570 South Syndicate Ave
Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1E7
Executive Director: Volker Kromm
Board Chair: June Gaw

Charitable Reg. #:80912 4613 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 1/5]

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements available only through official request for information from Charities Directorate.

D+

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

Fair

DEMONSTRATED IMPACT

The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.

NEED FOR FUNDING

Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.

91%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 91 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Regional Food Distribution Association:

Regional Food Distribution Association of Northwestern Ontario is a 1-star charity. It has a D+ in results reporting, meaning it publicly reports very little information about its programs. The charity is not financially transparent. Before you give, read Charity Intelligence’s report.

Founded in 2003, Regional Food Distribution Association of Northwestern Ontario (RFDA) develops and implements a coordinated strategy for the delivery of donated food to community organizations. It currently distributes food to agencies in Thunder Bay, Ontario and the surrounding regions.  

RFDA’s primary function is to source food from the public, local businesses and farms and distribute it to member agencies. The charity also teaches cooking skills, assists local entrepreneurs, and promotes active lifestyles.  

RFDA is a designated hub for charitable food distribution, representing Food Banks Canada in Northwestern Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Association of Food Banks, the charity has succeeded in becoming a “food bank for food banks”. Every month, RFDA’s food banks and feeding programs provide hampers containing 3-5 days of food to 13k people. Of the people benefiting from the charity's food hampers, 38% are children, 21% have disabilities, and 10% are on fixed income such as pensions. The charity's member agencies also provide 26k meals a month. 

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Results and Impact

Charity Intelligence rates the Regional Food Distribution Association as Low on demonstrated impact per dollar spent. 

The RFDA reports its member agencies provide 26k meals a month. The charity also provides hampers containing 3-5 days of food to 13k people every month. 

While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of RFDA’s results and impact.  

Impact Rating: Fair

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Finances

Regional Food Distribution Association of Northwestern Ontario had cash donations of $1.5m, $3.9m in donated food, and $836k in government funding in F2021. The charity’s cash donations increased by 142% compared to F2020. Administrative costs are 9% of revenues and the charity does not report fundraising costs. RFDA spends 9% on overhead. That means for every dollar donated, 91 cents go towards the charity’s program, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.  

RFDA has funding reserves of $698k which can cover program costs (excluding the cost of donated food) for just over 6 months.  

This charity report is an update that was sent for review to Regional Food Distribution Association of Northwestern Ontario. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

Updated June 1, 2022 by Emma Saganowich 

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending March
202120202019
Administrative costs as % of revenues 8.9%2.9%8.7%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 0.0%0.0%0.0%
Total overhead spending 8.9%2.9%8.7%
Program cost coverage (%) 55.8%29.5%42.7%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202120202019
Donations 1,526631524
Goods in kind 3,8553,8253,242
Government funding 836277218
Fees for service 03939
Lotteries (net) 200
Business activities (net) 14617
Total revenues 6,2334,7784,040
Program costs 1,251762644
Donated goods exp 3,8553,8253,242
Administrative costs 557140350
Other costs 214
Total spending 5,6654,7284,240
Cash flow from operations 56850(200)
Capital spending 000
Funding reserves 698225275

Note: In F2021, RFDA changed its accounting policy so the estimated value of donated food and materials is no longer reflected in its financial statements. Ci adjusted revenues to include donated food which increased revenue by $3.9m in F2021. Ci also adjusted expenses to include the cost of donated food and the decrease of cost in food purchases. This increased expenses by $3.9m in F2021.  

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 7

Avg. compensation: $70,385

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
0
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
0
$40k - $80k
6
< $40k
1

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2021

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Charity Contact

Website: www.foodbanksnorthwest.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 807 622 7440

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