With food bank usage in Canada at an all-time record high, and Food Banks Canada are banding together this Giving Tuesday to provide vital food and resources to people in need.
On December 3, instead of just making deliveries, Skip will be picking up food donations from Toronto residents’ doorsteps to deliver to local food banks. In addition, Skip will make a $100 donation to Food Banks Canada for every food donation pick-up, and is matching Giving Tuesday donations made to Food Banks Canada across the country, with a total commitment of $200,000, said the company in a news release.
“Canadian food banks have seen a staggering 90% increase in visits since 2019, highlighting the urgent need for action and initiatives like this,” said Erin Filey-Wronecki, Chief Development and Partnerships Officer at Food Banks Canada. “We’re incredibly grateful for our longstanding partnership with Skip. Through these donations and innovative initiatives like this year’s doorstep pickup service, Skip is helping us provide critical support to the increasing number of Canadians that need our help.”
“As Canada’s homegrown delivery network, we’re incredibly proud to partner with Food Banks Canada for the fifth year in a row, and are committed to continuing our fight against food insecurity in our communities,” said Melanie Fatouros-Richardson, Vice President of Communications and Government Relations at Skip. “By removing barriers Canadians face when trying to give back, we look forward to working together with Food Banks Canada and our customers to make a meaningful difference this holiday season.”
The news release said this year’s initiative tackles a significant barrier to food donation: inconvenience. Recent findings show that individuals would donate more if drop-off points or pickup options were easier to access, with 49% of respondents identifying transportation constraints as the most common barrier to donating, it said.
To address this, Skip is introducing a one-day doorstep donation pick-up service in Toronto on Giving Tuesday, making it simpler than ever for Canadians to give back.
Toronto residents can visit www.GivewithSkip.ca to sign up for a food donation pick-up from their home. On Giving Tuesday, participants who signed up are asked to set out a box of non-perishable items on their doorstep, which Skip will collect and deliver directly to Daily Bread Food Bank. For every food donation pickup, Skip will also donate $100 to Food Banks Canada to further the impact and thank Torontonians for their generosity.
Canadians outside of the Toronto pickup radius can also participate by donating directly to Food Banks Canada at www.FoodBanksCanada.ca/Skip between November 25 to December 3, with Skip matching donations.
This marks Skip’s fifth consecutive year partnering with Food Banks Canada for its Giving Tuesday campaign, which has provided nearly five million meals nationwide, as well as weekly food donations from Skip Express Lane store locations to local food banks, reinforcing its commitment to supporting communities year-round.
The Growing Need for Support
According to the news release, Food Banks Canada’s 2024 HungerCount Report underscores the growing food insecurity crisis across the country:
- Food bank visits in March 2024 exceeded 2 million—the highest monthly count in history. This reflects a 6% increase compared to 2023 and a 90% increase since 2019.
- Children represented over 33% of all food bank visits—nearly 700,000 visits in March alone, an increase of more than 300,000 per month compared to five years ago.
- 18% of food-bank clients are currently employed, the highest proportion ever recorded.
- The food bank system is nearing its limits, struggling to meet the growing demand as food and housing costs continue to rise.
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