NEWS RELEASE
THE FOOD BANK OF WATERLOO REGION
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The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is pleased to announce that its summer-long Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign has surpassed its goal, raising just over 1.5 million meals.
Now in its sixth year, the campaign ran from June 1 to August 31 and saw the community donate food and funds, helping The Food Bank provide 1,571,898 healthy and nutritious meals to children and their families accessing food assistance programs through the Community Food Assistance Network. Since 2019, the campaign has raised 8.5 million meals.
“We are incredibly grateful to our community for their overwhelming support of the Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign,” says Kim Wilhelm, CEO at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. “Thanks to this support, children and families facing food insecurity have access to healthy, nutritious food year-round. This achievement highlights the power of collective action and the compassion within our community.”
This marks the sixth year the Allan Bush Investment Team has served as a matching sponsor for the campaign. In a letter to the community in June, Bush, senior wealth advisor at the Allan Bush Investment Team, wrote, “When I learned The Food Bank is facing its highest demand for food assistance in almost 40 years, I was shocked. Unfortunately, it’s true. Right now, one out of every 10 households in Waterloo region doesn’t have enough food and need help. It’s important for people like you and me to support our neighbours in need. That’s why I’m stepping up to once again match donations to the Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign. Everyone should have enough food to eat.”
Wilhelm adds, “We truly appreciate Allan Bush and his team for their ongoing support of our Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. initiative. Their generous campaign match was instrumental in helping us surpass our goal, allowing us to provide even more nutritious food to children and families in need.”
The Food Bank’s fiscal data for 2023 reveals that about 20,500 children in Waterloo region are living in food-insecure households. This number is expected to increase when the 2024 data is released in October, reflecting ongoing economic challenges.
“With the cost of living and food prices remaining high, the Network partners we support are seeing more and more families reaching out for help,” says Wilhelm. Sadly, there are more hungry kids and families in Waterloo region than ever before. The need for support has never been greater, and we must continue working together to address this growing crisis.”
In July, more than 47,000 visits were made to food hamper programs in Waterloo region, a 30 per cent increase compared to 2023. Of the 25,000 unique individuals supported by the Network, nearly 9,000 were children aged 0 to 17, marking a 20 per cent increase from July 2023. Network partners, operating 132 food assistance programs, distributed over 15,000 hampers and served just over 109,000 meals—representing a 26 and 21 per cent increase, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Wilhelm adds, “While we celebrate surpassing our Full Bellies. Happy Hearts. campaign goal, our data shows there’s still work to be done in Waterloo region, in Ontario, and across Canada to address food insecurity and its root cause, poverty. We need meaningful engagement and action from all levels of government. Strong public policies on social assistance, living wages, and affordable housing are essential to improving the incomes of those living in food-insecure households.”
Learn more about The Food Bank’s advocacy efforts during Hunger Action Month at thefoodbank.ca/hungeractionmonth. To donate online, host a food and fund drive, or volunteer at The Food Bank, visit thefoodbank.ca.
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