Food for Life Canada
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
High
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.
74%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 74 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Food for Life Canada:
Food for Life Canada (FFL) is a 5-star charity with High demonstrated impact. It is financially transparent and has overhead spending within Ci's reasonable range. It has a high results reporting grade. With its current reserves, the charity can cover three months of annual program costs.
Founded in 1995, Food for Life Canada (FFL) rescues and redistributes food in Hamilton and the region of Halton. FFL collects unsold and unused perishable food from grocery stores, wholesalers, restaurants, and farms and redistributes it to people in need through community programs and partners. The charity reports that 60% of food produced in Canada (35.5 million tonnes) is wasted annually.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.
In F2023, FFL rescued 4,655,492 pounds of food, valued at $15.3m. The food was distributed through 103 access points across Hamilton and Halton. FFL reports that it supported over 4,000 households each week in F2023.
In F2022, Food For Life Canada launched the Mountainside Market in Burlington and the Tremaine Market in Milton. The charity reports that in F2023 the Mountainside Market assisted over 375 families every week, and the Tremaine Market helped over 135 households every week.
FFL operates local programs such as pop-up food banks and distribution onsite at churches and community centers. FFL’s 15 youth programs work in collaboration with agencies, including Boys and Girls Clubs and Frontline Outreach. The charity reports that it supports 1,612 youth each week.
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Results and Impact
FFL reports that by diverting over 4.7 million pounds of usable food, it reduced the equivalent of six million kilograms of greenhouse gases. In F2023 the charity surveyed its clients. Out of the 318 unique responses, 89% agreed that receiving food from Food for Life positively affects their overall health, and 89% agreed that accessing food from Food for Life helped them stretch their budget so they have money for bills and other necessary expenses. The respondents also stated that they save on average $51.68 per week by receiving food from Food for Life.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Food for Life Canada’s results and impact.
Ci has rated Food for Life as High impact based on demonstrated impact per dollar.
Impact Rating: High
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Finances
Food for Life Canada received cash donations of $1.4m in F2023. It also received $15.3m in donated food, which is 88% of revenues. Administrative costs are 2% of revenues less investment income and fundraising costs are 24% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 26%. For every dollar donated, 74 cents are available for programs, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
In F2023, the charity spent $1.9m on its programs, which is 90% of total revenues (excluding donated goods in kind). The charity had a deficit of $491k.
FFL has $535k in reserve funds in F2023. Reserve funds are the charity’s cash and investments net of $43k in interest-bearing debt. Excluding the cost of donated food, the charity could cover 29% or three months of its annual program costs with reserves.
In F2023, FFL paid external fundraisers $49k. These external fundraisers raised $189k in donations. This means it costs FFL $0.26 to raise $1 using external fundraisers.
Charity Intelligence sent this update to Food for Life Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated July 24, 2024 by Alessandra Castino.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending December
|
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.1% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 24.2% | 17.4% | 13.8% |
| Total overhead spending | 26.3% | 19.3% | 14.9% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 28.5% | 52.8% | 63.7% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 1,375 | 1,968 | 2,039 |
| Goods in kind | 15,312 | 14,916 | 14,825 |
| Government funding | 606 | 711 | 592 |
| Other income | 96 | 108 | 187 |
| Total revenues | 17,390 | 17,703 | 17,643 |
| Program costs | 1,877 | 1,812 | 1,711 |
| Grants | 0 | 3 | 60 |
| Donated goods exp | 15,312 | 14,917 | 14,825 |
| Administrative costs | 356 | 328 | 192 |
| Fundraising costs | 333 | 343 | 281 |
| Other costs | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Total spending | 17,880 | 17,406 | 17,075 |
| Cash flow from operations | (491) | 297 | 568 |
| Capital spending | 37 | 371 | 599 |
| Funding reserves | 535 | 958 | 1,129 |
Note: DEFERRED CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Ci excluded amortization of deferred capital contributions, decreasing total revenues by $323k in F2023, $332k in F2022, and $311k in F2021. Ci adjusted for deferred donations and received capital contributions, affecting total revenues by ($111k) in F2023, $210k in F2022, and $366k in F2021. ACTIVITY BASED COSTING: Ci reported administrative and fundraising costs from the charity’s T3010 filings with the CRA.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
3 |
$40k - $80k |
7 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Comment added by Julian Dranitsaris on 8 October 2024:
Food for Life is a lifeline for those struggling with food insecurity in communities across Halton and Hamilton, alleviating hunger while protecting the environment as the largest food rescue charity in the region.
With a dual commitment to people and planet, Food for Life rescues over 4.6 million lbs of surplus food annually from our food industry partners, grocery stores, and farms. This food is then redistributed to our network of over 100 community programs, half of which are operated by FFL, who directly support households experiencing food insecurity. Since January, we have seen a more than 20% increase in the number of households accessing our programs. Through our food rescuing efforts, over 4,000 households are supported each week, with healthy fresh groceries they might otherwise be unable to afford, while also diverting 6 million kg of GHG’s from landfill due to avoidable food waste each year.
Through our innovative approach, we can leverage every $10 invested into an incredible $63.70 worth of food and groceries to those in the community facing some of life’s greatest challenges.
Our 2023 Neighbour Survey showed us that 85% of our neighbours reported having $200 or less per month for their household food needs after paying for housing and other necessities, while 89% agreed that the food they receive at Food for Life increases their access to fresh and healthy food items. Read the full Neighbour Survey Report here:
https://foodforlife.ca/accountability/
Food for Life is revolutionizing addressing poverty, food loss, and environmental sustainability. With a passionate team of 18 dedicated individuals working hand in hand with an incredible network of 500+ volunteers, we are on a mission to make a meaningful difference in communities across Halton and Hamilton.
In these challenging times, it is more crucial than ever to support those facing hunger in our community. Food for Life believes that by ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious food, we can foster a healthier, stronger, and more resilient community.
I invite you to learn more about Food for Life by touring our warehouse or visiting our website https://foodforlife.ca/
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 905-635-1106