1 Million Meals Goal Surpassed by Second Harvest's Feeding the Need Fundraiser

TORONTO, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Second Harvest's Feeding the Need fundraising campaign has surpassed its goal of providing food for one million meals for Canadians in need. Each dollar donated to Second Harvest helps provide two meals; the month-long fundraiser raised $513,612.05 which enables Second Harvest to provide food for 1,027,224 meals.

The Feeding the Need fundraiser was presented by The Daniels Corporation, which pledged to match donations to Second Harvest to a maximum of $250,000.

COVID-19 has pushed more Canadians into hunger: more than 5 million Canadians are now food insecure. At the same time, 11.2 million metric tonnes of healthy, unsold, surplus food go to landfill every year ? enough to feed every Canadian for five months.

Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, recovers and redistributes fresh surplus food to non-profits across Canada like student nutrition programs, prenatal programs, shelters, food banks and other frontline services that provide food to people in their communities.

"The need to keep our communities healthy has never been more urgent and we have to work together to make sure nutritious food is reaching those who need it most," said Lori Nikkel, CEO, Second Harvest. "We are so grateful to The Daniels Corporation and the hundreds of Feeding the Need donors across Canada who are committed to keeping healthy food in our communities, not in landfills."

In addition to presenting sponsor The Daniels Corporation, Feeding the Need was generously supported by Bob's Your Uncle, McCormick Gourmet and Redbit (Silver Sponsors), Brattys LLP and Viana Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. (Bronze Sponsors). Bob's Your Uncle and Active International developed the creative and media plan; Allvision, Captivate, IHN media, MaxTV, Postmedia and ZOOM Media were media partners.

ABOUT SECOND HARVEST:
Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada and a global thought leader in food recovery. Working across the supply chain ? from farm to retail ? we capture surplus perishable food before it ends up in landfill negatively impacting our environment. The Second Harvest Food Rescue App connects businesses with surplus food to local non-profits, ensuring good food gets to people. With the global pandemic, Second Harvest is leading the Food Rescue Canadian Alliance (FRCA), bringing together government, industry, Indigenous communities and the non-profit sector to ensure food reaches the most vulnerable members of our communities, from coast to coast to coast. Learn more at https://secondharvest.ca/. 

For more information or to schedule an interview:
Ashley Herod, Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
416-625-6773