Give a Toonie,
Feed a Family
Teaching Hunger Awareness
Hunger in Canada
 Hunger is on the rise in Canada
 In a typical month during 2013, food banks nationwide
provide food to 833,000 people
 More than 1/3 of these are children
 Food bank usage is 23% higher than in 2008
Hunger in Ontario
 In March 2013, about 375,814 people were helped by
food banks in Ontario
 This has also increased by about 19.6% since 2008
 Ontario has more people using food banks than any
other province in Canada
 More than double that of Quebec
Hunger in Mississauga
 Surprisingly, about 17% of Mississauga residents live in
poverty
 That’s over 121, 000 people
 Food banks in Mississauga support 65, 000 clients
each month, about 9% of Mississauga residents
 37% of which are children
 That means there are over 56,000 people in
Mississauga who may be going hungry each month
because they are unable or don’t know how to access
a food bank
Food Banks in Mississauga
 There are a number of food banks in Mississauga that
serve clients directly in different areas of the city.
 These local food banks in Mississauga include:
 Compass Market Food Bank
 Eden Community Food Bank
 Battleford and Unity locations
 Malton Food Bank
 Seva Food Bank
 Wolfedale Rd and Malton locations
 St. Mary’s Food Bank
 Coopers and Dundas locations
Eden Community Food Bank
 Food collection activities occur in the community
 Food distribution occurs during the 6 food bank shifts which
occur out of 2 locations every week, when clients come in to pick up
food for their families. This also happens when people order a Fresh
Produce Box, which they order by Thursday and pick-up and pay for
on Fridays
 The food bank provides advocacy services to inform clients about
other available resources and services in the community
 Community learning kitchen
 4 – pronged approach



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Cooking classes for clients (healthy and nutritious)
Employment training
Meal production (frozen meals to be distributed through our food bank)
Kitchen sharing (other groups in community can make use of it for their
clients)
Eden Community Food Bank
 Eden Community Food Bank serves hungry people
who live in western Mississauga
 In 2013, between 300 and 400 families visited the food
bank each month
 An average of 1,200 people received food and other
assistance on a monthly basis
 42% of these were children
Eden Community Food Bank
 Approximately 426,000 lbs of food was collected and
distributed in 2013
 Each person received about 28 lbs of food per visit
 A family of 4 got about 100 lbs of food
 Each family receives a quantity and variety of food to
make healthy, nutritious meals for 7 – 10 days
 On average, clients spend 75% of their income on rent
and utilities  many clients have to choose between a
roof over their head or food for their families because
they cannot afford both
2013 Key Facts
 12,436 individual visits were made to Eden Community
Food Bank in 2013
 213 tons of food was collected in 2013
 That’s the same weight as 53 ELEPHANTS!!!
 212 tons of food was distributed in 2013
 That’s a value of over $1,000,000 in food distributed to
hungry families in one year
 100% of the food and funds are raised in the
community and distributed and spent in the community
in which Eden Community Food Bank serves
How WE can make a
difference TOGETHER!
 If you buy $10 worth of FOOD the food bank will
distribute $10 worth of food to hungry families in our
community
 If you DONATE $10 to the food bank, they can acquire
and distribute up to $100 worth of food to people in
need
 Their current average is about $45 worth of food for every
$10 donated
How can a $10 donation provide
$100 worth of food?
 As a food bank, Eden Community Food Bank has a
greater purchasing power than the average person
 When purchasing food, the food bank connects directly
with food distributers such as the Ontario Food
Terminal and…
 Donated products help to lower the cost
 Eden is given a discount for being a food bank
 Eden buys products in bulk and may also be given
discounts for such large purchases
The Peanut Butter Example
 Peanut butter is a staple item that is commonly needed
at food banks, however, peanut butter is expensive
(about $5.00 per jar)
 When Eden Community Food Bank purchases peanut
butter they buy 2 whole skids and they are given:
 A discount for being a food bank
 Bulk purchase discount
 Some peanut butter is donated
 SO… one jar of peanut butter costs Eden Food Bank
$0.50 instead of $5.00!!!
TOONIE TUESDAY
 On a Tuesday in November, Eden Community Food
Bank asks students to help people in need in their
community by donating a Toonie to the food bank
 Every $2.00 donated helps Eden food bank to provide
the food needed for 4 MEALS for a local family!!!
TOONIE TUESDAY
Please donate as much as you can
to our Toonie Tuesday fundraiser
this November and help to feed
families in need in your
community!
THANK YOU!
Resources
 Eden Community Food Bank Handout – “Food Bank
Facts”
 Eden Community Food Bank – “Food for Thought:
Winter 2013” newsletter pamphlet
 www.foodbankscanada.ca - “Hunger Count 2013” PDF
document
 www.themississaugafoodbank.org - “Hunger at a
Glance”