Food Bank

The Food Bank provides members with a one-week supply of food, available up to 14 times per year. We prioritize offering fresh, healthy food, with more than 50% of each hamper consisting of fresh items, supported by our Food Recovery program and generous seasonal donations from local growers and farmers. To ensure we consistently have what we need, we purchase our core food items in bulk, guaranteeing that every member, regardless of when they arrive, receives the same high-quality selection.

Accommodating dietary and cultural requests is important to us, and we are committed to maintaining high-quality food and excellent service in a welcoming environment. Our dedicated volunteers play a crucial role in running the Food Bank, working together daily to support the community with compassion and commitment.

• 2,300 people visit the Food Bank each month
• 32% of our members are children
• 732,636 lbs. of food donated in 2023
• 18,195 volunteer hours
• 36% increase in new members in 2023

School Fuel

Food insecurity significantly impacts a child’s ability to learn. When children arrive at school hungry, their energy, concentration, creativity, and behaviour all suffer. School nutrition programs are vital for the health and education of many students in our community.

During the pandemic, these programs faced considerable limitations. In response, The Sharing Place developed School Fuel, an initiative that safely delivers a wide range of healthy food items directly to 23+ local schools on a bi-weekly basis. Designed to be deeply discounted, The Sharing Place offsets the costs to help maximize limited school budgets.

When schools are closed and throughout the summer, we collaborate with school staff, local libraries and other partners to provide nutritious snacks for children and youth in the Orillia area.

• Healthy breakfast, lunch and snack foods are accessed by more than 4,000 children across 23 local schools daily (when schools are open)
• 400 snack bags are distributed each week to local libraries and community partners when schools are closed

Meals-4-Change

Meals-4-Change is an innovative initiative dedicated to creating healthy, ready-to-eat meals from the food we recover. By utilizing the abundant supply of rescued food, along with the dedication of our incredible volunteers, we prepare and freeze over 2,000 nutritious meals each week—at a fraction of the cost of store-bought options.

These meals are distributed to our members through our food bank and reach vulnerable individuals in the community via local agency partners. Together, we are addressing food insecurity while promoting wellness and community resilience.

• ~2,000 meals each week
• Meals are shared with 10 community partners for distribution to vulnerable, food-insecure members of our community
• Average cost per meal is under $2, factoring in all overhead expenses

Food Recovery

In our Food Recovery program, we partner with local grocery stores and food service providers to recover surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Through our responsible collection and storage practices, we ensure this rescued food is distributed not only to our members but also to other local food banks and community agencies.

A significant portion of this recovered food is integrated into our Meals-4-Change program, where we transform it into healthy, ready-to-eat meals. This initiative not only minimizes food waste but also helps us provide nutritious meals to those in need, fostering community wellness and resilience.

• 550,491 lbs of fresh, healthy food recovered
  from grocery stores and farms in 2023
• 49,150 lbs. diverted from waste to local farmers
• 12+ community partners access food from
  this program