Chicken farmers promise Ontario food banks stable supply of meat

Food banks across the province will receive a “steady” supply of chicken raised by local farmers in new program announced Monday in London.

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Under the program, each of the 1,100 members of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario is eligible to donate up to 300 birds a year to food banks in the province, the organization said at an announcement at the London Food Bank.

The partnership between the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and Feed Ontario through CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks will provide processed, tray-packed chicken based on food bank needs, a spokesperson for the Chicken Farmers of Ontario said.

About 3,500 chicken meals already have been given to hungry Londoners during the first week of October.

The partnership with Maple Leaf Foods Inc. means food bank volunteers no longer will need to spend time sorting and repacking chicken for distribution, and smaller food banks also can access the program, said Andrea Veldhuizen of Chicken Farmers of Ontario.

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The organization’s members are eligible for a tax credit of 25 per cent of the fair market value of their donated chicken through Ontario’s community food program donation tax credit.

At least one million meals a year have been donated since the beginning of the program by Ontario Chicken Farmers. Feed Ontario provides logistical and administrative support and Maple Leaf Foods processes and tray-packs the chicken.

“With the support of our London poultry facility, we’re proud to be part of this cross-sector partnership,” said Sarah Stern of Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

While donations are coming in, the number of children in families seeking food has increased 13.8 per cent in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, the London Food Bank says.

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The London Food Bank is focusing this year’s Thanksgiving food drive, which runs until Oct. 14, on the needs of children. About 5,600 families visit the food bank a month, 40 per cent being youth, a spokesperson said.

The need for more donations comes amid a forecast the London region population could grow by more than 50 per cent during the next 25 years.

Rob Flack, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness who was at Monday’s announcement, said he knew about London’s “exponential growth,” but was shocked at the projected rate of future growth.

“We have to create the infrastructure to support that growth,” said Flack, who represents the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London.

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