Summer food drive returns as food insecurity in Ottawa keeps growing

CBC

19 hours ago

A charitable effort to keep kids fed throughout the summer break is back, as the Ottawa Food Bank warns of startling levels of food insecurity in the city.
Donations to this year's summer food drive, an annual event launched by Khalsa Aid Canada in 2023, totalled nearly 41,000 kilograms.
The food was raised through a combination of school donation initiatives, contributions from local businesses and a bulk donation from Khalsa Aid Canada.
"We know that many families are struggling right now," Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson said at an event Saturday where the final tally was revealed.
"Our donations tend to go down in the summer, so when we know that this food is coming in, it makes a huge difference for our ability to support those kids."
Many children depend on their breakfast program throughout the school year, Wilson noted, but that help isn't available to them during the summer vacation.
Thirty-seven per cent of all food bank visitors in Ottawa are children, she said. While that number has held steady for years, overall demand is on the rise.
Food bank usage in the city is up by 90 per cent since 2019, and the number of Ottawa households that struggle to afford food nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023.
"Any donations that we receive make a huge difference," Wilson said.
Food emergency
The Ottawa Food Bank has campaigned publicly for Ottawa to declare food insecurity a crisis, saying the declaration would help unlock financial investment from higher orders of government.
Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., have both done so. In January, Kingston did the same.
Other eastern Ontario municipalities have followed their lead, including Hawkesbury and Smiths Falls.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who attended the event Saturday, responded to a question about the city's lack of a formal declaration.
"For me, it's not about a declaration or a statement — it's about action," he said in an interview.
"We need to address the situation and we need to put our efforts behind it, and we'll work with the food bank and other partners in the community to do that."
The Ottawa Food Bank is 98 per cent funded by the community, Wilson said.
"We don't receive government funding, except for a little bit of city funding. And that just puts more pressure on everyone," she said.
Portion goes to OCH residents
Thirty per cent of donations to the summer food drive are set aside for residents in Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), the city's largest social housing provider.
"It's actually the number one thing that tenants are asking for our support with," said Traci Spour-Lafrance, executive director of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation.
"We are trying to ensure that they have food in their bellies, and that they can play and grow and enjoy their summer just like their friends."
Although Spour-Lafrance is thrilled by the amount of food going to OCH residents, she said it isn't enough to meet demand.
"This is one of the ways that we are trying to respond to that need," she said.