What’s for dinner?
It’s the age-old question and problem to solve, but the answers are becoming more and more difficult to come by for individuals and families who are struggling to put food on the table amid the cost-of-living crisis in Canada.
Food Banks Canada is in regular contact with our network of more than 4,750 hunger relief organizations from coast to coast to coast, in every province and territory, and while the unemployment rate remains low, many food banks say they’re facing the highest demand in their history.
With food banks across the country reporting a sharp rise in the number of new users accessing their services – including working people who are running out of money for food because of the increased cost of housing and living expenses – Food Banks Canada is calling on Canadians to help provide an answer to food insecurity through the Kraft Heinz What’s For Dinner campaign.
HOW IT WORKS
From Sept. 29 to Oct. 19, 2022, both in-store and online, Canadians can participate in the country’s largest “you buy, we give” event for Food Banks Canada by purchasing select Kraft Heinz products, which will then be matched with a donation to help us end food insecurity across the country.
PARTICIPATING PRODUCTS
Participating products include any PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, MAXWELL HOUSE and NABOB Coffee, KRAFT Peanut Butter and Hazelnut Spreads, CLASSICO Pasta Sauce, HEINZ Tomato Ketchup, KRAFT DINNER Macaroni & Cheese, or KRAFT Dressing product.
HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Every year, the What’s For Dinner campaign hosted by Kraft Heinz Canada has the potential to provide up to 2 million meals for families who are experiencing food insecurity and in need of assistance.
With food insecurity affecting millions of people across Canada, Adam Butler, President of Kraft Heinz Canada and North America Coffee, is encouraging more Canadians to get involved this year by participating in the annual campaign.
“Kraft Heinz is committed to addressing food insecurity, and our partnership with Food Banks Canada gives us the opportunity to have direct impact on the everyday lives of those who need our support the most,” Butler says. “The latest data tells us 5.8 million Canadians, including 1.4 million children, struggled to get food onto tables in the last year, and that’s not acceptable to us. As a company with products in so many pantries across the country, we truly feel it’s our responsibility to play a role in facing this important issue.”
ENDING HUNGER IN CANADA
As Food Banks Canada continues to work with our corporate partners to ensure that every person in Canada has access to safe and nutritious food, we know we need to find longer-term solutions to end hunger and food insecurity once and for all.
In the words of our CEO, Kirstin Beardsley, Canada’s outdated social reforms are failing to keep pace with the new pressures of inflation and dramatically rising housing costs that are affecting every region of the country.
“Food Banks Canada research shows that Canadians believe hunger and food insecurity is unacceptable in Canada,” Beardsley says. “It’s time to tackle hunger at its root causes by improving access to affordable housing and piloting innovative, long-term income supports.”