Youth-driven charity raises over $1M this year to feed families in Halton

Food insecurity is rising across Halton, but a youth-driven charity is stepping up in a major way.

Maxwell Longfield and some of his Burlington Eagles hockey teammates have spent the last two weeks volunteering in food drives organized by the Gift of Giving Back, a youth-driven non-profit.

“This is my gift of giving back,” said Longfield.

Now in its 20th year, the organization has collected just over $1 million worth of donations this year alone.

“When we calculate the value of the food and the money we collected, it’s about $1.2 million that we’ve collected between Oakville and Burlington,” says the Gift of Giving Back Director of Operations, John Crick.

He says two decades of success comes down to the continued generosity of the Halton region community.

“They’re so giving. People understand that there’s a need, and when we put that need out, the kids are the ones who rally. They’re the ones who get enthusiastic and really enjoy going out and collecting the food,” says Crick.

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On Friday afternoon, some of those kids were back at Feed Halton—a 10,000 square foot food bank distribution warehouse and logistics hub.

Since last year, all food collected through the Gift of Giving Back has been brought to this warehouse to be sorted, prepared and distributed across the community.

Feed Halton Executive Director Robin Bailey adds that food insecurity in Halton is often overlooked, and having a centralized hub to accept food by the truckload and distribute it where it’s needed has made a major difference.

“It really has bumped up the amount of food that we have here,” Bailey says.

Run entirely by volunteers, the Gift of Giving Back has collected more than five million pounds of food since it began. Founder Jean Longfield says the work has become a powerful force for good.

“It’s a way of life, it’s a way of thinking. It’s a way of being together and doing something miraculous on a large scale so that many, many people can be helped,” says Longfield.

Anyone looking to support the cause —by volunteering, donating or starting a team in their community can visit the giftofgivingback.ca for more information.

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