The Food Bank’s Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign raises over 1.5 million meals for kids, families in need

Waterloo Region, Ont., September 8, 2025 – The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is pleased to announce that its summer-long Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign has surpassed its goal, raising just over 1.5 million meals.

Now in its seventh year, the campaign ran from June 1 to August 31 and saw the community donate food and funds, helping The Food Bank provide 1,534,843 healthy and nutritious meals to children and their families accessing food assistance programs through the Community Food Assistance Network. Since 2019, the campaign has raised 10 million meals.

“We are incredibly grateful to our community for their overwhelming support of the Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign,” says Kim Wilhelm, CEO at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. “Thanks to this support, children and families facing food insecurity have access to healthy, nutritious food year-round. This achievement highlights the power of collective action and the compassion within our community.”

This year marks the seventh consecutive year the Allan Bush Investment Team has served as a matching sponsor for the Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign. In a letter to the community in June, Bush, senior wealth advisor at the Allan Bush Investment Team, wrote, “When it comes to addressing hunger in our community, I believe we all have an important role to play—which is why I’m honoured to be joining The Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. challenge. No child should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, and no parent should have to worry there won’t be enough food to put on their family’s table.”

“We are truly appreciative of Allan Bush and his team for their continued support of our Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign,” says Wilhelm. “Their generous donation match played a key role in helping us exceed our goal, enabling us to provide even more healthy, nutritious food to children and families facing food insecurity.”

The Food Bank’s 2024 fiscal data shows that approximately 25,000 children in Waterloo region are living in food-insecure households. This number is expected to rise when the 2025 data is released in November, reflecting ongoing economic challenges.

“With the cost of living and food prices remaining high, our Network partners are seeing more families than ever reaching out for help,” says Wilhelm. “Sadly, the number of children and families experiencing food insecurity in Waterloo region is at an all-time high. The need for support has never been greater, and it’s critical that we continue working together as a community to address this growing crisis.”

In July, more than 56,000 visits were made to food hamper programs in Waterloo region—a 20 per cent increase compared to 2024. Of the 25,800 unique individuals supported by the Community Food Assistance Network, nearly 9,600 were children aged 0 to 17, representing an eight per cent increase from the previous year. Network partners, operating 132 food assistance programs, distributed 17,998 hampers and served 104,244 meals.

“Our community has stepped up in remarkable ways, but the rising need highlights that food banks alone cannot solve food insecurity. We need all levels of government to strengthen policies on social assistance, living wages, and affordable housing to address poverty—the true root cause,” Wilhelm adds.

Learn more about The Food Bank’s advocacy efforts during Hunger Action Month at thefoodbank.ca/hungeractionmonth. To donate online, host a food and fund drive, or volunteer at The Food Bank, visit thefoodbank.ca.

About The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Founded in 1984, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (The Food Bank) was the first organization of its kind in Ontario dedicated to providing emergency food. Forty-one years after its incorporation, The Food Bank continues to evolve to meet the community’s needs, ensuring that no one in Waterloo region experiences hunger. As a distribution centre, The Food Bank distributes more than 8.9 million pounds of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to 54 organizations within the Community Food Assistance Network. Learn more at thefoodbank.ca.

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Media contact

Michelle Rickard
Manager, Marketing and Communications
The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
media@thefoodbank.ca