Real people making a real difference in the fight against hunger
With a national network consisting of food banks, agencies, and provincial associations, Food Banks Canada is proud to be part of a community that is driven by a passion to impact lives for the better. These are the stories that feed our desire to make a difference.
When Shontell MacInnis was working as a teacher in Iqaluit, she remembers how serious an issue summer child hunger was for her students. Now on the board of directors for the Niqinik Nuatsivik Nunavut Food Bank in Iqaluit, MacInnis says Canadians need to work together to ensure sufficient access to safe and nutritious food for…
Not all people experience food insecurity equally. Some populations, like people living with HIV/AIDS, are more vulnerable to hunger because of ongoing stigma and discrimination rooted in homophobia, transphobia, racism, and gender-based violence that they face. According to Food Banks Canada research, people living with HIV/AIDS are more likely to experience poverty and rely on…
Since time immemorial, the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation people in northern Alberta have used Gipsy Lake to gather fish as a healthy source of food in the winter. However, following the creation of the reserve system, the administrative base for the Nation became Janvier 194, which is located about 50 kilometres southwest of Gipsy…
Reaching our most vulnerable neighbours with nutritious food when they need it is at the heart of Food Banks Canada’s mission to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow. Across the country, vulnerable groups are continuing to encounter inequitable social and economic conditions. Refugees face extensive disadvantages resulting from their forced displacement. For many refugees,…
Food waste is having a deeply felt impact on our physical environment. At Food Banks Canada, we are all too familiar with the paradox of millions of tons of food decomposing while millions of people experience food insecurity in their daily lives. A report released in March 2020, for example, found that there were 4.4 million…
Constantly worrying about where your next meal is coming from can be an incredibly stressful experience. According to a Statistics Canada report on food insecurity and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians living in severely food-insecure households were seven times more likely to report symptoms of moderate or severe anxiety compared to households that were food…
We are always interested in hearing more about the individuals in food banking across Canada! This month, our spotlight is on Sandra Cascaden from St. Joseph’s Food Bank in Mission, B.C. What is your role in food banking?I am the Manager, facilitating operations from shipping to receiving, locating food donations, volunteers, grant applications, fundraising, community…
‘The moms get really excited’: B.C. food banker says donations inspire fresh recipe ideas for food hampers Spring is a time for new beginnings and new recipes at St. Joseph’s Food Bank in Mission. Just as the cherry blossoms come into bloom across B.C.’s Lower Mainland, food bank manager Sandra Cascaden says volunteers begin developing…
For National Volunteer Week 2022 (April 24–30th), Food Banks Canada is continuing to salute some of the sensational volunteers from across the network of foods banks and provincial associations. Did you know that approximately 40 per cent of food banks nationally are entirely run by volunteers? From sorting food donations to driving and “swamping,” to…
For National Volunteer Week 2022, Food Banks Canada is celebrating volunteers who support the network of food banks and provincial associations working across the country to make a real difference in the mission to end food insecurity. More than one in three food banks reported they did not have enough volunteers in our 2021 Food…
