We are a non-profit charitable organization supported entirely through the generosity of the community. With your support of monetary donations along with food donations, we help to provide nutritious meals to families in crisis.
Hunger is a serious problem for thousands of Canadians. In local communities throughout the country, these people are simply unable to provide food for themselves, despite their best efforts. Circumstances such as unemployment, single parenthood, and very low wages place many Canadians below the poverty line. As a result, they are forced to turn to charitable organizations for emergency assistance. A large percentage of hungry people are children, for whom poor nutrition can have a devastating impact on health and well being for the rest of their lives.
Food banks in Canada are attempting to respond to this emergency by providing food for families who live in acute poverty. The emergency assistance required is not the result of a shortage of food – there is plenty of food for everyone in the country. The problem is that many Canadians simply do not have the money to properly feed themselves and their families.
Vision
We envision a county where no one goes hungry.
Mission
To improve the quality of life for all Chatham-Kent citizens who are dealing with the problem of hunger by providing emergency food as an immediate response to hunger.
Values
We believe in….
Fostering Health: We want all Chatham-Kent citizens to have access to healthy food understanding that good nutrition is essential for good health.
Collaboration: We believe in the power of the community. We collaborate and build strong partnerships based on trust with and among those who share our values and mission.
Accountability: We deliver service effectively and efficiently. We steward our resources with integrity and transparency, holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards.
Respect: We respect the inherent worth and dignity of everyone we serve and treat all persons equitably. We revere the lives, concerns and feelings of people in need and expect those associated with us to do the same.
Strategic Priorities
- Protect the most vulnerable from hunger.
- Enable food insecure families to achieve their nutrition and health goals
- Secure a sustainable future for the Food Bank
Priority 1: Protect the most vulnerable from hunger
Strategies:
- Reduce food insecurity among at-risk groups by ensuring that food and other resources are accessible and available to them.
- Take an active role in government initiatives aimed at reducing food insecurity.
- Co-operate with other agencies in accepting referrals for food assistance.
Priority 2: Enable food insecure families to achieve their nutrition and health goals
Strategies:
- Follow Health Canada Guidelines in order to provide nutritional food for insecure individuals and families.
- Partner with green houses, farmers and other organizations to increase food donations.
- Provide storage, freezer and refrigeration space to provide fresh food for distribution.
- Incorporate learnings from the community needs assessment into Healthy Habits, including the most pressing health and nutrition concerns of community members.
Priority 3: Secure a sustainable future for the Food Bank
Strategies:
- Educate donors and supporters about systemic causes of hunger and the barriers to achieving food security for all Chatham-Kent citizens.
- Maintain momentum in raising new funds, retaining current donors and attracting new donors.
- Seek, assess and be responsive to feedback from our community users, our volunteers and staff and the community organizations that assist us.
- Analyze data regarding who we are serving (families, individuals, homeless, etc.) to support effective decision-making.
- Continually improve our operations.
Outreach is a member of Feed Ontario and Food Banks Canada.
