A lot has changed since Walmart Canada and Food Banks Canada joined forces on their first Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign in 2017. For one thing, the need for food banks in Canada has soared from around 1.1 million monthly visits eight years ago to over 2 million today.
However, the impact of the annual campaign remains constant: each winter, it delivers much-needed food and funds to local food banks.
This year, Fight Hunger Spark Change will run from February 20 until March 19. To kick off this annual campaign, Walmart Canada is donating $1 million to Food Banks Canada.
Walmart Canada has also invited its suppliers to make significant donations of their own. Participating brand partners include Campbells, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Dare, Ferrero, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kellanova, Mars Food, Mondelez, PepsiCo and P&G.
Walmart customers and associates across the country can contribute to local community food banks in any or all of the following ways:
– Donating food and essential household items at the collection bins located at the front of their local Walmart store
– Rounding up a purchase or making a donation at checkout when shopping at Walmart
Our 2025 campaign goal is to put a total of 10 million meals on tables in Canada.
“Unfortunately, our country is still setting new historic records for food-bank visits each year,” says Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley. “Food Banks Canada and the food-bank network are doing all they can to help people get by. But we can’t do it alone, so we’re extremely grateful to Walmart Canada, its brand partners, its employees and its customers for loyally and generously stepping up to relieve and prevent hunger in their communities.”
“Since 2017, the annual Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign has resulted in over 100 million meals for our neighbours in need!” Beardsley adds. “Not only that, but Walmart is also one of the founding partners of our Retail Food Program, which provides an ongoing stream of nutritious food donations to local food banks. Our partnership with them has been a bedrock of vital support during a challenging period, and their commitment to food security enables a better quality of life for people all over Canada.”
Local food banks say Food Banks Canada’s longstanding partnership with Walmart enables them to provide a higher quantity and better variety of foods. “Without this relationship, our clients would not have the full, robust food hampers that we offer,” says Amy Pillage, the program coordinator for the Edson Food Bank Society in Edson, Alberta. “We would absolutely have to scale back on our hamper sizes without the incredible support of our local store.”
In other words, companies and everyday people make a real difference through the Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign. “Our success in meeting the needs in our community is in part thanks to the ongoing support we receive from our local Walmart,” explains Lise Duprau, executive director of the Agape Centre in Cornwall, Ontario. “In addition to donations of food, we have the pleasure of the Walmart team volunteering their time in our food bank and community kitchen. We are beyond grateful for this partnership, which has a dramatic impact on the programs and services we provide in our community.”
For people who are struggling, access to the essentials is priceless. Says a client of the Church of Pentecost Calgary Food Bank to food-bank supporters in general, “I will use the simplest words I know: ‘Thank you very much.’ Thank you very much for the food you are providing for me, my family and many other people in these difficult times.”
Give today, change tomorrow! Visit Walmart’s website to take part in the Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign and learn more about its impact.
Participating 2025 brand partners:
