Community Food Centres Canada | Good food is just the beginning

Millions of Canadians struggle with poverty and food insecurity. It takes a toll on their physical and mental health, and on the fabric of our communities.

We take action by building vibrant centres and programs in low-income communities where food is used as a tool to build health, belonging, and social justice.

88%

of people say they have better access to healthy food

56%

say their physical health has improved

95%

feel like they belong to a community

47%

have become more active and engaged on community issues

Our approach

We take action by investing in places and programs that alleviate the impacts of poverty and food insecurity; supporting organizations to become leaders in community food security programming; and empowering Canadians to advocate for policies that improve people’s lives.

Change

Good food is just the beginning

Invest

Support

Advocate

Our principles

Food is a powerful tool 

We believe food has the power to bring people together, build health and connection, and inspire people to become engaged in issues that matter to them. We prioritize food that’s delicious, nutritious, and responsibly grown and sourced.
Space matters

The physical determines the social. We create spaces that are dignified, inclusive, vibrant, open, and welcoming. We believe every community should have a place where people can come together around healthy food and food programs, and that these places can play an important role in driving individual, community, and social change.
Meet people where they’re at

We respect every person’s inherent value and potential to contribute. Program staff in local centres work with people towards the changes they want to make, and look for ways for participants to use their assets in volunteer and leadership roles. The partnerships we build are also founded on respect of local knowledge, leadership, and assets. We strive to bring value to all our partnerships, and to share local learnings and innovations with our larger network.
Take action at all levels

We create opportunities for people affected by poverty and food insecurity to take action on issues and push for progressive policies that can have real, measurable impact on their lives. We combine that grassroots action with a united national voice to be a leader in speaking out for policies that can reduce poverty, food insecurity, and poor health.
Aim high

We hold ourselves to a high standard of performance. We design our programs based on current research and the growing body of knowledge we gain from those in our sector. We strive to have enough resources to have positive impact, and we deliver funding with impact in mind.