Feed Ontario facts for kids
![]() |
|
Predecessor | Ontario Association of Food Banks (1992–2019) |
---|---|
Formation | 2019 |
Type | food bank network |
Website | https://feedontario.ca/ |
Feed Ontario is a group that helps food banks across the Canadian province of Ontario. It used to be called the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB). Their main goal is to make sure people in Ontario have enough food.
Contents
History of Helping
The Start: Ontario Association of Food Banks
![]() |
|
Abbreviation | OAFB |
---|---|
Successor | Feed Ontario |
Formation | 1992 |
Dissolved | 2019 |
Website | http://www.oafb.ca (defunct) |
The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) started in 1992. It worked with many different groups that help people get food. This included 125 food banks and over 1,100 other organizations. These groups offered things like community kitchens, school meal programs, and emergency shelters.
The OAFB's main job was to help these groups. They provided food, tools, and ideas to solve problems with food insecurity. Food insecurity means not always knowing where your next meal will come from.
Understanding Hunger in Ontario
Every year, the OAFB wrote a report about hunger. This report helped people understand how many people needed help from food banks. The 2015 report showed some important facts:
- About 358,000 people in Ontario used food banks in March 2015.
- Over 120,000 of these people were children under 18 years old.
- The number of senior citizens visiting food banks went up by 35% in one year.
- Almost half (49%) of the people using food banks lived alone.
- Most food bank users (90%) rented their homes or lived in social housing. This means they often pay a lot for rent.
- The report also showed that many people working full-time at minimum wage still earned less than needed. This made it hard for them to afford food and other important things.
The OAFB was known for its new ideas to help people. News organizations like The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star wrote about their good work in 2007.
A New Name: Feed Ontario
On February 11, 2019, the organization changed its name. It became 'Feed Ontario'. This new name shows how the group has grown and changed. It now does even more to help people get the food they need.