The Campaign for Community Food Centres Canada
For over 30 years, the food bank has been the institutional response to hunger — an easy answer to a complex problem. But they are not the answer. Food banks offer no way to reduce social isolation or improve people’s health. And they don’t respond to the larger issues in our food system. It’s time for us to move beyond the food bank model and build organizations that move the dial on poverty and hunger in measurable ways. The Community Food Centre is an innovative, 21st-century answer to the growing fragility of our food system, a prevention- based solution that gets at the root of intractable problems like hunger, poverty, and poor health.
Over the next five years, CFCC will drive the development of 15 partner centres across the country. These centres will build health, skills, and community through a proven program mix that combines food access, food skills and education and engagement programs.
What impact can 15 centres have across the country? In a single year: 273,000 healthy meals shared, resulting in better health and food choices; 60,000 cooking sessions that build kitchen skills and confidence; 60,000 lbs. of garden-grown food that feeds the people who grow it; $3 million in food purchases that support local farmers and producers; 175,000 volunteer hours that engage community members and reduce social isolation. The social ripple effect will reach hundreds of thousands of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
We are looking for social investors to lead the way in helping us establish Community Food Centres Canada. With your help, CFCC will bring the Community Food Centre model to cities across the country, and revolutionize the way we approach food, health and poverty. To become involved in this transformative campaign, contact President and CEO Nick Saul
CFCC gets animated! from Community Food Centres Canada on Vimeo.