DATELINE DESI

FUNDRAISER NETS $80K FOR MISSISSAUGA FOOD BANK

Image credit: JOEL MUNIZ on Unsplash.

The Mississauga Food Bank’s 2021 Give 30 Ramadan Fundraiser raised almost $80,000 and brought in nearly 15,000 pounds of food – which equals food for more than 176,000 meals to fight hunger in Mississauga.

With the support of a generous individual donor, the first $25,000 raised was matched dollar for dollar to feed twice as many hungry neighbours.

“We are so grateful to all our supporters who donated food and funds this Ramadan,” says Meghan Nicholls, CEO at The Mississauga Food Bank. “As our community continues to feel the effects of the pandemic, your donations will continue to help neighbours who have to decide between paying rent or buying food, neighbours who have to forgo food for themselves in order to feed their family, and neighbours who simply need a helping hand during tough times. Thank you, Mississauga, for fighting to end hunger in our city.”

The Mississauga Food Bank partnered with Give 30 again for their annual Ramadan fundraiser.

Give 30 is a grassroots initiative that was founded in 2012 and supports giving to those in need in the spirit of Ramadan. It encourages everyone, regardless of faith, to show empathy for those who experience hunger on a regular basis by donating to local food banks.

As COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, the demand for food has doubled. The Mississauga Food Bank has provided emergency food for over 30,000 people – that’s a 60 per cent increase year over year – across their network of over 50 agencies since the onset of the pandemic.

Over 8,000 of those individuals were first time food bank users, and more than 10,000 were children.

Thanks to the support and generosity from the community, from March 2020 to March 2021, food for almost five million meals reached the homes of the most vulnerable, and the food and funds raised this Ramadan will continue to fulfill that need.

As we head into the summer months, remember that hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation. Donate to The Mississauga Food Bank’s End Summer Hunger campaign to ensure that families across the city have enough healthy and appropriate food all summer long.

The Mississauga Food Bank is the central food bank in Mississauga. Through its network of over 50 agencies including neighbourhood food banks, pantries, and meal and snack programs, the food bank distributes food for almost five million meals each year to vulnerable children, seniors, families and neighbours in Mississauga.

For more information or to get involved, visit http://www.themississaugafoodbank.org/end-summer-hunger.