The Sprott Foundation gives $2.5M to Second Harvest to help increase access to healthy food during the pandemic

TORONTO, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, announced today that The Sprott Foundation has doubled their support of Second Harvest's food rescue and redistribution operations this year to $2.5 million to increase access to healthy food during the pandemic and beyond.

The Sprott Foundation has been supporting Second Harvest since 2005 and has made transformational gifts in response to the urgent needs of COVID-19. In summer 2020, the Foundation provided funding for Second Harvest to distribute $10 million worth of grocery gift cards to non-profits across the country in response to the increase in food insecurity due to the pandemic. Twenty-five percent of these gift cards were directed to Indigenous-led organizations in the North.

The Sprott Foundation also provided a milestone $5 million gift in 2019 to enable Second Harvest to purchase a new facility at 120 The East Mall in Etobicoke, ON. This new 48,000 square foot facility will have increased cold storage and warehouse space, enabling Second Harvest to triple its capacity to recover surplus perishable foods like proteins, dairy and produce.

Second Harvest's goal is to recover and redistribute 50 million pounds of surplus food annually by 2030. Second Harvest's research shows that 11.2 million tonnes of potentially rescuable, edible food is lost or wasted in Canada every year, part of the 35.5 million tonnes of total food loss and waste in the food supply chain. Research shows that 58% of all food produced in Canada is lost or wasted.

"When I think about food waste in this country, it is truly appalling," said Juliana Sprott, Chief Giving Officer at The Sprott Foundation. "Second Harvest is looking for interesting solutions to a big challenge. We absolutely love collaborating with them because the work that they're doing is so intelligent and so helpful. If you don't have the basics in life, like food or shelter, you are not able to thrive in any other capacity."

"The amount of food that is lost and wasted across the Canadian supply chain has always been unsustainable, but during a pandemic, the illogic of not rescuing and redistributing this great healthy unsold food is glaringly obvious. That is why we are so grateful to The Sprott Foundation," said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. "Their generous support and shared vision have been critical to ensuring great healthy food is being provided to Canadians from coast to coast to coast."

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/. 

About The Sprott Foundation
The Sprott Foundation is dedicated to addressing homelessness and hunger in Canada. The Foundation supports initiatives that enable self-sufficiency and dignity for those in need. https://www.sprottfoundation.com/

For more information or to schedule an interview:
Lori Nikkel, CEO, Second Harvest
E: [email protected]
M: 647-382-0159