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About Food4Kids Waterloo Region

We are addressing the childhood hunger crisis through our healthy food packages, but we are also delivering hope, showing kids that their community cares, lifting them up, and changing lives. It’s so much more than food.

Annual Reports

Our Mission

Food4Kids Waterloo Region provides healthy food packages to children ages 1-14 from severe food insecure homes during weekends and school breaks, when kids are not in school and unable to access school nutrition programs.

Our Values

Child-Centered
The well-being of children is the centre of our focus. We ensure accessibility and inclusiveness, while advocating for the elimination of food insecurity.

Collaborative
We engage and share with our community without bias or prejudice. Collaboration allows us to be resourceful, creatively leveraging our partners to improve effectiveness.

Caring
We practice compassionate caring in our concern for others and our respectfulness in word and deed.

Accountable
The children we serve, and the greater community we work alongside, can count on us to deliver our program with integrity and accountability.

Outcome-Focused
The impact we make on outcomes for children today, matter as much as ensured sustainability of our program in the future.

Our Pillars

Food4Kids Waterloo Region is based on three distinct pillars:

Food content and quality
All food provided will be healthy, culturally-sensitive, and accomodate dietary restrictions and allergies.

Access
We deliver the weekend food directly to children at their school during the school year, and to their homes during school breaks, ensuring a non-stigmatizing model of delivery.

Children
Each child, 14 years and under in a family, will receive their own food package, to ensure nourishment of all children living within severely food insecure homes.

Our Story

Food4Kids Waterloo Region began in September 2016, when we recognized that there was a gap in food security for children living throughout Waterloo Region, on weekends and during school breaks. This includes every weekend during the school year and for the 11 weeks of school breaks (Winter, March, and Summer).

Starting in the dining room of our founder, we provided bags of nutritious food for 19 kids at 6 schools. With the volunteer and financial support of our incredible community, we have been able to increase our ability to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable children. In the 2021-22 school year, we served over 950 children in 50 schools for the 40 weekends during the school year and provided daily support during the 90 days of school breaks. We are now supporting 1,200 children attending 90 schools.

Who We Help

At Food4Kids Waterloo Region, the well-being of children is the centre of our focus. We strive to ensure accessibility and inclusiveness, while advocating for the elimination of chronic hunger and food insecurity. We serve children of all backgrounds and cultures, including new Canadians, Indigenous People, and Black or Persons of Colour. We are also the only local organization that provides food packages that meet cultural requirements (Halal) and specific dietary restrictions, making up 45% of our total food packages.

Currently, we are in 90 schools across Waterloo Region, including local public, Catholic, and French school boards. We are limited in our funding and increase children and schools when we can. Schools contact us to help children who have little to no food at home. There are approximately another 41 schools that have children who need our program.

Schools We Are In

Abraham Erb PS

Alpine PS

Avenue Road PS

Blue Heron PS

Cedarbrae PS

Centennial (Cambridge) PS

Centennial (Waterloo) PS

Central PS

Chalmers Street PS

Christ The King CS

Clemens Mill PS

Coronation PS

Courtland Avenue PS

Crestview PS

Ecole L’Harmonie PS

Edna Staebler PS

Elgin Street PS

Empire PS

Forest Glen PS

Forest Hill PS

Franklin PS

Grand View (Cambridge) PS

Grandview (NH) PS

Groh PS

Highland PS

Hillside PS

Holy Rosary CS

JF Carmichael PS

John Mahood Junior PS

Keatsway PS

King Edward PS

Lackner Woods PS

Laurelwood PS

Laurentian PS

Lincoln Heights PS

MacGregor PS

MacKenzie King PS

Manchester PS

Moffat Creek PS

Monsignor R.M. Haller CS

Our Lady of Lourdes CS

Parkway PS

Pioneer Park PS

Prueter PS

Queen Elizabeth PS

Queensmount PS

Rockway PS

Sandhills PS

Sheppard PS

Smithson PS

Southridge PS

St Andrew’s PS

St. Aloysius CS

St. Anne (Cambridge) CS

St. Bernadette CS

St. Daniel CS

St. Gregory CS

St. Johns CS

St. Nicholas CS

St. Paul CS

St. Peter CS

St Teresa (Kitchener) CS
St Teresa of Availa (Elmira) CS

St. Vincent de Paul CS

Stewart Avenue PS

Suddaby PS

Sunnyside PS

Tait Street PS

Trillium PS

Westheights PS

Westmount PS

William G Davis PS

Williamsburg PS

Wilson Avenue PS

Winston Churchill PS

WT Townshend PS

Ayr PS
Baden PS
Breslau PS
Bridgeport PS
Brigadoon PS
Chicopee Hills PS 
Conestogo PS
Country Hills PS
Driftwood Park PS
Floradale PS
Hespeler PS
Hillcrest PS
Holy Family CS
Howard Robertson PS
Lester B Pearson PS
Lexington PS
Linwood PS
Meadowlane PS
Millen Woods PS
NA MacEachern PS
New Dundee PS
Northlake Woods PS
Oak Creek PS
Our Lady of Fatima CS
Our Lady of Grace CS
Park Manor PS
 
Riverside PS
Rosemount PS
Saint John Paul II CS
Silverheights PS
Sir Adam Beck PS
Sir Edgar Bauer CS
St Jacobs PS
St. Augustine CS
St. Boniface CS
St. Brigid CS
St. Clement CS
St. Dominic Savio CS
St. Elizabeth CS
St. Joseph (Cambridge) CS
St. Margaret CS
St. Mark CS
St. Matthew CS
St. Michael CS
St. Timothy CS
Wellesley PS
Westheights PS
Woodland Park PS

Help Kids in Waterloo Region

Consistent hunger, even just over weekends and extended school breaks, can set a child back for life. Most people aren’t aware that there is a significant number of children living with chronic hunger in our community.

Your donation can make a difference to kids in Waterloo Region.