Recently, we announced that we’ve achieved accreditation under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. As the most widely recognized nonprofit standards in the country, this accreditation highlights our strong and standardized governance and operational procedures.
We’re excited to share this news, not only because it recognizes our commitment to excellence and our organizational best practices, but because it highlights just a few of the reasons why our supporters trust Feed Ontario to be a good steward of their donations.
Meaningful impact
For every $1 donated, we can provide 2 meals to someone in need.
Choosing which charity to donate to is a decision that reflects your values, and it’s important to know that your donation is making an impact on the cause you care about.
Our strategic partnerships help us keep food bank shelves full by maximizing the efficiency of every donated dollar. 94 cents of every dollar donated directly supports getting food to those that need it.
Feed Ontario represents a network of over 1,200 hunger-relief organizations throughout the province – from Thunder Bay to Windsor – and we provide millions of pounds of food to our members every year, to make sure everyone who walks through their doors can access the food they need.
We’re able to do this because we work closely with Ontario’s agricultural producer groups, where farmers commit to donating a portion of their production, and because of our work with corporate partners, including those in the grocery sector, that donate both products and funds. We also work closely with the transportation industry, and are supported by trucking companies that provide donated or reduced-cost delivery services to help ensure that we can get fresh, healthy food to communities all around Ontario.
Because of these partnerships and our bulk purchasing power, for every $1 donated, we can provide the equivalent of 2 meals to someone in need.
Sector recognition
Feed Ontario’s excellence in the nonprofit sector is recognized by several organizations.
When it comes to a nonprofit’s credibility, looking to external regulating bodies is key, and Imagine Canada is just the latest organization to recognize our excellence in the nonprofit sector.
For the third year in a row, we’re grateful to have been named a Top 100 Canadian Charity by Charity Intelligence, and a Top 10 Impact Charity in their Food Bank category. We’ve also achieved accreditation under Food Banks Canada’s National Standards of Excellence, aligning our organizational procedures with food bank-specific best practices.
In the food security sector, we’re leading the way both through our organizational standards and by advocating for change that will reduce the need for food banks in the future. Our research and advocacy is turning real-time data into action, from meetings with MPPs at Queen’s Park, to sharing the findings of our annual Hunger Report, to raising awareness of food insecurity through widely broadcast media appearances.
We’re also leading the way for our network: our Accreditation Readiness Circuit training program allows us to facilitate opportunities for our members to engage, study, and share resources with other food banks as they prepare for the process of meeting Food Banks Canada’s National Standards of Excellence. This ensures our network is supported as they work to meet and maintain the best practices that are essential to our shared goals.
Strong leadership
Our CEO, Carolyn Stewart, leading our Hunger Action Month press conference.
Since 1992, Feed Ontario has been making sure everyone in the province has access to the food they need, today and tomorrow. Our Board of Directors, made up of food bankers and community leaders, ensures that we’re meeting our goals and are financially accountable, so we can meet future challenges head on.
Our CEO Carolyn Stewart is an expert in the food-banking sector, with over 15 years of experience, particularly in operations and program development. She has led the organization through the expansion of services, which saw our team expand from 5 to 18 talented employees, and the support we provide to food banks increase by 280 per cent, including the growth of food distribution from delivering 5 million pounds of food per year to 16 million last year. She also expertly led Feed Ontario’s COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery, which involved the distribution of over 450,000 emergency food boxes to families in need.
Under Carolyn’s leadership, as we enter the third year of our five-year strategic plan, we’re exceeding our targets. We’re working toward our key priorities of strengthening our impact through innovation, efficiency, and network alignment, improving access to and the sustainability of food resources for our communities, and amplifying our collective voice for meaningful change.
Transparency
Organizational transparency is another major factor in our donors’ decision making. We highly value openness with the public and strive in all aspects of our work to cultivate an atmosphere of responsibility.
Our financial accountability is highly rated in the nonprofit sector, and our audited financial statements and annual Impact Report can be found on our website.
Our accreditation means credibility for our network
Our accreditation with Imagine Canada is a testament to our credibility and excellence on behalf of our network of food banks, who all do incredible work in their communities. Enhancing public trust for our members is just another part of the work we’re proud to do.
We’re grateful to have our dedication to strong organizational practices recognized by Imagine Canada’s Standards Program.
If you’re interested in getting involved with our work, learn more by visiting our website and consider donating today to help us strengthen food security in Ontario.