How it Helps
The bowl of cereal that fills a child’s stomach, the can of soup that warms an elderly person, the lunch that sustains the person working hard at finding employment—these are the situations that make the work we do so rewarding. Help the Ottawa Food Bank fight hunger by giving food.
Drop off your donation at one of our drop-off locations or at the Ottawa Food Bank.
Food We Gratefully Accept
Non-perishable, nutritious food items such as canned meats and vegetables, cereal and rice are easy to store and deliver to our member agencies. Take a look at this list to see what kind of food our clients need most, or if you’d prefer to donate money, click here.
Drop off these non-perishable food items at one of our drop off locations.
- Baby Diapers
- Baby Food & Formula
- Canned Fish & Meat
- Canned Vegetables & Fruit
- Cereal (Whole Grains)
- Dry Pasta (Whole Grain) & Sauce
- Legumes (Canned or Dried)
- Peanut Butter
- Rice (brown)
- Canned Stews & Chili
Drop off at our warehouse, or call us to pick up large amounts of these perishable foods items:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Bread
- Eggs
- Milk
- Frozen Meat
Ontario’s Donation of Food Act, 1994 absolves any food donor (individual or corporate) from liability when the food is donated in good faith.
Food Drop Off Locations – Postal Code Lookup
Food We Cannot Accept
We want to ensure all your donations make it to the tables of those in need, so to prevent waste please avoid donating the following:
- Vitamins
- Over the counter medications (i.e. Tylenol, Advil etc.)
- Home baked-goods or food prepared in a home environment
- Personally wrapped meats
- Opened food items, or food not in its original container/packaging
- Candy and snack food items in packaging that can easily be tampered with or contaminated (i.e. individual raisin boxes, foil-wrapped treats etc.)
When donating snacks please keep in mind that a nutritious treat is always preferred.
*The above standards are put in place by Food Banks Canada, and are to be utilized by all food banks and food programs.
