Feed Ontario Impact Report 2018-19
Together in 2018-19 we...
meals to food banks across Ontario
people across Ontario put food on the table
organizations fighting hunger in their communities
new donors to the fight against hunger
in innovative local programs and the network
postcards advocating for changes to social assistance
You help feed Ontario
A Message from Our Chair
"To say this past year has been a big one for Feed Ontario and our network of food banks and partners would be an understatement.""
Who we are
A united team against hunger
From securing fresh and healthy food sources, to driving change through policy research and innovative programming, Feed Ontario unites food banks, industry partners, and local communities in our work to end hunger and poverty.
A bold new look to fit a bold new vision
With the bold purpose to end hunger and poverty in our province in mind, we changed our name this year from the Ontario Association of Food Banks to Feed Ontario.
Our new brand is a reflection of the growth, transformation, and collective action of our network of food banks and partners. It represents the vision that unites us as well as the work we do together to achieve that vision.
It is also a call to action for other caring organizations and individuals to join us as we feed Ontario and help build a healthier province.
FeedON
Our FeedON network provides adults, children, and seniors with nutritious food throughout the year, including: dairy, protein, and produce. Through the support of our partners, we distribute the equivalent of 4.3 million meals annually.
Feed Possibility
We Feed Possibility by providing food banks with resources to grow their capacity to distribute fresh food, to collaborate and develop best practices that drive change, and to develop innovative programming for people facing hunger in their communities.
Feed Change
We Feed Change by researching the root-causes of food insecurity, raising awareness of hunger in our province, and advocating on behalf of evidence-based solutions. It is only through our collective action that we will end hunger and poverty in Ontario.
FeedON
With your crucial support, our FeedON network provides adults, seniors, and children across Ontario with nutritious food throughout the year.
Together we distribute healthy food
With the support of our generous food and financial donors and transportation partners, in 2018-19 Feed Ontario distributed more than 5 million pounds of food, serving 502,000 Ontarians facing hunger. That equates to 4.3 million meals!
This year we continued to strengthen our commitment to fresh, nutritious food, by sourcing quality items that support a balanced diet for people visiting food banks. Almost 68% of the food we distributed was fresh or frozen, a growth of 5% over the previous year. This included meat, eggs, dairy, and fruit and vegetables.
Fresh Food
Food distributed by Category
Fresh Food Programs that support local farmers
servings of milk
MADE POSSIBLE BY
servings of pork
servings of beef
servings of turkey
Moving food is a team effort
Moving food across the province is not an easy feat. However, with the collective effort of a network of partners, volunteers, and organizations we are able to move 5 million pounds of nutritious food to all corners of the province throughout the year.
Food (including much-needed milk, eggs, meat, and produce) is donated to Feed Ontario by one of our many partners.
Food offers are sent to Feed Ontario food banks via our Smarter Needs Allocation Program (SNAP). Food banks request what is needed for their community.
With the help of Feed Ontario’s transportation partners, donated food is transported to food banks in every corner of the province.
Feed Ontario food banks in 130 communities across Ontario receive the donated food to share through their food banks, meal programs, and partner organizations.
Dedicated staff and volunteers at over 1,200 hunger-relief organizations share the donated food with 502,000 people facing hunger, who make over 2.9 million visits annually.
Feed Possibility: Providing More Community Support
With your incredible support, we help food banks feed possibility by investing in innovative programming for people facing hunger in their communities.
Together we prevent food waste
Farm to Food
In 2018-19 Feed Ontario received a three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to launch a brand new food transformation program, Farm to Food. In partnership with our member food bank in Windsor, the Unemployed Help Centre, and Food Banks Canada, Farm to Food will rescue excess vegetables from farms and turn them into nutritious meals for people facing hunger. This year we laid the groundwork for the official program launch in 2019-20.
- Secured 3 partnerships with large farms and food producers to rescue healthy food that would otherwise go to waste
- Installed 1 new walk-in freezer to safely store food during the program
- Projected 3,750 lbs of produce a week that will be transformed from waste to nutritious meals upon program launch
One More Bite
One More Bite provides food banks in Ontario with the opportunity to receive rescued fresh food from their local Metro-banner grocery stores to distribute to adults and children living with hunger in their communities. In 2018-19, this program was piloted in five communities across the province, with more food banks scheduled to participate in the upcoming year!
- 5 food banks rescued food
- 17 Metro stores donated to food banks
- 290,211 pounds of food rescue
Together we invest in communities
Rural Kids Program
The Rural Kids Program provides rural food banks in Ontario with funding to support the children they serve with community-specific programs, such as breakfast clubs, snack packs, or kids cooking classes.
In 2018-19:
- 23 food banks participated
- 227,000 meals and snacks served
- 10,434 kids in rural communities served
Capacity Building Program
The Capacity Building Program provides food banks in Ontario with funding to grow their capacity to accept, store, and distribute fresh food to adults and children living with hunger.
In 2018-19:
- 8 food banks participated
- 15 pieces of equipment purchased
- 17,735 clients benefited
Feeding Fresh! Sysco Gardening Program
The Feeding Fresh! Sysco Community Garden Program provides food banks across the province with funding for the creation, growth and development of their community gardens to help develop skills, community, and access to fresh food.
In 2018-19:
- 14 food banks participated
- 18 community gardens were supported
- 14,223 families and households benefited
Together we enhance local services
Emergency Preparedness
In the event of a disaster, such as flooding or forest fires, Feed Ontario and its member food banks are at the forefront of the community response. That’s why, this year, we worked in collaboration with our members to develop a province-wide Emergency Preparedness and Risk Plan (EPRP) to ensure that Feed Ontario and our network of food banks are ready to effectively serve their communities in times of emergency.
- 9 food banks visited as part of the EPRP’s development
- 46 food banks received in-person training on the EPRP
- 76 people received training in emergency preparedness
Capacity Building
One of the key priorities in our strategic plan is to grow the Ontario food bank network’s capacity to serve their communities.
This year, we surveyed the network’s infrastructure and capacity for distributing food and serving clients. With this information, we will be able to determine a baseline for growth, set achievable targets, and strategically invest in the development of capacity building programs and opportunities for food banks.
Standards of Care
Food banks work hard to provide expert care and service to everyone who walks through their doors. However, in a province as large as Ontario, the types of programs and processes often differ significantly between communities.
In an effort to develop best in class service, while equally recognizing the unique needs of Ontario’s diverse cities and towns, we created a new, member-led committee to develop a ‘Standards of Care’ guide for our network.
This guide will help provide food banks with up to date best practices on administration, operations, service, and community engagement, and act as a tool for food banks to self-identify areas in which they would like to grow or progress beyond the existing standards required to be a Feed Ontario member.
Feed Change
With your amazing support, we help feed change through research and public education, and by advocating on behalf of evidence-based solutions to hunger and poverty.
HUNGER ACTION MONTH
In partnership with Food Banks Canada, Hunger Action Month moved from a provincial to a National campaign this year! Inclusive of local and provincial events, Hunger Action Month encourages people to work towards a future without hunger through four key actions:
- Educate: Created customizable tools for food banks to share statistics on hunger and poverty in their communities, and promoted Food Banks Canada’s Impossible Choices
- Advocate: Sent 7,165 postcards to MPPs calling for more affordable housing, and hosted a breakfast at Queen’s Park, attended by 27 MPPs and 13 food banks
- Volunteer: Hosted, in partnership with local food banks, 17 volunteer events
- Donate: Raised $69,000 to help end hunger in Ontario
Sponsored by the 
HUNGER REPORT
The 2018 Hunger Report focused on Ontario’s senior population and the challenges that they face when trying to balance living on a fixed income with the rising cost of housing and basic living expenses. It also included a feature on Ontario’s cancelled Basic Income Pilot. The report’s findings included:
10% increase in food bank use among senior citizens in Ontario in the last year
52% of households served by Ontario’s food banks were single-person households
33% of food bank clients were children
QUARTERLY REPORTS
As part of our new strategic focus on public education and advocating on behalf of evidence-based solutions to hunger, this past year, Feed Ontario committed to releasing a new research report on issues impacting hunger each quarter. These reports focus on timely issues that matter in the current social and political climate.
- Election Report Card – outlined the major parties’ platforms on key policy items impacting food bank clients ahead of the 2018 provincial election
- (Un)Affordable Housing – explored how housing affordability is one of the primary drivers of food bank use in Ontario
- Social Assistance – analyzed the Government of Ontario’s proposed changes to Ontario’s social assistance programs
CONFERENCE
The annual conference gathered 138 leaders from 68 food banks across Ontario for “Bridging the Gap,” our provincial conference in Sarnia. Delegates discussed new ways to collaboratively bridge the hunger gap in their communities through workshops, plenary sessions, and networking.
Topics included:
- Emergency Preparedness: The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan talked about their multi-pronged response to the Flint water crisis, which included providing bottled water to prevent further lead exposure, as well as nutritious food to limit its effects. Food Banks Alberta spoke about how they handled the aftermath of the devastating 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
- Affordable Housing: A panel of experts discussed the federal government's National Housing Strategy and the implications on food banks.
- Workshops on new models of service, creating inclusive environments, program ideas for small food banks, and much more!
How We're Feeding the Future
In the last year, with your continued support, Feed Ontario laid the foundation for ongoing growth and investment in the services Ontario’s food bank network provides to our province’s most vulnerable people. As we begin year two of our strategic plan (2019-20), we will continue to build on this foundation by investing the generous support you entrust us with into strategic, long-term solutions to food insecurity.
Feeding More Fresh
With the support of partners like you, over the next year our goal is to continue increasing the availability of fresh and frozen food that Feed Ontario distributes to food banks. With a particular focus on produce and protein, we want to ensure that all Ontarians have access to a healthy, balanced diet so that they can flourish.
Growing Food Bank Capacity
An increase in fresh and frozen food also requires an increase in our network’s capacity to accept, store, and distribute fresh food. Based on the results of the Capacity Evaluation conducted this year, Feed Ontario will develop a Capacity Strategy to continue increasing capacity across the network, improving our own ability to distribute fresh food, and that of our member food banks.
Cost of Poverty
Building on our increased research efforts to develop long-term solutions to hunger, Feed Ontario will release a Cost of Poverty report exploring the financial strain that poverty, and its side effects like hunger, put on the province. The report will also include recommendations for change to help improve outcomes for low-income Ontarians and help create a more prosperous province for all.
Working together, each dollar goes further
Thank you to all of the incredible people and organizations who give their time, products, services, and financial support to Feed Ontario. You make feeding Ontario possible!
is spent on programs & services, including food, transportation, grants, training, and support
is provided to people in need
Sources of Revenue
Not included: Amortization of deferred capital contributions ($1,113), Loss on writedown of capital assets (-$7,400)
Expenses
This financial summary is taken from our 2018-19 Audited Financial Statements. You can view the full statements below.
Our partners in feeding change
Network of hunger fighters
STAFF
Carolyn Stewart
Executive Director
Ashley Quan
Manager, Marketing and Events
Adelaide Wimpenny
Coordinator, Member Relations and Programs
Amanda King
Director, Communications and Research
Rachel Dixon
Manager, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships
Claire Ward-Beveridge
Coordinator, Office and Programs
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Maidment – Chair
CEO - The Ottawa Food Bank
Wesley Isaacs – Vice Chair
Partner, Tax & Business Law Group – Torkin Manes LLP
Jyoti Saggar – Treasurer
CPA, CA – Sr. Finance & Accounting Consultant
Rob O’Neil – Secretary
Food Security Services Manager, Food 4 All Northumberland
Sheetal Jaitly
Founder & CEO – TribalScale
Volker Kromm
Executive Director, Regional Food Distribution Association
June Muir
President & CEO, Unemployed Help Centre/WEFBA
Nitin Jaitly
VP, Project Management Office – CIBC
Peter Gould
Community Member
Laura Wright
Senior Marketing Manager, Royal Bank of Canada
Peter Oram
Origination Supervisor Sollio Agriculture
JoAnne Sytsma
Food Bank Manager/Board Co-Chair – Brockville & Area Food Bank
Ryan Noble
Executive Director – North York Harvest
Neil Hetherington
CEO – Daily Bread Food Bank