Program Spotlight: Good Food Distribution

Food insecurity is an income-based issue. Since incomes exist on a spectrum so too does food insecurity. There are many people in our community who are marginally food insecure, that means their household incomes are such that they worry about running out of food and/or they limit food selection due to a lack of money for food. There are many people who are moderately food insecure, where they may compromise the quality and/or quantity of food due to a lack of money for food. Furthermore, there are severely food insecure community members who miss meals, reduce their food intake, and at the most extreme go day(s) without food.

The SEED has created programs and social enterprises that are designed to offer something to as many people as possible along this spectrum. Today we are highlighting our Good Food Distribution social enterprise.

Since 2016, Good Food Distribution has been offering the lowest cost, highest quality food possible to partner agencies. These partner agencies offer dignified, low barrier to entry food programming to community members facing food insecurity. Some offer free food pantries offered market style, others offer free to access drop-in meal programs, and many offer both. The goal of Good Food Distribution is to ensure these partners have as much food as possible to offer their guests, and through collective purchasing we are able to lower the cost of the food they buy. By covering our overhead through social enterprise income and grants offered by funding agencies like the United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin, we are also able to cover the cost of bringing in donated food.

Alongside this, Good Food Distribution sells nutritious, ministry approved foods to Student Nutrition Programs across Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin County. These foods are made available to children through snack and meal programs with funding and administration provided by the Children’s Foundation of Guelph Wellington.

Over the last year, Good Food Distribution has received, stored, and delivered over $1,000,000 in food value on behalf of community partners! We are on track to increase this amount substantially in 2023-24. At the heart of this effort are Kari Badgerow, the Good Food Distribution Coordinator, Logan Pollock, the Warehouse and Delivery Lead, Jeremy Batista, Warehouse Assistant. and Ingrid Jones, the Food Surplus Lead. Thank you for your tireless efforts!

See more about this great work and how to get involved here: https://theseedguelph.ca/what-we-do/good-food-warehouse/