Fighting Hunger In Our Communities
At The Mississauga Food Bank, our vision is to create A Mississauga Where No One Goes Hungry. We are the central food bank in Mississauga and distribute food for over 4.6 million meals each year through our network of 50+ agencies including neighbourhood food banks, pantries, and meal and snack programs,
Our mission is to relieve hunger in Mississauga by providing and promoting access to healthy food for people in need. We believe it takes all of us to fight hunger and we invite you to fight hunger in your community by supporting your local food bank!
Feeding America Food Banks
Feeding America is one of the most prolific organizations in the United States, running food banks and other places to donate food in almost every state. This includes 200 Feeding America Food Banks where volunteers collect millions of pounds of food to distribute to all of their surrounding counties. The organization secured and distributed 4 billion meals last year by sending food to food pantries and supplying meal programs. its goal is to end the fight against hunger in America and beyond.
How to donate food to Feeding America Food Banks:
Visit its online tool to figure out if there is a Feeding America Food Bank near you. Each of its foodbanks has a separate website and information regarding drop-off times and requirements for where to donate food.
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Food Donation & Recovery
Donating wholesome food for human consumption diverts food waste from landfills and puts food on the table for families in need.
Organizations that accept food donations from DC residents and businesses:Thrive DC
Guidance for Restaurants and Businesses:
- The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which was created to encourage the donation of food and grocery products to qualified nonprofit organizations and provides liability protection to food donors. .
- Internal Revenue Code 170 provides enhanced tax deductions to businesses to encourage donations of fit and wholesome food to qualified nonprofit organizations serving the poor and needy.
- The U.S. Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 specifies procurement contract language encouraging Federal agencies and contractors of Federal agencies to donate excess wholesome food to eligible nonprofit organizations to feed food-insecure people in the United States.
Join the U.S. EPAs Food Recovery Challenge today to help your community by donating leftover food to feed hungry people, while saving money by purchasing less and lowering waste disposal fees.
If you are a business or organization that accepts food donations from residents and businesses in an around the DC Metropolitan area and would like to be added to this list, please email .
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What Food Items Can Be Donated
As a rule of thumb, Villarreal says food banks are looking for food pantry staples that most people have in their kitchens such as grains, pastas, canned beans, cereal, and peanut butter. Guerra adds that low-sodium canned vegetables, rice, and canned fruit are also needed.
There are some items that food banks generally donât take as donations such as homemade items, Guerra says. Villarreal advises not donating items in glass containers as they can shatter during transportation or anything thatâs opened, damaged, or unlabeled.
Keep the expiration dates in mind as well. âMany nonperishable items have a shelf life well beyond their sell-by date,â Guerra says. So, Villarreal recommends using your best judgment. If the item is near its expiration date it should be fine to donate, but if itâs well past the date itâs best to toss it.
Depending on the food bank, some also accept other items as donations. Think of things that youâd find at your local grocery store such as feminine hygiene products, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, diapers, pet food, and other household items.
Food Is Our First Name Food Is Our First Priority
Nourishing our communities starts with nourishing their bodies. Nearly 60% of the food we distribute comes from generous, large-scale donations provided by retailers, wholesalers, farmers, and the food industry. We partner with organizations big and small to reduce food waste and source high quality, nutritious food. We are also able to transform every $1 generated from community-driven Virtual Fundraisers to help distribute enough food for 3 nourishing meals thanks to our multitude of partnerships, robust purchasing power, and bulk pricing.
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Places To Donate Food
There are food recipient organizations across the country. The following sites offer tools to help donors find nearby food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that may accept wholesome, excess food.
- Feeding America is a national network of food banks, individuals, national offices, and corporate and government partners working to combat hunger in the U.S. Use the Find Your Local Food Bank tool to locate food programs by state or zip code.
- Ample Harvest is a nationwide effort to educate, enable, and encourage gardeners to donate extra produce to local food pantries. Use their Find a Pantry tool to donate food you grow or buy.
- The Homeless Shelter Directory is a crowdsourced listing for people who want to find and donate food and/or supplies to their local shelter.
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What Do Food Banks Need At Christmas
Festive treats are appreciated as food donations at food banks during the Christmas holidays particularly Christmas pudding, as it often comes with a long-life use by date. The Trussell Trust recommends non-alcoholic puddings.
Chocolate coins and Christmas dinner non-perishables such as tinned pies, vegetables, condiments, and gravy are all appreciated this time of year. Festive treats for those who can’t afford them at this time of year are welcome.
Related features:
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The Salvation Army Hope Church & Community Services
122 Hunt St, Ajax
The Salvation Army Food Bank and Family Services is open for family food service for new and existing clients and those in need during this difficult time.
Emergency Food Bags specific to those without cooking facilities are available.
Please call: 905-427-7123to register or book an appointment for food pick up
The centre is open Monday Thursday 10 am 12 pm & 1 pm 3 pm
Bagged lunches are provided on Tuesday & Thursday from 12 pm 1 pm
To support safe physical distancing, all pick ups are being facilitated at the back entrance door.
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Fresh Produce And Meat Or Dairy
Please consider donating fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat or dairy to Neighbour to Neighbour. If youre at the market or have surplus produce in your vegetable garden or farm, Neighbour to Neighbour is happy to distribute these key nutritional items in our food bank.
Our food bank focuses on providing healthy choices to support better outcomes for our neighbours in need, which leads to better overall community health.
We have large refrigerated and frozen storage capacity to ensure optimal freshness.
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How Do I Donate To A Local Food Bank
The donation process will vary from food bank to food bank. To find your local food bank, Villarreal advises visiting FeedingAmerica.org and entering your zip code into the food bank locator. From there, she recommends connecting with that local food bank. Typically, theyâll have a most-needed list of items of things you can donate.
Financial donations are also welcome at most food banks as are volunteers. âVolunteerism is a huge need at all food banks,â Guerra says. âAnd the donation of the dollar goes a long way also. In fact, with the increase of fuel, most food banks need the dollar more than ever to keep food flowing into and across their local service region.â
Other local meal programs such as Meals on Wheels also rely on volunteers to deliver and prepare meals. âFor many recipients, the trusted Meals on Wheels volunteer who shows up every day with a meal and a smile is the only person they see or speak with all day,â says Jenny Young, the vice president of communications for Meals on Wheels America.
And if youâre not in a position to donate food, money, or time, Davis says helping spread the word about available resources for families in need is one of the easiest ways to support. âNo Kid Hungry has a texting line to help,â she says. âFamilies can text âFOODâ or âCOMIDAâ to 304-304 to find community meal sites for their kids.â
How To Volunteer For A Food Bank
With over 30% of food bank project managers over 65 years old and therefore classed as at-risk, food banks are struggling with a lack of personnel to help deliver parcels due to Covid restrictions. Speaking to the Guardian, Emma Revie said, We are definitely in need of additional volunteers. One of our biggest threats is people becoming unwell and unable to volunteer.
Your local council website is likely to have a page on volunteering in your area, specifying any food banks local to you and if there are roles and jobs available. You can also search using The Trussell Trust website .
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Foods Suitable For Donation
Home-Prepared Foods
DONATED FOOD DISTRIBUTING ORGANIZATIONS are not allowed to accept or serve most types of homeprepared foods. However, homemade baked goods that do not need refrigeration to remain safe may be received from DONORS.
Commercially Packaged Foods Not Needing Refrigeration
The donation of commercially canned, boxed, and otherwise packaged foods is encouraged.
Fresh Produce Donations
Food donations may include fresh produce, including home-grown fruits and vegetables. Fresh produce should be protected from contamination and receive final preparation, such as washing and cutting, in a DONOR KITCHEN or licensed kitchen.
Food Prepared in a DONOR KITCHEN
Except for baked goods , DONATED FOOD DISTRIBUTING ORGANIZATIONS may not accept foods prepared in a home kitchen. Instead, foods for donation should be prepared in either a DONOR KITCHEN or a commercial food establishment, such as a restaurant.
A DONOR KITCHEN is a publicly available kitchen in a faith-based organization, community center, or other site. The DONOR KITCHEN does not need to have a health permit, but must have basic facilities such as adequate handwashing, dishwashing, refrigeration, and cooking equipment. It must have a safe water supply, be protected from weather and animals, and be cleaned before food preparation starts.
Uninspected Meat Donations
Food Donation by Licensed Food Establishments
Food Donation by Food Processors
Distressed Foods
Donated Food Is Vital To Helping Us Provide Food To Neighbors Struggling With Food Insecurity
Food and Fund Drives put the power of giving in your hands
Whether its a bag of groceries from your pantry, a food drive held at an office, or a truckload of eggs from a distribution center, donated food is an integral part of our distribution to our network of over 160 food cupboards and social service agencies so they can serve those in need in our community. We partner with organizations big and small to reduce food waste and source high-quality, nutritious food. We also gratefully accept food donations from our community, all of which supports us so we can help those in need.
We have a continuous need for food and fund drives. The Food Bank is housed in a 36,000 sq. ft. facility that enables us to safely receive and store all sizes of donations. There is an increase in the number of people that are going to cupboards and social service agencies for assistance but may not qualify for SNAP or other government nutrition assistance programs. Donated food from the community enables our partner agencies and us to provide food to anyone in need. Thanks to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Law, donors are protected from civil and criminal liability when making donations. Additionally, retailers and food industry partners are eligible for tax incentives for their donations.
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How Do You Use A Food Bank
To receive a 3-day parcel from a Trussell Trust food bank and most independent food banks, youll need a food voucher, for which youll need a referral.
You may be able to get a referral and voucher from a number of different agencies and organisations, including housing associations, your GP or mental health teams, advice charities including Citizens Advice and childrens centres, who will assess your need. The Trussell Trust also advise that you can call or email your local Trussell Trust food bank, who will let you know which referral agencies they work with in your area.
Once you have your voucher, you can go to your local food bank, where you will be welcomed by trained volunteers. Theyll sit down with you and discuss your needs, provide a food parcel and also potentially help you find support.
Organize A Local Food Drive
Bring your community together and donate food for neighbors facing food insecurity. Oregon Food Bank is no longer accepting individual food donations, but you can create a local food drive and donate food directly to the organizations providing meals in our community. Whether youve organized a food drive before or youre just getting started, download our Food Drive Toolkit to learn whats new and how to help.
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How To Donate Food
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Hunger is a global issue that is widespread in both the wealthiest and most impoverished nations. Every little bit helps, but there is a constant need for support. Thankfully there are many organizations that make it easier than ever to get food to those in need both locally and internationally. With so many options available, it might be confusing, but really its easier than ever to start donating.
How You Can Find And Donate To A Food Bank Near You
Times are tough right now amid the cost of living crisis. If youre thinking about giving a little support to those less fortunate, heres what you need to know.
Some of the food people donate to a food bank. Image credit: petelovespurple/Flickr
The cost of living crisis means food banks are in demand like never before.
According to new figures from The Trussell Trust, the number of children receiving food bank parcels hit 830,000 in the last 12 months, a 15 per cent rise on the previous year.
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Can I Get An In
Donations of food from individuals may receive a tax receipt, if requested at the time of donation and if Edmonton Gleaners Association is provided with a third-party invoice, receipt, qualified appraisal, or similar documentation declaring the fair market value of the donated item in addition to their full name and mailing address. The donor can only make their donation at the main warehouse . Tax receipts for gift-in-kind donations will be issued within 60 days of receipt of the item and appropriate documentation.
Donations of food from corporations will receive a letter confirming receipt and description of the item, but not a charitable tax receipt. It is Edmonton Gleaners Associationâs understanding that companies may use this letter as documentation to write off the cost or a percentage of the cost of the product according to CRA policies and do not require an official charitable tax receipt to do so. The corporate donor is responsible to ask at the time of donation for the detailed letter which will be issued within 60 days of receipt of the goods.
Are My Cash Donations Tax Deductible
Yes, Edmonton Gleaners Association, more commonly known as Edmontonâs Food Bank, is a registered charity with Revenue Canada â charitable number 129 185 310 RR0001.
Edmonton Gleaners Association will generally provide an automatic tax receipt on the condition that the donorâs full name and mailing address are provided for monetary donations of $10 or more. On occasion, during specific campaigns, and clearly indicated on correspondence, Edmonton Gleaners Association reserves the right to ask for a minimum monetary donation of $20 or more to receive an automatic tax receipt on the condition that a full name and mailing address are provided .
Donations of less than $10 will not receive a tax receipt.
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Benefits To Our Food Industry Partners
- All businesses are eligible for a tax deduction for donations of product to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. Businesses can deduct from their taxes an amount equal to the cost of the donated items plus one-half their fair market value, or two-thirds the cost, whichever is less. For more information on this tax incentive, call 845-534-5344
Donating is Easy
For more information about making an Industry/Farm donation, contact:Lianna BoothFood Industry Relations & Food Drive Coordinator845-534-5344 x112
To schedule an Industry/Farm donation pick-up or delivery, contact:Eddie Johnson
How Your Money Is Used
Giving to AzFBN is effective!
Because we work with economies of scale your financial gifts to AzFBN go a long way. Because we deal with semi tractor-trailer loads of food, a little goes a long way! Of course your donations support hunger fighting programs, too, as we work toward a vision of a hunger free Arizona.
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