Press Release January 2023 (Food4Kids Guelph)

100 Women Who Care Guelph Fight Hunger With Food4Kids Guelph

100WWCG joins the fight against childhood hunger here at home by choosing Food4Kids Guelph as the latest recipient of their $13,000+ donation.

Food insecurity in Canada has doubled since the advent of COVID in 2020. There are many reasons contributing to a family’s inability to provide enough food at home, and difficulties surrounding the pandemic have exacerbated many of them, from job loss or illness to our current state of food inflation.

While there are many breakfast and snack programs run at schools in Guelph, the weekend can seemingly stretch on endlessly for a hungry child, leading to Food4Kids “Closing the Weekend Gap” initiative.

Once children in need are identified by the schools, Food4Kids Guelph packages up and delivers a weekend food bag for each child to the schools every Friday. This work continues like clockwork every week, thanks to the efforts of one paid employee, 25 regular volunteers, and many occasional volunteers.

Now in it’s fifth year of operation, Food4Kids Guelph provides weekend food bags to 400 children in our city. Since September alone, they have sent home 5,000 food bags.

Even while utilizing bulk food purchases, at a cost of $15 per child per weekend it amounts to $6,000 per week. With no government support, Food4Kids Guelph faces a yearly fundraising goal of $400,000 to keep the program running. Even at that level, they have had to cap the numbers at 400 children and have started a waiting list.

The benefits of adequate and consistent nutrition on the immediate, short, and long-term developmental outcomes for children is immense. 100WWCG is proud to partner with Food4Kids Guelph to battle chronic hunger, investing in the present and the future of our smallest, most vulnerable citizens.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100WWCG and help support those in need in our community.