Shifting the way we think about the food charity model across Algonquin/Ottawa
towards meaningful community engagement and food security

The Ottawa Community Food Partnership was created in 2016 to support the shift away from a traditional food charity model by moving towards meaningful community engagement and food security. The partnership supports organizations across Ottawa that are working in community food security, such as emergency food providers, health centres, and community resource centres.
The Parkdale Food Centre is the administrative lead for the Ottawa Community Food Partnership.

Why is this shift so critical?

Food insecurity continues to rise:
In 2023, 1 in 7 households across Algonquin/Ottawa identified as food insecure.
In 2024, this number rose to 1 in 4.

Traditional food charity models are a band-aid solution that were intended to be for emergency access. While still incredibly important and an asset to any community, we need to seek, support, develop, and properly resource other community food solutions that will truly shift this trajectory of increasing food insecurity.