Rescuing food helps our neighbours. It also helps the environment.

According to a recent study from Second Harvest, about 60% of food produced in Canada is wasted.

That is an important reason why Food for Life exists.

From Food for Life’s start in 1995, when Oakville resident George Bagaco would stop at a bakery on his way home from work and fill his trunk with baked goods to the surplus food to needy families in his neighbourhood to today, environmental stewardship has been a key to the work we do.

Food for Life Canada rescued and distributed over 4 million pounds of food in 2019. This  good quality, fresh food which had a retail value of over $10 million would have otherwise gone to landfill. Over 5.7 million kgs of greenhouse gases were diverted.

Over the last 25 years, Food for Life has rescued over 26 million pounds, saving the equivalent to over 37 million kgs of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere.

Food for Life has taken positive steps on top of diverting greenhouse gases.

In 2008, with support from the Sprott Foundation we became the first food security charity in Canada to purchase a hybrid diesel/electric truck for picking up food from farmers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, then delivering it to programs where neighbours access food.

Today, with renovations at Food for Life’s Mountainside warehouse, protecting our shared environment is an integral part of building for the future. The cornerstone is a new automatic tumbling composter, capable of composting 280,000 pounds of organic material a year. The support of the Gilgan Foundation made it possible for Food for Life to become the first food security agency in Canada with an onsite composter, which handles food that cannot be shared with people.

As well, thanks to a donation from IFCO, Food for Life is transitioning to reusable plastic crates for delivering food, replacing cardboard boxes. Reducing the need for cardboard helps to protect our forests.