Mississauga food bank raises $706,000 and collects 371,000 pounds of food in annual drive

The Mississauga Food Bank came up significantly short of its goal during its recent Thanksgiving Food Drive, but officials with the charitable agency say they’re determined to meet the city’s needs as the annual holiday campaign approaches.

Food bank officials said in a news release today (Oct. 20) that they raised $706,392 and collected 371,153 pounds of food during the Thanksgiving drive, which ran from Sept. 12 to Oct. 10.

While those totals were significantly less than the food bank’s ambitious goal of $1.5 million and 500,000 pounds of food, the agency did improve on 2021 Thanksgiving drive numbers ($656,000 and 370,000 pounds of food).

Food bank officials say their organization, the city’s central food bank with a network of more than 50 agencies, has seen an almost 60 per cent increase in food bank users from before the pandemic. The Mississauga Food Bank now serves more than 30,000 people in need annually.

Officials add that there’s “an urgent and pressing need to raise more than double the funds to continue to support the growing demand” for food bank services in Mississauga.

“The Mississauga Food Bank set an ambitious goal of raising $1.5 million during the 2022 Thanksgiving Food Drive. Despite not reaching this goal, the community responded and made valiant efforts to try and meet the need for food banks that has more than doubled,” said food bank CEO Meghan Nicholls. “We need the community to continue to step up to the plate and support their hungry neighbours all year round. Whether through a monthly gift or participating in our upcoming Holiday Food Drive, please give where you’re able.”

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The 2022 Holiday Food Drive gets underway in mid-November and continues into January.

Food bank officials want to drive home the message that the demand for food bank services continues to grow at an alarming rate.

“With the community’s support, progress has been made, but there is still more work to do,” officials say. “As we head into the holiday season, we urge you to get involved and help make sure every person has access to healthy and appropriate food all year round.”

They add that higher prices everywhere, “from fueling up at the pumps to filling up grocery baskets,” are having a negative impact on many families.

“For neighbours already living pay cheque to pay cheque, the rising cost of living means they will have to choose between buying food and paying for other necessities.”

The Mississauga Food Bank recently released The Face of Hunger in Mississauga Annual Impact Report, which collects facts and figures related to the food bank’s efforts.

The latest such figures were tracked between June 2021 and May 2022.

Among other information, the report reveals:

• there were 30,038 food bank users (June 2021 to May 2022), including 10,053 children, who visited a Mississauga food bank. Nearly 7,300 were first-time food bank users (25,800 food bank users the previous year)
• The Mississauga Food Bank distributed more than 5.2 million pounds of food through its network of more than 50 agencies. That translates to more than 5.6 million meals, a 22 per cent increase from the previous year
• The Mississauga Food Bank, through donations and other efforts, served 16 per cent more users this past year than the previous year
• the food bank’s 1,905 volunteers contributed more than 30,000 hours of service

The Mississauga Food Bank, through its network of more than 50 agencies, distributes food for more than five million meals each year to vulnerable children, seniors and others.