Harvest Manitoba is a 3-star charity. It is financially transparent and has overhead spending within Ci's reasonable range. Harvest Manitoba has a Fair demonstrated impact score and an above-average results reporting grade. With its current reserves the charity can cover less than two years of annual program costs. 

Founded in 1984, Harvest Manitoba (previously known as Winnipeg Harvest) collects and distributes food to local agencies to combat food insecurity. In November 2019, Winnipeg Harvest merged with Manitoba Food Banks Association, collectively becoming Harvest Manitoba. The charity states food bank usage in Manitoba has increased 150% since 2019. This is mainly due to higher cost of food and living after the pandemic. Harvest Manitoba runs three main programs: food distribution, Meals2Go, and First Steps.  

Harvest Manitoba allocated 83% of total program spending to food distribution in F2023. The charity also distributes food to a network of 389 food banks and community partners. In F2023, Harvest Manitoba received 10.1 million pounds of food. The charity states that the estimated value of this food is $32.6m. The 10.1 million pounds of food distributed was made up of 50% fruits and vegetables, 16% non-perishables, 9% bread and cereal, 7% dairy products, 8% proteins, and 10% other. The charity reports that it also bought and distributed 2.3 million pounds of food. According to the charity, 108,000 Manitobans rely on its services every month.  

 Harvest Manitoba’s Meals2Go program accounted for 11% of program spending in F2023. The Meals2Go program provides low-income students kits with a weekend worth of healthy food and snacks. Each kit contains cereals, yogurt, milk, and fresh fruit. In F2022, Harvest Manitoba facilitated the program in seven Winnipeg schools. The charity reports that every week, 2,600 children receive kits through this program. 

The remaining 6% of Harvest Manitoba’s program spending was allocated to its First Steps program in F2023. The charity states that one in three babies in Manitoba are born into poverty. As a result, its First Steps program delivers baby kits containing powdered baby formula, baby cereal, diapers, and other infant care essentials to mothers with infants.  

 The charity also runs other smaller programs such as an employment training program and an Income Tax Return program. In F2023, 50 people completed the employment training program. The income tax return program helped over 300 Manitobans file their taxes.  

In F2023, Harvest Manitoba received $9.0m in cash donations and special events revenue (up 36% from F2023), as well as $33.1m in donated food and goods revenue. 

Administrative costs are 1% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 9% of cash donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 10%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 90 cents are available for programs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. 

In F2023, Harvest Manitoba spent $5.6m on its programs, which is 58% of its total revenues (excluding goods in kind). The charity had a surplus of $2.9m and capital expenditures of $660k.  

Harvest Manitoba has $10.4m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Reserve funds increased 23% from F2022. Excluding the cost of donated food, the charity’s reserves can cover 185% or one year and ten months of annual program costs. 

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Harvest Manitoba for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on June 7, 2024 by Alessandra Castino.