MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, June 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Mississauga Food Bank just launched its newest initiative to combat food insecurity in Mississauga, a food rescue program called ReclaimFRESH. The program - the first of its kind in the city - partners with local grocery stores to prevent edible, healthy food from being thrown away prematurely. The food bank then freezes, refrigerates, or distributes these groceries on the same day to clients of the food bank through their network of agencies. Local MPP Kaleed Rasheed and Sonia Buksa, a volunteer with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, were on hand to hear how a $75,000 Seed grant from the Foundation in 2018 has made a difference in getting this program off the ground.
“The Mississauga Food Bank’s engagement with vulnerable people of our community demonstrates the valour and forward-thinking this organization provides to those who are in need. Their new initiative raises the bar and I am proud that our province is helping fund such great initiatives like ReclaimFRESH through the Ontario Trillium Foundation. We look forward to working alongside The Mississauga Food Bank to make sure poverty is eradicated in our province,” said MPP Kaleed Rasheed for Mississauga East-Cooksville.
In the coming year, ReclaimFRESH will be piloted in 10 grocery stores across Mississauga. The program will significantly cut down food waste at stores in the community. But, it will also make it possible to distribute more fresh produce and protein to children, families, and seniors in need. In the next four years, the Food Bank projects the program will help source food for over five million meals.
“Last year, the Food Bank saw a 15 per cent increase in the number of children, families, and seniors accessing our neighbourhood food banks,” said Meghan Nicholls, Executive Director of The Mississauga Food Bank. “As our neighbours’ need for food continues to rise, we knew we needed to source more food in innovative ways - which is why ReclaimFRESH is such an exciting new initiative.”
ReclaimFRESH is the first in a series of new programs The Mississauga Food Bank will implement as a result of research conducted thanks to a generous grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The grant was provided in August 2018 to help the food bank identify opportunities for providing individuals struggling with poverty with greater access to the healthy food they desperately need.
The Food Bank is confident that ReclaimFRESH will help them to move closer to realizing their vision of A Mississauga Where No One Goes Hungry. For more information on ReclaimFRESH, visit www.themississaugafoodbank.org/reclaimfresh The Mississauga Food Bank is the central food bank in Mississauga. Through its network of 48-member agencies – including neighbourhood food banks, hot meal programs, and breakfast clubs – they distribute food for over 2.9 million meals each year.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded more than $120 million to some 700 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities.