Food Rescue Project

Food Rescue Project

Food Insecurity
Food insecurity means that a person does not have enough food or enough of the right kind of food to meet their daily needs. In some countries this can be caused by famine or drought, but in Ontario is it most often because the cost of food is more than people or families can afford.
 
However, not all food insecurity looks the same, and can vary based on someone’s circumstances. Typically, it’s described by three different levels of severity: marginal, moderate, and severe.
 
Food insecurity can look like worrying about running out of food, missing meals, or needing to eat less to stretch the food they have further. Sometimes a person experiencing food insecurity may have to buy less food or need to buy less expensive food, which usually means eating less healthy fruits, vegetables, and meat and relying on highly-processed and nonperishable foods. At its most severe, someone may even go days without being able to eat.  Feed Ontario
 
Feed Ontario

Food Rescue Program Report - January to December 2025

 

Our club has been involved in the food rescue program for several years. One Rotary Club in Montreal, Le Rotary e-Club Premier 7040, started this work. Initially, they recruited other Montreal Rotary clubs to help with the project and the Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise was also recruited to assist. At the outset, Le Rotary e-Club Premier 7040 formed a partnership with “La Corbeille” (food basket), a non-profit organization in Montreal that transforms food to overcome food insecurity. This year, 2025, was a record year, more than 513 tonnes of produce valued at $4.8 million was rescued

The objective of this program is to reduce food insecurity by saving food that would otherwise be discarded in landfills. This is done by first obtaining food that would be discarded because it does not meet standards for sale. Then this food is transformed by discarding portions that are rotting or otherwise unfit for human consumption, and repackaging or processing food that is still good. Finally, good food is distributed to food banks and similar organizations that are involved in reducing food insecurity.
 
Sunrise Rotary has been a committed partner in this food transformation for more than a year. On average, Rotarians travel to Montreal two Saturdays a month to sort vegetables and other products. We then bring a load of food, usually fresh produce, back to the Agape Centre in Cornwall. From April 2024 to March 2025, 4,762 kilograms of food were delivered to Agape. Effective April 2023, Food Banks Canada placed a value of $7.76 per kilo on donated food.
 
Julie Thibault, Sheila Tallon, Babra Nalunkuma, Larry Gaunce, Diane Gaunce, Ian Kentell, Tom Olien, Danielle Brouillet, Bette Miller and Terry Brouillet have all travelled to Montreal to sort and then returned with food to Cornwall. The support of Rotarians ensures that we will be able to continue this project to support our community.
Thanks to all who supported food rescue over the past year; we are seen as a reliable partner in this program.
 
Terry Brouillet, Bette Miller (Program Leads)

Agapè’s Community Market has been serving area residents since 1971. 

Open five days a week, the Community Market provides food to people in need or in crisis. We distribute on average 80,000 pounds of food monthly. Each household is provided with a minimum of 5-7 days’ worth of food per month. The Agapè Centre serves more than 3,800 people each month of which 1,300 are children.  Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers sort donations, stock the shelves, and support our in-person shopping model.

Produce is Seasonal

As the seasons change, so does the produce being rescued. This week, it was kale, beets, tomatoes and some lettuce. In addition, small peppers were salvaged to be used to prepare soups and sauces for distribution to food banks. 

Volunteers

All of the sorting that is done on Saturday mornings is done by volunteers... Rotarians, Rotaract members and Friends of Rotary. Assisting with food rescue every second week means that we can deliver fresh produce to our community.

The Concept

Fighting food waste and supplying healthy foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, to vulnerable populations is important. This project is composed of 3 parts: recovery, transformation and food redistribution.