Food insecurity in Ottawa is rising and members of our community are being left behind. People unable to physically access the food bank and bring food home are in need of “last mile” delivery. That’s where Feed The City helps.
We are a registered charity that leverages volunteer people-power to deliver food boxes from local food banks to community members facing barriers to accessing one of our most basic human rights: food.
The people we deliver to include:
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Seniors
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People with mobility challenges
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People undergoing cancer treatments/facing health challenges
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Young or single parents
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People without access to transportation
We are a silent partner to more than 17 local food banks. People who need emergency food delivery contact their local food bank. The food bank then works with Feed The City to arrange deliveries, ensuring that emergency food isn’t just available — it’s accessible.
Our mission is to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry due to a lack of physical ability or transportation. Through the dedication of our volunteers and the support of our community, we strive to make a meaningful impact on the lives of community members facing food insecurity.
Bridging the Emergency Food Gap
Who we are
Feed The City began as Ottawa Cares in March 2020 when communities were in lockdown. Community members were already facing mobility and transportation barriers when trying to access food, and those challenges suddenly increased. We started as a grassroots group of volunteers trying to keep Ottawa fed.
Now a registered charity, we are helping to bridge the gap for community members who need food but are unable to physically get to their local food bank — or carry home boxes full of food. A dedicated team of volunteers use their own vehicles to collect boxes of food that are pre-prepared at community food banks and deliver those boxes to pre-registered recipients. Each and every week, our volunteers deliver approximately 200 boxes of food!
Emergency food delivery services have always been desperately needed. Born from our founder’s 20 years of experience in addressing food insecurity in Ottawa, Feed The City is a people-powered charity working behind the scenes to keep emergency food accessible.
The Challenge we Face
In 2024, the Ottawa Food Bank logged over 550,000 visits to their partner agencies throughout the City of Ottawa.
While that number is daunting, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Consider how many people are unable to visit their local food banks. It could be due to a lack of physical ability, transportation, or both. These community members often go without one of our most basic human rights: food.
Food banks often don’t have the capacity to arrange deliveries and manage logistics on top of their existing work. Feed The City is helping to bridge that gap by partnering with food banks to deliver boxes of food in many areas of Ottawa. Our work can help alleviate hunger for some of Ottawa's most vulnerable community members.
Partners and Supporters
Our Food Bank Partners
Feed The City is currently partnered with 13 community food banks in the City of Ottawa. We are always expanding the area covered by working with more partner agencies. Explore our partners and their catchment areas below, or email director@feedthecity.ca to learn about becoming a Feed The City partner.
Partage Vanier
Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre
Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre
Dalhousie Food Cupboard
Confederation Court Community House
Russell Heights Community House
Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard
Community Compassion Centre (Orleans)
St. Joe's Supper Table
Westboro Region Food Bank
Blair Court Community House
Lowertown CRC
Pavilion Food Bank