How to Donate Food to a Food Bank in Ontario
A practical guide to donating food to a food bank in Ontario, with the local food banks you can support today.
Food insecurity is a real and growing pressure for households in Ontario. Donating food to a local food bank is one of the most direct ways to help. This guide explains the need in Ontario, what food banks need most, and how to give so your donation goes furthest.
Food insecurity in Ontario
Food banks in Ontario recorded 763,756 visits (2025-03). Food banks across Canada recorded 2,165,766 visits (2025-03). The food insecurity rate across Canada was 22.9% (2023). About 8,700,000 people across Canada experienced food insecurity (2023). Roughly 2,100,000 children across Canada were affected (2023).
Food banks in Ontario
These food banks serve Ontario and the surrounding area. You can donate to any of them through Heart2Cart:
- Aurora Food Pantry in Aurora, Ontario
- Banque d'aliments Sudbury Food Bank in Sudbury, Ontario
- Barrie Food Bank in Barrie, Ontario
- Caledon Community Services in Bolton, Ontario
- Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank in Cambridge, Ontario
- Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold in St. Catharines, Ontario
- Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, Ontario
- Feed Ontario in Toronto, Ontario
- Feed the Need in Durham in Oshawa, Ontario
- Food Banks Canada in Mississauga, Ontario
- Foodbanks Mississauga in Mississauga, Ontario
- Gleaners Food Bank (Quinte) in Belleville, Ontario
What food banks need most
Food banks welcome shelf stable staples like canned vegetables, beans, pasta, rice, cereal, peanut butter, and canned fish such as tuna and salmon. Many also need fresh produce, dairy, and protein when they can store it. The single most useful thing you can give is often a financial gift, because food banks buy in bulk at rates a household cannot match, so a dollar stretches into more meals than the same dollar spent at the store.
How to donate food in Ontario
1. Pick a food bank in Ontario from the list above.
2. Choose what to give. Heart2Cart lets you fill a cart with real food items and see your impact in meals, not just dollars.
3. Give securely. Heart2Cart passes your gift to the food bank you chose so they can buy exactly what their community needs.
Every gift, large or small, helps a neighbour in Ontario put food on the table.
Sources
- fbc_hungercount_2025 (2025-03)
- feed_ontario_hunger_report_2024 (2023-2024)
- fbc_hungercount_2025 (2025-03)
- proof_hfi_canada_2023 (2023)
- ca-deep-second-harvest (2026)
- ca-deep-second-harvest (2023)
- ca-deep-second-harvest (2024)
- ca-deep-second-harvest (2020)
Frequently asked questions
Where can I donate food in Ontario?
You can donate to any food bank serving Ontario through Heart2Cart. Pick one from the list on this page and give in a few minutes.
What do food banks in Ontario need most?
Shelf stable staples and canned fish are always useful, but a financial gift usually helps most because food banks buy in bulk and turn each dollar into more meals.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Food banks that work directly with Heart2Cart can send an official donation receipt. For others, your gift is a contribution that buys food, directed entirely to that food bank.
Food banks in Ontario
- Aurora Food Pantry
- Banque d'aliments Sudbury Food Bank
- Barrie Food Bank
- Caledon Community Services
- Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank
- Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold