Drive Away Hunger partners donated 635 million meals in 2025

Who: Farm Credit Canada (FCC)

What: The agriculture and food lender has announced that Drive Away Hunger 2025 partners donated 635 million meals, which were valued at more than $2.25 billion.  

Partners from across the agri-food industry, including producers, processors, distributors, retailers and food companies, voluntarily redirect surplus food from across the supply chain to curb food waste and support families.

Food rescue services such as Second Harvest and FoodMesh help to coordinate the redistribution of surplus food by matching donors with local charities and community groups as well as managing pickups and transportation.

“Food insecurity affects our families, neighbours and communities. These donations are not just statistics,” said Justine Hendricks, FCC president and chief executive officer, in a press release. “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.”  

READ: Even full-time workers struggle to afford food in Canada: Study

The HungerCount 2025 report from Food Banks Canada showed that food bank usage rose by 5.2%, with many people relying on food banks being working Canadians managing tight budgets.