Three hundred thousand pounds of potatoes. Over 20,000 pounds of rice. Over 160,000 pounds of baby formula. These are just a few recent examples of the largescale donations that Food Banks Canada receives and distributes to food banks nationwide through the National Food Sharing System (NFSS). Farmers, agri-processors, manufacturers and wholesalers all help to stock food banks’ shelves. Last year, a total of 7.8 million pounds of food reached people in need through the NFSS.

Whether the donation is planned, first-run product or surplus items nearing their best before date, Food Banks Canada is ready. “We can distribute it really quickly within the food bank network,” says Mark LeBlanc, distribution and logistics manager at Food Banks Canada. “And companies are glad to move surplus product out of their warehouses, while relieving hunger.”

Fair Shares

If every bulk food donation were to simply go to the nearest food bank, then those located in farming areas or near major manufacturing plants might get more than they needed while others wouldn’t get enough. So instead, Food Banks Canada and provincial food bank associations use population size and poverty data to estimate local levels of need and to share food accordingly.

That doesn’t mean that each provincial hub gets a portion of every donation acquired by Food Banks Canada. Rather, Leblanc and his team ensure equitable distribution over the course of a year. This approach leaves room to consider local needs.

“It all depends on whether it’s perishable or not, what type of food it is and so on,” LeBlanc says. “Take baby formula, for example. Manitoba has their own formula program. Nova Scotia has an older population and not as many babies, so they won’t need as much as other places, and so on. You get to know each province, and you stay in touch with them about what need and have or don’t have.”

The National Food Sharing System also coordinates trade between food banks, helping them to operate as a unified system. “UHC, [a large food bank] in Windsor, Ontario, are right in the heart of agricultural lands with lots of access to produce, but they’ve been short on cereal and pasta,” says LeBlanc by way of example. “We can get those items easily from elsewhere, so I sent a truckload of cereal down to them and they sent a truckload of cucumbers and tomatoes up to Quebec.”

“It Takes All of Us Together”

Once a provincial hub agrees to receive food or other essential household items such as toiletries or cleaning supplies, LeBlanc and team arrange transport. “We try to make it as easy as possible for the donor, which usually means going to pick it up and sometimes storing it for a short time,” he says.

That’s when Food Banks Canada relies on the generous support of its logistics and transportation partners. Lineage Logistics, for example, provides the temperature-controlled storage needed keep food safe and fresh until it reaches the people who need it most. CHEP provides pallets to hold the food and partners like CPKC, Purolator, Amazon and CN transport the goods by road, rail and air from coast to coast to coast.

For instance, CPKC recently moved over 100,000 pounds of sports drinks from a warehouse in Bolton, Ontario to Food Banks Alberta, a provincial hub that serves 113 local food banks. The National Food Sharing System wouldn’t be able to succeed and make a difference without these valuable logistical services.

“For 28 years, we’ve been a proud supporter of Food Banks Canada to safely deliver food across the nation to help Canadians in need,” says Chad Becker, Chief of Staff at CPKC.

For local food banks, the NFSS allows for more and a better variety of food. This in turn helps more people experiencing food insecurity to eat well and feel well. “Thank you so much [to all NFSS partners] from all 36 food banks in our network,” writes Food Banks of Saskatchewan. “These are exactly the kinds of foods everyone needs in their cupboards, and we are all so grateful to have them available to share. It takes all of us together to fight hunger in our communities: we feel the support from near and far.”

To donate food or in-kind services to the National Food Sharing System, consult Food Banks Canada’s donation guidelines and reach out to us.