirton, Patrick Duffie and Spencer King. It’s overwhelming to see the compassion humans can have for each other.”

Through this support from the fund, food banks across the country have subsequently improved access to culturally appropriate, halal food for Afghan refugees in their communities.

The executive director of the House of Omeed food distribution centre in Burnaby, B.C. also reported being able to enhance food accessibility by improving the food security status of dozens more refugee clients.

“We received a large influx of Afghans right after the Taliban took over and Canada started receiving refugees,” Executive Director Ahmad Zeividavi said. “Because most of the cultural food that we offer needs to be purchased, we are very limited in registering new people and usually have a waiting list. But through this grant, we were able to fast-track over 70 Afghan families and they have been receiving culturally appropriate food tailored to their needs since. We have helped their kids register for school, helped with the paperwork for the settlement process, and they are going to have a Canada-born baby very soon. We have told them that all their food has been made possible by this generous grant from Food Bank of Canada and Walmart, and the father said, “Every time I enter Walmart, I say, ‘Thank you Walmart!’”

GRANTS

To help more individuals living with low incomes file their tax returns and access the benefits that they deserve, Food Banks Canada is collaborating with the network of food banks as well as our corporate sponsor, KPMG Canada, to offer free tax return clinics through the National Tax Clinic program.

 

Learn More

GRANTS