Ottawa – During what continues to be a challenging time for Ottawa’s most vulnerable, and with the holiday season well underway, City of Ottawa staff and community members came together to make the 37th annual OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive a success. A total of 103,415 pounds of food and $15,000 was collected for the Ottawa Food Bank. These donations will help keep the shelves stocked for the upcoming holiday season.
The food drive was held on Saturday, December 4, with OC Transpo buses parked onsite at participating Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Your Independent Grocer and No Frills locations in Ottawa. This year’s food drive again incorporated extra health and safety precautions to ensure everyone was as safe as possible. All the food items collected were delivered directly to the Ottawa Food Bank, FAMSAC Food Cupboard, Stittsville Food Bank, and the Kanata Food Cupboard.
City employees also contributed to the total amount collected by generously donating through an internal virtual campaign, which ran from November 1 to December 3.
Every day, the Ottawa Food Bank’s Michael Street warehouse distributes 12 to 14 tons of food. This helps provides their network of 112 member agencies with the food and supplies needed to help tens of thousands of people each month.
The OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive is a joint effort between OC Transpo, the City of Ottawa, local Loblaw banner stores, and the Ottawa Food Bank.
‘’The generosity of the community through the OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive continues to be so incredible. We are grateful for this long-running food drive and all the effort the City of Ottawa, OC Transpo, Loblaw, and volunteers put into it. It shows the community that we are a city that cares.’’
Rachael Wilson, CEO, Ottawa Food Bank
Quick Facts:
- The OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive is Ottawa’s largest annual single-day grocery store food drive.
- To date, this food drive has raised over three million pounds of food and thousands of dollars for Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents.
- OC Transpo is proud to have been associated with the Ottawa Food Bank since its first year of existence. OC Transpo’s first food drive was in 1984, the same year the Ottawa Food Bank was founded. It is the longest running and most successful food drive in Ottawa.
- Every day, 12 to 14 tons of food leaves the Ottawa Food Bank’s Michael Street warehouse to be delivered to their network work of approximately 112 member agency food banks. Collectively they provide food and supplies for tens of thousands of people each month, 37 per cent of whom are children.
- The food drive collects for four local food banks: the Ottawa Food Bank, FAMSAC Food Cupboard located in Nepean, the Stittsville Food Bank and the Kanata Food Cupboard.
About Ottawa Food Bank
The Ottawa Food Bank is the main emergency food provider in the National Capital Region. Through a network of 112 community food programs, the Ottawa Food Bank provides food for tens of thousands of people per month – 37 per cent of whom are children. With a focus on fresh, and thanks to the community’s support, on average 12 to 14 tons of food is distributed from their Michael Street warehouse every weekday. For more information regarding the Ottawa Food Bank and how you can help provide healthy, accessible, sustainable food for all, please visit www.ottawafoodbank.ca
