Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has announced that the Drive Away Hunger initiative helped deliver 635 million meals in 2025 through the support of agriculture and food industry partners across Canada. The program focuses on reducing food waste while helping families access healthy meals.
As many Small Farm Canada readers will know, reducing food waste – on the farm, as well as at home, is a recurring theme for Small Farm Canada, that is why we thought we would share the good news from FCC.
“Food insecurity affects our families, neighbors and communities. These donations are not just statistics,” said Justine Hendricks, FCC president and CEO. “They can represent the difference between going to bed hungry and having food on the table, and they leave money for other essentials like rent, heat, or a child’s winter coat. The goal is to make sure food that would otherwise go to waste reaches family tables where it is needed.”
Food insecurity remains a major issue in Canada. More than 10 million people live in households that sometimes struggle to afford enough food, including many children. Reports also show that food bank visits continue to rise, with many working Canadians depending on community support to manage tight budgets.
The Drive Away Hunger program brings together producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and food companies to redirect surplus food to those who need it most. In 2025, the total donations were valued at over $2.25 billion, showing the large scale of industry participation and community impact.
Food rescue services such as Second Harvest and FoodMesh help make these efforts possible. They coordinate food donations by connecting suppliers with charities and community organizations and arranging transportation to ensure food is delivered safely and efficiently.
Drive Away Hunger has been running for more than two decades and continues to grow each year. FCC is one of more than 100 partners involved in the initiative and donated over six million meals during the past year through corporate giving and employee participation.
The program shows how collaboration within the agriculture and food sectors can reduce waste and support families at the same time. What could your small farm do to help?