The Compass is a 5-star, financially transparent charity with a High impact rating and an excellent A results reporting grade. It has a reasonably sized reserve of cash and investments and 15% total overhead spending. For every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 2002, The Compass is a Christian food bank that also runs community programs throughout Mississauga. It distributes both groceries and prepares meals for those in need. According to the charity’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, it has enhanced its programs in 2024: trained more kitchen staff, added fresh fruit to breakfast, and added salads to dinners. The charity reports 1/13 Mississauga households used a food bank in 2024 – nearly triple the 1/37 ratio in 2020.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 Impact: Canadian Food Banks

A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 100 Rated Charity

The Compass runs two program groups: food distribution and community programs. It spent $935k cash on its programs and distribute $933k worth of donated goods (food and clothing) in the December 2024 fiscal year. The charity did not provide any further breakdown of its program spending.

Food distribution is The Compass’ main program. In 2024, the charity distributed 972,035 lb of food (5% decrease from 1,025,613 lb distributed in 2023) to 6,321 unique individuals (15% decrease from 6,567 people in 2023) across 46,111 visits. It also served 71,624 meals in 2024. According to its strategic plan, it will give out 1,137,281 lb of food to 7,396 individuals in 2025.

Community programs include the Compass’ tax clinic, children’s camp, school supplies distribution, drop-in clothing bank, and Christmas gift card campaign. The charity runs a tax clinic where its staff help clients qualify for tax credits. It completed 313 tax returns in 2024. The Compass also operates a children’s summer camp for low-income families. It ran 97 weeks of programming for 52 campers, so each child stayed an average of 13 days at The Compass’ summer camp. It also distributed school supplies to 452 children, provided 1,443 Walmart gift cards, and provided winter clothing for 96 homeless people in 2024.

The Compass’ audited financial statements follow line-item costing, meaning it does not clearly separate its program, administrative, and fundraising costs. This is not a best practice.

In 2024, The Compass received $913k worth of cash donations and special events revenue (43% of total revenue), $933k worth of donated goods (44% of revenue), and $236k in government funding (11% of revenue). Its administrative costs are 7% of total revenue less investment income and its fundraising costs are 8% of cash donations. Its 15% total overhead means that for every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

In 2024, The Compass spent $935k cash on program operations (28% increase from $730k in 2023) and distributed $933k worth of food and clothing (2% decrease from $954k in 2023).

At the end of 2024, The Compass had $1.4m in reserve funds (cash and investments). This can cover 154% or slightly over one year and six months of its annual program spending.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on June 20, 2025. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.