Note: AMORTIZATION: Ci has backed out amortization of capital assets out of program costs. This reduced program costs by $25k in F2023, $73k in F2022, and $313k in F2021. GRANTS PAYABLE: To report on a cash basis, Ci adjusted for grants payable. This affected revenues by ($812k) in F2023, $11.9m in F2022, and ($3.8m) in F2021.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide additional comments to supplement Charity Intelligence’s review.

NOTE: This comment was left on a previous profile update. 

The above rating captures information activity ended March 31, 2022, our fiscal year F22.

To review our most recent financial statements and annual report please visit https://foodbankscanada.ca/about-us/annual-reports/ and https://foodbankscanada.ca/impact/ to read more about Food Banks Canada’s impact.

Food Banks Canada vision is a Canada where no one goes hungry, and we do this through our mission to both relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow.

Looking back on our work from F22.

RELIEVING HUNGER TODAY

Funding:

In F22, Food Banks Canada distributed over $38.7 million in funding to support the food banking network.

Providing food to those in need can be difficult at the best of times. With COVID-19, that task got a whole lot harder.

To help the network of food banks and provincial associations provide food and other essentials to individuals struggling amid the pandemic, Food Banks Canada continued offering support through the Emergency Food Security Fund, made possible through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

From disruptions in the supply chain and donations to a drop in volunteers to entirely new safety protocols, food banks have had to adapt to a host of unprecedented challenges. With government funding Food Banks Canada developed a granting program that enabled the national food bank network to survive during a period of incredible challenges so they could continue providing food to hundreds of thousands of people in Canada.

In addition to this, Food Banks Canada, through the support of donors, also provided direct funding to support the network along with dedicated grants to address capacity issues through the network.

Food:

Through F22 we safely shared perishable food like eggs, milk, produce and meat; moved large-scale food donations to bridge supply gaps; put grants in the hands of food bankers helping people on the ground; and stocked food bank shelves that were running low.

As the nation’s leading organization in relieving hunger, we built partnerships with food producers, farmers and other organizations—including community-led initiatives in the North—to ensure every person in Canada who is hungry, no matter where they live, can have access to nourishing food during this crisis and beyond.

In F22, through Food Banks Canada programs, over 31M lbs. of food reached the food bank network including 4.5 million lbs. in purchased food, 7.8 million lbs. through our National Food Sharing System (NFSS) and 19.2 million lbs. through the Retail Food Program, representing an estimated value of over $100M on food in support to the network.

Programs:  A few examples of Food Banks Canada programing in F22

After The Bell – https://foodbankscanada.ca/after-the-bell/

Child hunger is a heartbreaking fact of food insecurity in Canada, and Food Banks Canada is urgently bringing attention and action to the problem. In Canada, 1 in 6 children live in food-insecure households.

According to our 2021 HungerCount report, children comprise 33 per cent of food bank users in Canada, even though they only represent 19 per cent of the population.

To respond to child hunger during summer 2021, when school meal and snack programs were unavailable, Food Banks Canada’s After the Bell program delivered 150,000 healthy food packs for distribution by food banks in high-need communities.

After the Bell has become a cornerstone campaign for Food Banks Canada and its network. As the number of children and families in need continues to increase at an alarming rate, so does the need for Food Banks Canada to step in, as a national leader, to showcase the need and share hope for positive change.

In addition to increasing the number of healthy food packs provided by 15 per cent, we also grew the number of communities covered by the program from 162 to 180 to help address child hunger in more remote and underserved areas.

Families from hard-to-reach towns like Bella Coola on B.C.’s Central Coast and fly-in communities like Brochet, Manitoba, all benefited from nutritious food packs that are reviewed by a dietician.

In Alberta, After the Bell packs even helped Nashid* and his family feel more comfortable accessing the Interfaith Food Bank of Lethbridge. “Because language is often a barrier for some of the new Canadians that visit our food bank, children tend to be brought along by parents as ‘interpreters.’ When Nashid was asked to tell his mother to come back each week over the summer to pick up the After the Bell packs, his eyes brightened, and he told his brother first! The two boys became a bit of a fixture at the food bank this summer as they tagged along with their mother to help with carrying groceries, and we saw them become more comfortable with the food bank experience over the summer months. Where they appeared to be shy on their first visits, we could tell they looked forward to coming each week for their After the Bell packs—often even beating Mom to the door! The After the Bell packs built a bridge for this immigrant family that was spearheaded by the children.” Danielle McIntyre EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge

*name changed to protect privacy

Northern Food Insecurity:

Poverty, along with a lack of access to logistics, proper infrastructure and transportation, has resulted in many northern and remote communities experiencing high levels of food insecurity. Through our ongoing policy recommendations, Food Banks Canada remains focused on addressing the disproportionate food security challenges being faced by people in the North. To address these challenges, Food Banks Canada believes in building deep, sustainable and authentic connections with northern communities. In addition to continuing to work on long-term policy solutions, in July 2021 we welcomed our first Northern Program Officer, Jason Stevens, who developed dozens of new relationships with food bankers operating in northern Canada.

Food Banks Canada also consulted with provincial associations to find collaborative ways to increase supports beyond the three northern territories and encompass the northern regions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Food Banks Canada disbursed $1.2 million in grants—made possible through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund—to remote and underserved communities in Canada’s North. Through Food Banks Canada’s own Northern Capacity Fund, we also granted $250,000 to boost sustainable capacity investments in northern communities.

With this grant, a total of 18 Northern food banks and other food security organizations were helped to accept and distribute more food for those experiencing hunger; improve operational efficiency to increase the amount of food their organization can safely acquire and distribute; improve safe food-handling practices; or build sustainable initiatives that will provide northern communities with ongoing support for those  in need.

The year culminated with Food Banks Canada working with members from the network of food banks and provincial associations to deliver 4,000 pounds of food donated by Harvest Manitoba to two northern, rural and remote First Nation communities. Along with volunteers from the Thunder Bay Regional Food Distribution Association and Harvest Manitoba, Jason Stevens drove more than 3,000 kilometres on ice roads to deliver food and other supplies in Shamattawa, Manitoba, and Fort Severn, Ontario.

Food Waste:

Through Food Banks Canada Food Recovery Programs, in F22 27M lbs of food was recovered and diverted to communities in need throughout Canada

In addition, after exports of P.E.I. potatoes to the U.S. were suspended in November 2021, Food Banks Canada worked with government officials and the P.E.I. Potato Board to keep loads of fresh, wholesome produce from going to waste. Together, we committed to distributing dozens of truckloads of perfectly palatable tubers—for a total of up to 3.5 million pounds—to food banks across the country. As reported in a CBC story featuring Food Banks Canada CEO Kirsten Beardsley, the network of food banks and provincial associations was “overjoyed” to receive the recovered spuds.

“The large donation of 120,000 pounds of potatoes from Food Banks Canada has been a tremendous help. Not only are they distributed in our food hampers throughout Windsor-Essex County, but they are also used to make healthy, nutritional soup for our soup program. We are extremely thankful for donations like this; potatoes are high in protein and fibre, keep individuals full for extended amounts of time, and taste great in just about anything! Thank you, Food Banks Canada, for helping feed the need in our community. We appreciate all you do.” Mackenzie Adams UHC – HUB OF OPPORTUNITIES

“The potatoes are in amazing shape. With food prices increasing so much, potatoes are a great option.” Alex Counsell NANAIMO LOAVES & FISHES

The Ikurraq Food Bank in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, even secured additional funding for cheese and gravy and treated hundreds of community members to crowd-pleasing poutine—not to mention potatoes served with locally harvested caribou and nutritious bowls of stew. “The potatoes added a great source for stews, which with additional resources such as caribou are a staple food in our community.” David Fredlund IKURRAQ FOOD BANK SOCIETY

Free Tax Clinics:

There is no shortage of food in Canada; being hungry in this country is about poverty. With the rise in the cost of housing and food, and the relatively stagnant levels of wages and government support for those who need it, people are struggling to make ends meet.  For individuals who live below the poverty threshold, every dollar truly counts. While federal and provincial supports are available in the form of GST/HST credits, child benefits and more, those who don’t file tax returns miss out. So, to help more people living with low incomes overcome the barriers to accessing benefits they deserve, Food Banks Canada expanded its National Tax Clinic program to help more individuals living with low incomes file their tax returns.

In collaboration with the network of food banks and provincial associations, and with increased funding and volunteer support from our corporate sponsor, KPMG in Canada, Food Banks Canada increased the number of free tax return clinics included in its National Tax Clinic program and upgraded software to help more people access the benefits they deserve. In 2021, the Mississauga Food Bank joined the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre in filing 2020 taxes on behalf of clients in need, operating virtually as a safety precaution due to COVID-19. According to Heather McLean of The Mississauga Food Bank, which together with the Saskatoon Food Bank returned more than $9.3 million to the pockets of low-income individuals in 2021, virtual tax clinics help alleviate client fears and spread education  about the existing social benefits system.

“Numerous clients who I spoke to had not filed taxes for many years out of fear,” McLean said of her experience during the 2020–2021 tax season. “Many were in receipt of disability benefits and were struggling to make ends meet, or they received the CERB and were afraid they would owe money on their taxes. The virtual tax clinic allowed them to stay safe in their homes while still ensuring their returns were filed.” As tax clinic clients interact with volunteers in filing taxes, they also develop a better understanding of how to navigate the tax system going forward. Ultimately, helping individuals access the tax credits, child benefits and other financial supports they are entitled to aligns with Food Banks Canada’s long-term goal of reducing poverty, inequality and the need  for food bank services.

N95 Masks:

In addition to the food, funding and programming provided to the network, in F22 through partnership with the Red Cross, we also distributed a total of 149,760 N95 masks to the network to help food bankers stay safe as they work to relieve hunger.

PREVENTING HUNGER TOMORROW

Food Banks Canada understands that we need national data to find both short- and long-term solutions to food insecurity, which is why we are a key contributor to the understanding of hunger in Canada on the ground. Our signature HungerCount 2021 report drove a significant amount of awareness to help Canadians understand how the pandemic impacted people living with food insecurity.

Food Banks Canada’s research made headlines, reaching of 51.2 million across the country, creating a unified national platform to highlight food insecurity issues in newscasts from coast to coast to coast. We believe that people care about their neighbours who are hungry and want to engage with the issue through data and analysis.

In Canada, we know that hunger stems from more than a lack of food. Food bank services exist to assist people experiencing food insecurity with meeting their immediate needs, and Food Banks Canada is equally focused on advocating for the structural solutions that will prevent hunger from continuing to grow in Canada.

That’s why, as the national expert on food insecurity, we released an Election Toolkit ahead of the 2021 Canadian federal election to help the network of food banks and provincial associations influence political discourse. We also worked continuously with the government to guide action on long-term policy solutions for tomorrow—including a Disability Hiring Strategy that made it onto multiple party platforms—and expanded our tax clinic program to reduce poverty in the future.

Using the strength of our national research program and policy experts in food insecurity, Food Banks Canada consistently presents policy alternatives that can make a demonstrable difference. We are a leading and credible advocate for government action on food insecurity.

In F22 we provided 5 key policy recommendations

1. New support for renters living with low incomes: With rent and housing as the top affordability concern for people in Canada, more financial rent support, a stronger and faster housing strategy, and more housing support for those with disabilities is needed.
2. Modernize and expand supports for low-wage and unemployed workers: Our EI system is decades out of date. Canada will need to adapt for a modern workforce and struggling population post-pandemic.
3. A path forward where no individual is left behind (progress toward a minimum income floor): With the majority of food bank clients earning income through social assistance, it is clear to see that the current system is grossly inadequate. Efforts must be made to improve the system and give people a fair chance to escape the poverty cycle.
4. Increase supports for low-income single adults: Singles are still an overlooked demographic in Canada.  With the pandemic calming, better mental health measures and a stronger social assistance system will be needed if we hope to reduce food bank visits.
5. Enhance measures to reduce northern food insecurity: Northern and Indigenous populations in Canada have continuously lagged behind the rest of the country when it comes to food security. It’s well overdue for this country to find ways to improve food security in the North and among Indigenous people in Canada.

Read the full policy recommendations at F22 Policy Recommendations

Please also see our most up to date policy recommendations at https://foodbankscanada.ca/hungercount/policy-recommendations/

Note:  Visits referenced in Charity Intelligences review above, provides the results of the snapshot of Food Bank users in one month, March 2021, as reported in our annual HungerCount Report (HungerCount2022).  This number does not represent the total number of visits within the food bank network over the entire year, nor unique individuals utilizing the services of the network.