Note: DEFERRED CONTRIBUTIONS: To report on a cash-basis, Ci adjusted for the change in deferred contributions. This affected total revenues by $12k in F2024, $9k in F2023, and $27k in F2022. AMORTIZATION: Ci has backed out amortization of capital assets out of program costs. This reduced program costs by $71k in F2024, $25k in F2023, and $73k in F2022. GRANTS PAYABLE: To report on a cash basis, Ci adjusted for grants payable. This affected revenues by ($4.1m) in F2024, ($812k) in F2023, and ($11.9m) in F2022.

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

In the above analysis Charity Intelligence appears to have only considered a small fraction of Food Banks Canada work.  We have shared detailed feedback with the Charity Intelligence team and hope to continue conversations to understand their methodology and considerations further, to ensure that future reports are more complete representations of Food Banks Canada’s work.

For F24, to provide a comprehensive representation of the results and impact of Food Banks Canada’s  work, we have provided some additional context below.

To review our most recent financial statements and annual report please visit https://foodbankscanada.ca/about-us/annual-reports/ and https://foodbankscanada.ca/you-make-it-possible/ 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 F24.

RELIEVING HUNGER TODAY

A few examples of Food Banks Canada’s programing in F24

FUNDING:

In F24, Food Banks Canada invested over $22.3 million in communities throughout Canada

• $5M in investments to improve access to food supports in communities throughout Canada
• $3M to increase network capacity to increase service
• $2.8M in investments dedicated to addressing Northern Food Insecurity
• $1M in investments to support the provincial associations
• $219k in disaster response funding to assist impacted communities
• $1M in support of the National Standards of Excellence
• An additional $9.2M in funding to support the work of food banks

FOOD & FOOD WASTE:

Through F24 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 F24, through Food Banks Canada programs, food support valued at over $124M were shared with communities throughout Canada, including $19.1M in facilitated purchases, 8M lbs. valued at $33.4M through our National Food Sharing System (NFSS), 20M lbs. valued at over $70M through the Retail Food Program.

Through Food Banks Canada’s Food Recovery Programs, 79M lbs of greenhouse gases were averted in F24. 

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 2023 HungerCount report, children comprise 33 per cent of food bank users in Canada, even though they only represent 20 per cent of the population. 

To respond to child hunger during summer 2023, when school meal and snack programs were unavailable, Food Banks Canada’s After the Bell program delivered 185,000 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 to 210, reaching every province and territory, 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 Yellowknife we heard that ..”These packs have a huge impact on our community. These kids are reliant on school food programs and when the kids are home for summer, the parents are scrambling to make ends meet. They are often coming in after the program is over wondering if we have any more to give. The foods we get in the packs are a huge hit, as some of these items are inaccessible in our area so it’s a treat for our kids when they receive them.    – Food Bank Society of Yukon, Whitehorse, YT

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 Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), our work within northern communities continued with a focus on listening within community and working toward building trust and long-lasting relationships with community members, organizations, and local government to share information, and to work together toward reducing food insecurity with communities at risk.

As part of this work, we formed a Northern Advisory Committee convening community leaders, elders, and organizations to come together to hear the challenges and experiences of the communities throughout the North, and work collectively on solutions.

Working with this advisory committee, Food Banks Canada hopes to develop a “Network of the North” made up of communities, food banks, schools, and other organizations that work together for sustainable food security, equitable access to food and funding, and information sharing across Canada’s three territories.

Supporting food security initiatives in communities throughout the North, Food Banks Canada disbursed $2.8 million in grants.  With these grants, northern food banks and other food security organizations were helped to activate community led activities to address food insecurity within their communities.  Many of these initiatives go beyond a one time purchase of food, but rather support longer term community initiatives which enable ongoing and sustainable solutions improving food insecurity in these communities into the future.

“Thank you so much for your continued attention and support to our program and community. It means a lot, and even more is your way of doing things, which is in a real and relatable way to community needs, capacity, and with a supportive approach. You make efforts to understand things from the communities point of view and community ways. That means the world.” Shari Fox,from Clyde River Ittaq program  

Building on this work, and to help improve community food security initiatives, quality of life, and access to healthy food, Food Banks Canada participated in a historic Wiiche’iwaymagon alliance;  that is working towards finding solutions to increase food supports to address food insecurity in isolated northern communities. Its membership includes six First Nation organizations –Island Lake Tribal Council, Sioux Lookout Area Aboriginal Management Board (SLAAMB), Southeast Tribal Council, Manitoba Keewatinowik Okimakanak, Mattawa (KKETS) and Mushkegowak Tribal Council.

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 total $37M was returned to clients through the completion of over 10,000 tax returns.

A client of the free tax clinic hosted by the UHC – Hub of Opportunities in Windsor, Ont., who lives paycheque to paycheque said they found the service to be deeply impactful. “I was highly stressed about getting my taxes done, as I live paycheque to paycheque and there wasn’t much money for additional expenses. I also felt a measurable amount of shame; there’s something crippling about saying you work full-time and still can’t afford basic expenses. I met with a UHC volunteer to assess my needs for the clinic, and take down my information with a great measure of compassion and empathy. I felt comfortable as she alleviated my shame and normalized the situation for me. Her friendly and compassionate approach made all the difference in the world to me.” ~ UHC – Hub of Opportunities client story

MENSTRUAL EQUITY FUND: -  https://foodbankscanada.ca/menstrual-equity-fund/

Food Banks Canada was proud to be selected by Women and Gender Equality Canada to lead a pilot for their Menstrual Equity Fund to address period poverty in Canada, with two objectives:

1. To test a national approach to provide free access to menstrual products to diverse low-income communities across Canada.
2. To increase education on and awareness of people’s knowledge of menstrual products, good practices, and period stigma.

Choosing between buying food and menstrual products or between paying your rent and ensuring your menstrual health is not a choice anyone should be forced to make — and yet it happens every day, all across this country

Through the pilot, and the engagement of pilot locations in every province and territory, we delivered over 72.7 million products which will reach over 3.5 million low-income individuals nationwide. Food Banks Canada also engaged with amazing organizations across Canada who have been working to advance menstrual equity. We provided $2.5M in funding to scale up their existing education and awareness activities to inform Canadians about period poverty and reduce stigma around menstruation.  

“By removing the barrier of cost, individuals can manage their menstrual health with dignity and without the added stress of financial strain. This has not only improved their physical well-being but also contributed to their emotional and mental health, fostering a sense of dignity and empowerment.” ~ Tereena Donahue, Canadian Mental Health Association, Cariboo Chilcotin Branch Executive Director

“We’re beyond grateful for the support, and we’re excited to continue distributing these essential items throughout our community. Your contribution makes a real impact, ensuring that individuals in need have access to crucial resources. Together, we’re making a positive difference, one thoughtful gesture at a time. Thank you for helping us create a stronger, more caring community!” ~ Kamloops Food Bank

DISASTER RESPONSE

Last year was officially Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, with more than 10 million hectares of land burned. Communities from the prairie provinces to the northern territories were displaced by wildfire danger and forced to flee their homes, compounding an already dire situation for food banks straining under historically high demand. As the cost-of-living crisis continues to exacerbate and deepen systemic inequities, the effects of severe wildfires and other extreme weather events such as flooding can place anyone into the position of reaching out to a food bank for support.

In response to extreme weather conditions and natural disasters across the country in FY2,4 made more likely by climate change, Food Banks Canada: 

• Coordinated the delivery of 7M+ pounds of food to impacted communities.
• Shared $219k in emergency funding from our Disaster Reserve Response Fund to support communities including: 
• Whitehorse, Y.T.
• Yellowknife, N.W.T.
• Buffalo Narrows Friendship Centre, Saskatchewan
• Turnor Lake & Birch Narrows Community Food Centre, Saskatchewan
• Meadow Lake Food Bank, Saskatchewan
• Food Banks Alberta

When spring 2023 wildfires in Alberta forced multiple communities to issue evacuation orders and thousands of people to flee their homes, Food Banks Canada worked to help affected regions in the province. Within 24 hours non-perishable food, water, and essential hygiene products were sourced and these resources were directed to food banks in Edson, Entwistle, and Whitecourt, benefitting 200 families and 650 individuals for multiple days.

“Thank you so much for orchestrating this — we are just blown away by the generosity of Loblaw!” ~ Amy Pillage, Program Coordinator, Edson Food Bank Society

INCREASING ACCESS AND REMOVING BARRIERS

As the need for food banks grows across the country, and the diversity of the clients we support increases, the work of building welcoming and accessible spaces is more critical than ever.

In FY24, building on a guide developed by Food Banks BC, Food Banks Canada developed and launched a guide to accessibility and equity for food banks, informed by peer researchers with lived experience of food insecurity. Titled Without Barriers, Stigma, or Fear: A Practical Guide to Accessibility and Equity for Food Banks, the new guide is a practical document that aims to help the network enhance their operations to be more equitable and accessible, highlighting the hard work and contributions of organizations across Canada that have already implemented skills and strategies to create a welcoming, dignified and inclusive space for all who access their supports. This guide has been shared across our network and was supported with a grant as well as a range of tools and resources, online workshops with accessibility experts, and one-on-one coaching sessions, as well as an e-learning course and a dedicated grant to support organizations to implement changes to further support equity-deserving populations that access their services.

NATIONAL STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE:

Every organization within the network of more than 5,100 food banks upholds Food Banks Canada’s Ethical Food Banking Code, ensuring consistent and respectful service for all. Community leaders and volunteers also complete safe food handling training to ensure they maintain the highest safe food handling standards and that everyone across the country who needs food support can feel confident and safe when accessing the services available to them at our food banks. 

With more people in Canada struggling to make ends meet and relying on food banks, the food banking network is committed to continually enhance our collective capabilities to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow.

To provide the highest levels of safety and dignity in food banking, Food Banks Canada launched a new set of national food bank standards that cover all areas of food bank operations to ensure overall operational excellence across the entire network. Designed as a baseline set of standards to which the food banking network holds itself accountable, the Standards of Excellence program provides a framework for food banks to identify opportunities for innovation and performance improvements in the areas of;

• Governance and Administration
• People Management
• Financial and Legal
• Client Service and Care
• Public Engagement and Fundraising
• Food Operations and Safety Standards

Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence program provides a framework that will set the foundation for the network to thrive. This means that as the food bank network aligns and becomes accredited through the standards, we have the opportunity to: 

• Advance to an even stronger and more agile food banking system to provide the best service delivery to communities across the country. 
• Activate shared learning to increase innovation and challenge the status quo. 
• Amplify the collective impact of the network on Canada’s food insecurity.

Becoming accredited through the Food Banks Canada Standards of Excellence will give food banks a baseline set of best practices, allowing for continuous improvement, accountability, and the establishment of clear benchmarks for future performance improvements. This in turn will help reduce risks, create enhanced opportunities to recruit and retain board members and volunteers, and differentiate your food bank as a network leader. 

Over the coming years, Food Banks Canada will be helping the food bank network to adopt these standards by offering instructional videos, grants and other resources, at every step of the journey toward accreditation. In FY24 alone, we funded $1M through our Standards of Excellence grant.

“The National Standards program has been really important for the Barrie Food Bank. It’s allowed us to develop a comprehensive set of policies and procedures to really increase the standard at which we operate. It’s increased our integrity and safety and care for our visitors and our staff and our volunteers and our donors and ultimately our community. Updating these policies and procedures has increased our resilience as an organization with a small team of people that we work with.” ~ Sharon Palmer, Executive Director, Barrie Food Bank

PREVENTING HUNGER TOMORROW

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.  As the national expert on food insecurity, Food Banks Canada is equally focused on advocating for the structural solutions that will prevent hunger from continuing to grow in Canada. 

HUNGERCOUNT:

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 2023 released in fall of 2023, shared important statistics of the state of food insecurity in Canada.  The report shared that in March 2023, there were almost 2 million visits to food banks across Canada, representing a 32%  increase compared to March 2022, and a 78.5% increase compared to March 2019, which is the highest year-over-year increase in usage ever reported.  The full report can be found at https://foodbankscanada.ca/hungercount/.

This report drove a significant amount of awareness to help Canadians understand how food insecurity impacting their neighbors throughout Canada.  The report resulted in over 1,500 news stories from coast to coast to coast.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:

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 F24 we provided policy recommendations in 4 key areas:

1. Rebuilding a broken social safety net
2. Getting serious about affordable housing
3. Support for worker with low incomes
4. Norther and remorte food insecurity and poverty.

Read the full policy recommendations at F24 Policy Recommendations https://foodbankscanada.ca/hungercount/policy-recommendations/ 

POVERTY REPORT CARDS:

Backed by our research and analysis, Food Banks Canada works to ensure that governments are taking meaningful action to address the root causes of food bank use – which are poverty and low incomes. This is particularly urgent as we’re seeing food bank visits continue to skyrocket, and food insecurity and poverty on the rise all across the country. 

With so many Canadians struggling, we have to ask ourselves what each government is doing to help. However, with an issue as complex as poverty, it can be a challenge to clearly measure how much a government is doing to put people on the road to a better future. It is even harder to compare different governments to each other, to see which ones are addressing the issues and which ones need to make bolder changes.

To help compile poverty reduction efforts across the country and track how much progress governments are making in reducing poverty, Food Banks Canada introduced the country’s first comprehensive Poverty Report Cards to capture the nuances of provincial, territorial, and federal perspectives in one place. 

The report and corresponding Poverty Report Cards are also accompanied by a set of policy recommendations for each level of government, which act as a roadmap to steer the country toward a future where poverty and food insecurity are a thing of the past.

Through our Poverty Report Cards initiative, Food Banks Canada aims to encourage greater transparency, accountability, and enhanced poverty alleviation efforts from all levels of government. We hope that people will use this knowledge to participate in informed discussions and advocate for policies that can make a tangible difference in Canada and help us build a country where no one goes hungry.

“Behind every statistic is a person or a family that’s struggling to put food on the table – but that doesn’t have to be the Canada of the future. This report not only highlights the deep gaps in our current social safety nets, but it also provides a road map for every level of government. We can build a Canada where no one goes hungry by asking our governments to take bold and focused action where people need help most.” ~ Kirstin Beardsley, Food Banks Canada CEO

Through the launch on the report cards the campaign generated over 5M campaign impressions and generated over 9,000 letter sent to MP’s across Canada.  

The report cards also generated significant discussions within governments throughout Canada, many reaching in to the Food Banks Canada team for further discussion, a positive sign for the needed policy changes.

Access the poverty report cards at https://foodbankscanada.ca/poverty-report-card/

MATERIAL DEPRIVATION INDEX:

Current poverty measures such as the Market Basket Measure (MBM), which is Canada’s official measure of poverty, only tell part of the story of poverty in Canada. However, by only focusing on income and ignoring other important factors, this measure does not consider the different ways that people can finance their basic needs beyond income into consideration. It can also be less sensitive to the impacts that major events such as the pandemic and skyrocketing inflation can have on a household’s well-being, as well as household debt, regardless of whether their income falls above the official poverty threshold.

To help measure poverty levels accurately, improve our understanding of the experience of poverty and how it influences food insecurity, as well as support calls for policy change, Food Banks Canada advanced our Material Deprivation Index project, with the support of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security and Maytree. 

Our Research team completed a Material Deprivation Index study that was presented in November 2023 at the Food Security Symposium in Toronto, and developed an updated list of material deprivation indicators to be more reflective of the lived experience of people, in particular historically marginalized groups.

Food Banks Canada’s Research team is using a combined quantitative and qualitative approach that is inclusive of people with lived experience of food insecurity to explain in greater detail the significance of certain indicators over others. This includes closely examining whether groups such as Indigenous and racialized populations, who are more likely to face higher rates of poverty and food insecurity due to systemic racism and oppression, may prioritize needs differently

Having a Material Deprivation Index for Canada will give us a much clearer picture of who is more likely to experience food insecurity and require use of a food bank, and help us advocate for policies that will address these needs in a more specific and strategic way. 

The project will not only deepen our understanding of poverty and food insecurity across the country but also enable Food Banks Canada to lobby policymakers to better target and track the success of poverty reduction initiatives.

As University of Ottawa Professor Geranda Notten, who is working with Food Banks Canada to collect material deprivation data, wrote in an article for The Conversation in March 2023, “Inaccurate poverty measurement tools not only skew our understanding of how much poverty there is and who is at risk, but also skew how policies contribute to reducing poverty.”

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT:

In FY24, Food Banks Canada’s media relations efforts helped provide valuable information to the public and raise awareness about the issue of food insecurity in Canada through our strategic initiatives and reports. These efforts increased the awareness of food insecurity in communities throughout the country, engaging more people in our activities so that we can do more and make a greater impact working toward our mission to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow.

Food Banks Canada’s research and advocacy messaging made headlines, resulting in over 1.2 billion media impressions and generating over 3,500 news stories, 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.