Sponsor spotlight: BMO Financial Group Fischer-Hallman & Bleams Branch

Get ready to rumble! Great Food Sort Challenge—the main event of the year—returns January 22, 23, and 26, 2026! Hosted by The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, this annual event brings together 30 teams who go head-to-head in an action-packed showdown to sort the most non-perishable food for people in need.

For the second year in a row, we’re thrilled to have BMO Financial Group Fischer-Hallman & Bleams Branch as the presenting sponsor for Great Food Sort Challenge. Their support helps ensure no one in Waterloo region goes hungry—and they’re not just cheering from the sidelines. This year, BMO is putting their gloves up and stepping into the ring with not one, but two teams!

“It’s a unique opportunity,” says Jessie White, branch manager at the Fischer-Hallman and Bleams branch in Kitchener. “It’s creative and different, and it’s a wonderful way to bring like-minded people together to give back. It’s a really awesome, fun event to be able to sponsor and participate in.”

Teams at Great Food Sort Challenge help organize the influx of donations received throughout the holiday season. Once the food is sorted, it’s then distributed to the 61 organizations in the Community Food Assistance Network that provide direct food support to the nearly 73,000 people or one in nine households in Waterloo region accessing food assistance. The team that sorts the most earns the coveted title of Most Pounds Sorted.

But the fight against hunger doesn’t stop there. Teams also compete for Most Stylish sorters and Most Spirited sorters—a title BMO proudly claimed last year thanks to their enthusiasm, energy, and creative cheers. Teams competing for the first time have a chance to take home the Rookie Award.

BMO Financial Group Fischer-Hallman & Bleams Branch participating in the 2025 Great Food Sort Challenge.

“It was just so much fun,” Jessie shares. “Everybody was blown away with the amount that can be done in a very short period of time and the impact that it makes. Everyone on the team just had the best time working together for that common goal.”

To help spread awareness about food insecurity in Waterloo and to raise funds for The Food Bank, teams are encouraged to fundraise for their chance to win the Most Funds Raised title. These efforts also count toward the Most Meals Raised title, which combines funds raised with the total amount of food sorted. For every dollar donated, The Food Bank can provide two healthy and nutritious meals to someone in need. It’s a win-win, no matter which team is crowned the champion!

Jessie is excited to bring the same energy and enthusiasm this year—and maybe even double what BMO sorted last time.

“We definitely want to double what we sorted last year,” Jessie says. “There will also be costumes, and I know there are several people who have ideas for a better strategy to make [sorting] faster. We’re all very excited for January.”

To get involved with Great Food Sort Challenge and support The Food Bank, you can donate to your favourite participating team online at thefoodbank.ca/gfsc-fundraising.