Latest news with #LondonFoodBank
CTV News
29-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
How unsold food is making its way to hungry Londoners
A skid of food at Food Basics being loaded onto a London Food Bank refrigerator truck, seen in London, Ont. on July 29, 2025. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London) At a time of unprecedented demand at the London Food Bank, a food recovery program at several local grocery stores is preventing tonnes of nutritious meals from going to waste. 'The One More Bite program, it makes me proud to be a part of it,' explained Chris Coombs, manager of the Food Basics at 1200 Commissioners Road. 'We have a lot of people in the community that are struggling right now.' Nine of the Metro and Food Basics stores in London participate in the food recovery program. As a product's 'best before' date approaches, its price is often discounted by the store. If it hasn't sold by the night of the 'best before' date, the unsold meat, dairy, bakery products, and prepared meals are loaded onto skids and frozen to await collection by the London Food Bank. 'We focus mainly on healthy, nutritious products,' added Coombs. 'And it feels good to be able to give back (and) prevent it from going to waste.' One More Bite London Food Bank contributions Food Basics Manager Chris Coombs explains how food is selected for donation to the London Food Bank, seen in London, Ont. on July 29, 2025. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London) On Tuesday, the store loaded two skids of products onto a refrigerator truck from the London Food Bank. 'When you look at what's come in over those past number of years from One More Bite, it's been hundreds and hundreds of tonnes worth of food,' said Jane Roy of the London Food Bank. Province-wide last year, One More Bite saved 2.6 million kilograms of food, which is equal to about 5.2 million meals provided by food banks. Roy said the London Food Bank has been involved in the program since 2019 and received steady growth in both the volume and variety of food received. It's become a vital part of meeting unprecedented demand. 'We're serving double what we did before the pandemic. It's 5,800 families a month, or about 17,000 individuals a month, getting help from the food bank. So, this food we're going through really quickly,' Roy explained. Coombs described it as a team effort. 'I'm extremely proud of my staff,' he said. 'We're one of the highest contributing stores for Food Basics. My team is very engaged in it!' There are 247 Metro and Food Basics stores participate in the One More Bite program across Ontario.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Nearly 90k lbs of food collected for London Food Bank
Organizers with the London Cares Curb Hunger campaign say they brought in nearly 90,000 pounds of food. The London Food Bank's campaign wrapped up over the weekend at several local grocery stores. Organizers say it's about stockpiling for the food bank now before donations slow down during the summer months.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Time to give: Food bank feeding 10% of Londoners
The 29th London Cares Curb Hunger Food Drive launched by City of London and London Food Bank. The 29th London Cares Curb Hunger Food Drive launched by City of London and London Food Bank. On Wednesday, the City of London and London Food Bank launched the 29th London Cares Curb Hunger Food Drive. This year the need is greater than ever. 'It could be easy to get discouraged, considering how difficult times are, and especially now that we are feeding 10 per cent of London's population,' said Glen Pearson, Co-Executive Director of the London Food Bank. 'But when you see the City of London's ongoing commitment to this drive and the dozens of partners that have assisted through the years, we are upbeat given the marvelous generosity of this community,' said Pearson. The food drive will collect donations to help fight food insecurity from May 28 to June 8. You can support the food drive with: Fresh and non-perishable food donations Financial donations made directly to the London Food Bank Plant a Row, Grow a Row: Sign up to Grow-a-Row for the Food Bank in their backyard or community gardens Adopt a Plot: Sign up to adopt a garden bed at the London Food Bank to grow vegetables for client hampers 'The summer months are a traditionally slower period for food donations, but the need for donations does not slow down,' said Jay Stanford, Director, Climate Change, Environment and Waste Management, City of London. 'We want Londoners to know that it is easy to participate – whether it is donating at the grocery store, donating produce from your garden or helping us spread the word, your support matters,' said Stanford. 'I encourage all Londoners, if able, to please consider donating to support our neighbours who need it most,' said Mayor Josh Morgan. The London Cares Curb Hunger campaign has over 20 partners. View the list of participating businesses and organizations this year:
