We’re pleased to share that the Region of Waterloo is giving The Food Bank of Waterloo Region a big boost in our annual grant for 2024. This one-time funding increase starts in the new year, raising The Food Bank’s grant from $744,000 to $1.5 million.  

The extra money from the Region in 2024 helps us do even more for our Community Food Assistance Network. It means we can offer more help and resources to individuals and families in need, and work towards reducing hunger in Waterloo region.  

Kim Wilhelm, interim CEO at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, explains, “Like other municipalities, food insecurity is rising rapidly in Waterloo region, and there are no signs of it slowing down. The Food Bank and our Network partners are helping more people than ever before. That’s why we’re so grateful to receive increased funding from the Region of Waterloo. This extra support is important for keeping up with the increasing number of people needing emergency food.” 

This is the first time The Food Bank has received more money in our yearly grant since we started getting regional funding in 2016. Since then, the number of individuals and families accessing food assistance has gone way up. Over 58,600 people in Waterloo region accessed food assistance this year—that’s a 45 per cent increase from the 40,500 people we supported last year. This means that now 1 in 10 households in Waterloo region is struggling to afford to put food on the table, compared to 1 in 20 households two years ago.  

“The extra money from the region will help ensure that The Food Bank and our friends in the Network have enough money and resources to meet the growing demand for food assistance in our community,” says Kim.   

Every year, The Food Bank acquires and distributes more than 6.8 million pounds of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to over 120 community programs and agency partners in Waterloo region. These organizations make up our Network, and they provide direct food support and other important services to people who need help.   

Like previous years, 90 per cent of the regional grant will be shared with Network partners that operate between five and seven days a week, providing food support in every city and township in Waterloo region. This money helps them with their buildings, staff, and the food they need for their programs. The Food Bank keeps about 10 per cent to help with our own costs of procuring, storing, and distributing fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to the Network.  

Even though we’re incredibly grateful to receive an increase in our annual grant for 2024 to support our Network partners, it’s still not enough to cover all our costs to help everyone who needs emergency food in our community. As we keep sourcing a variety of nutritious food for our Network and distributing it to more people than ever before, we’ll still need the kindness of our community through donations of food, funds, and time. 

If you want to give food, you can drop off a non-perishable food item to any grocery store or police, fire, or paramedic station in Kitchener-Waterloo. To give money, visit thefoodbank.ca/donate. And if you want to volunteer your time, go to thefoodbank.ca/volunteer.