Food Insecurity
Not having access to adequate, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food can have short- and long-term effects on individual health and well-being, be a barrier to social and economic engagement, and is costly to the healthcare system.
United Way partners with local agencies and programs to effectively tackle the growing demand for food assistance and combat food insecurity in the community.
How we help
By supporting a network of frontline services, we are helping to ensure people have consistent access to healthy, affordable food. Here are some of the programs funded through the United Way. For a full list of programs please visit funded agencies.
Food Reclamation and Redistribution
The Community Food Redistribution Warehouse (CFRW) plays a vital role in efficiently collecting and distributing food donations to frontline agencies in KFL&A that serve meals or provide food to those in need.
Agencies like Lionhearts Inc. also pick up food from restaurants, kitchens, farms etc. and redistribute to agencies, shelters, and other community programs.
Food Boxes
United Way KFL&A works with community partners at Kingston Community Health Centre to provide the Seniors’ Food Box Program to ensure access to essential healthy meals but also offer vital social engagement for seniors who may feel isolated.
The Students’ Food Box Program works to help Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College students, while the Good Food Box program is available to all members of the community. This initiative offers monthly fresh produce boxes free of charge to families and individuals with low-income. Both programs are run through KCHC.
Food for children and families:
The Food Sharing Project is dedicated to providing students with access to balanced and nutritious meals at school, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks, enhancing their physical, mental, and social health, as well as their capacity for learning.
There is also a need in our community for providing food to students and their families on the weekends during the school year and in the summer months. Lionhearts, in collaboration with Kingston Rotary Clubs, packs and delivers nutritious food boxes twice a month to identified families with students in their households.
Meal Programs and education
Daily meals are provided in KFL&A through Lunch By George, Martha’s Table, and other agencies in the region. Food is provided by Lionhearts at the Emergency Warming and Drop in Centres and the Integrated Care Hub and they work to help other meal programs in the city by providing meals prepared by trained chefs.
households in KFL&A are living with food insecurity
increase in food bank use in Canada, representing an additional 1 million monthly visits, in the past five years
the cost of healthy food per month for a family of four in the KFL&A area – an increase from $1,207
"My wife has cancer and it has been hard making ends meet as her meds are so expensive. Recently my food box driver connected me with Kingston Community Health Centre and they helped me with a drug plan that helps with these costs – they helped me with so much more than food! My wife is now in remission, and we are on the road back. I cannot say thank you enough for the food and kindness."
Your Impact
In 2024:
- 712,203 meals were served through food programs
- 13,152 food boxes were distributed to seniors, students and families, providing access to healthy food
- 500,000 nutritious snacks and meals were provided to students in JK-12 at schools throughout KFL&A
- $8 million worth of food was reclaimed/rescued from KFL&A grocery stores, farms, and restaurants and distributed to shelters and meal programs
