Plentiful Harvest Food Rescue Program

The Purpose of our Plentiful Harvest Food Rescue Program

The purpose of our Plentiful Harvest Food Rescue Program is to reduce hunger by rescuing large quantities of food, fresh and prepared, for packaging and redistribution to the hungry neighbours in our community. We also distribute to many other food banks in Ontario, including: The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, The Mississauga Food Bank, Thunder Bay Regional Food Distribution Association, Sarnia’s The Inn of the Good Shepard, and Daily Bread Food Bank.

Carrots

Who Can Donate?

Food suppliers such as farmers, grocery stores and retailers, restaurants and banquet halls can donate non-perishable and perishable foods (fresh, frozen, or prepared) at no cost! Your generous donations are protected by the Ontario Donation of Food Act, 1994 which absolves any who donate in good faith from liability. If you would like more information on how you can donate, please contact us.

What is the Impact of Rescued Food?

Once rescued, the food is processed and reviewed by UHC staff before being redistributed back into the community. We use a large portion of the fresh donations in our Community Kitchen and share the remaining portions with more than 40 agencies in Windsor-Essex County as well as Lambton Kent County. Since 2012, this incredible team effort has rescued over 10 million pounds of fresh and prepared food to put on the plates of hungry children and adults!

How You Can Help

This unique program is also funded by generous donations and contributions to our Annual Plentiful Harvest Gala. You can help ensure a neighbour in need does not go hungry today!

If you have a large quantity of food ready for donation, please contact us to arrange a pick-up.