Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank is a 4-star charity with a Good impact score. It is financially transparent and has a A results reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 88 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, more commonly known as Cambridge Food Bank (CFB), first opened its doors in 1985 to help respond to a severe economic recession. It serves the city of Cambridge, ON and the township of North Dumfries, which have a combined population of around 156,000. CFB offers a vital solution for individuals facing food scarcity due to various challenges, including sudden job loss, insufficient income, unaffordable housing, and high food prices. In F2023, the charity reports receiving 920,756 pounds of donated food.

A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 10 Canadian Impact Charities

Cambridge Food Bank’s main program is food distribution which includes Community Pantry support, Mobile Food Market, and Food Banks Garden.

Community Pantry gives clients "emergency food hampers" containing five days’ worth of food up to 12 times a year. These hampers include canned, boxed, frozen, and fresh foods, and if needed, baby food, formula and diapers. On average, CFB distributes over 2,500 emergency food hampers each month. In F2023, 4,300 individuals visited CFB for emergency food assistance, 18% of those being employed and 3% being homeowners. CFB does not provide a spending breakdown of individual programs.

Mobile Food Market is a weekly neighbourhood market offering fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. Sourced from local agriculture, at least five produce items are offered each week, typically costing $10-$15 per basket. There are 12 locations across the City of Cambridge & North Dumfries. In F2023 Cambridge Food Bank reports 19,150 visits to the Mobile Food Marketing, providing 76,600 meals to the community.

CFB's Food Banks Garden provides fresh, organic food while building skills, health, and community bonds. Initiatives like Grow-A-Row and gleaning allow volunteers to rescue and distribute surplus food, supporting food security and environmental efforts. The charity reports 9,641 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables grown locally in F2023.

Cambridge Food Bank also has a Wellness Hub, providing workshops and wellness programs for youth and adults. These programs include School Support, Kinship Support, Children & Youth, and Adults. CFB reports that children and youth comprise 35% of all participants needing the food bank. In F2023, 652 youth and 275 adults attended Cambridge Food Bank’s Wellness programs.

Cambridge Food Bank received $2.0m in cash donations in F2023. It also received $3.3 in donated food (58% of revenues) and $296k in government funding (5% of revenues). According to the charity’s financial statements, the value of donated food is unaudited and estimated by its internal records. Administrative costs are 5% of revenues and fundraising costs are 7% of cash donations. This results in total overhead spending of 12%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 88 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range of 65 to 95 cents for overhead spending. CFB spent $1.1m on its programs in F2023, which is 47% of total revenue excluding donated goods.

Cambridge Food Bank had reserve funds of $3.6m in F2023. These are the charity’s cash and investments. Excluding the cost of donated food, CFB can cover 3 years and 2 months of annual program costs with its existing reserves. In F2023, Cambridge Food Bank had a surplus of $842k, which is 15% of total revenue.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Cambridge Food Bank for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on June 24, 2024 by Alexia Tudose.