Saving Fresh. Feeding Community
When many people think about food banks, they imagine cans and boxes. However, at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, we provide more than non-perishable food. Of the more than 8.9 million pounds of food that we distribute to the Community Food Assistance Network, 59 per cent is fresh or frozen! Here’s how we ensure fresh, healthy food is available for people in need.
Fresh Approaches Food Centre | In our award-winning Fresh Approaches Food Centre, volunteers and staff safely repack and freeze large fresh food donations from farmers, restaurants, retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. This helps us use more produce, keeps it fresh longer, and allows us to give more healthy food to our partners in the Community Food Assistance Network. Since 2018, we have processed over 551,000 pounds of food that might have gone to waste. We also thank Libro Credit Union for generously sponsoring the work we do in this space. |
Mobile Pantry | Launched in 2021, our Mobile Pantry travels to neighbourhoods across Waterloo region, making it easier and more convenient for individuals and families to access essential food support from our Network. This year, five Community Food Assistance Network partners hosted the Mobile Pantry at their locations. During each visit, our Mobile Pantry can provide fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food for up to 160 households.
The Mobile Pantry was funded by an Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grant. Read the media release. |
Perishable hamper line | At The Food Bank, we provide fresh, nutritious hampers for partners in the Network that run food hamper programs. These hampers are packed onsite with care. Volunteers work on an efficient assembly line, with each person adding one item to the hamper and then passing it to the next person. This continues until each hamper is filled with a variety of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. From July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, our dedicated volunteers packed over 76,000 hampers for our Network partners. This effort ensures that individuals and families accessing a food hamper program receive the healthy food they need. |
Food Recovery program | Through our Food Recovery program, launched in 2019, we work with farmers, restaurants, retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to accept edible food they can no longer sell and would otherwise throw away. This food is redirected to help feed the 1 in 8 households in Waterloo region struggling to afford to put food on the table. This program addresses food waste and hunger simultaneously by ensuring that surplus food reaches those who need it most. Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, our Food Recovery program prevented over 2.6 million pounds of food from being thrown out! This achievement is even more remarkable considering that all this recovered food helped feed more than 73,600 people in Waterloo region who rely on food assistance.
If you’re a food producer or distributor interested in donating edible food, visit thefoodbank.ca/foodrecovery to learn more about our donation criteria. |