ONFC Annual Report

ONFC EMERGENCY FOOD BANK
Program Description:
The Odawa Native Friendship Centre (ONFC) has operated an emergency food bank for Ottawa’s Indigenous community and
the surrounding area since the early 80’s. The food bank typically operates twice a month, providing families and individuals
with emergency provisions for three days.
How we adjusted our Program to deal with COVID-19:
With the onset of COVID-19, the ONFC transitioned all programs to a virtual platform whilst continuing to provide
emergency food, cleaning supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on a daily basis to hundreds of households each
month.
Partnerships:
Report Contributors: Anita Armstrong & Sherilyn Duff
• Ottawa Food Bank – Twice monthly, the ONFC receives a shipment of fresh and non-perishable items.
• ONFC Programs – in addition to their individual program commitments, ONFC program coordinators participate in the
packing and distribution of the emergency food boxes each week.
Success
Story:
Despite Provincial lockdowns and stay at
home regulations the ONFC continued
its’ essential operations and provided
emergency food to hundreds of Ottawa’s
Indigenous Community members, as well as
providing ongoing virtual support programs.
Key Highlights of Program:
• December Food Bank – ONFC operated its’ emergency food bank delivery program every day from December
1 – December 18, 2021, and served 270 households.
• Pre-paid Grocery Cards – Thanks to generous funding from the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship
Centre, the ONFC was able to distribute $50,000 worth of pre-paid grocery cards to program participants and
food bank recipients to supplement their household grocery bill.
Statistics:
Over the past year, ONFC’s emergency
food bank has supported over
1,000 households.
22