Food Banks Canada's #EveryPlateFull campaign encourages Canadians to "Give Money - Give Food" to end summer hunger in Canada

Every Plate Full 2017 (CNW Group/Food Banks Canada)

From May 23 to June 9, food banks across the country are participating in order to fill their shelves with essential food.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 18, 2017 /CNW/ - With 26 million plates needed to help the individuals who will struggle with hunger this summer, Food Banks Canada is urging Canadians to help make #EveryPlateFull the country's largest national food drive, running from May 23 to June 9.

As food bank donations are at their lowest from June to August, food bank organizations across Canada are depending on the much needed #EveryPlateFull campaign to raise the food and funds they need to provide essential food all summer long.

To show support for Canadians dealing with hunger and raise awareness of this campaign, Food Banks Canada is asking Canadians to "Give Money – Give Food" in a number of ways:

• Donate to a local food bank organization through www.everyplatefull.ca
  
  
• In addition, as a thank you to donors during the campaign, French's will add the monetary equivalent of a meal for each donation made.
  
  
• Make a food donation by dropping off most needed items at a local food bank and/or national food drive partner Health First retail locations across Canada. Locations can be found at www.everyplatefull.ca
  
  
• Please spread the word on social media using #EveryPlateFull and share the public service announcement to encourage donations from family and friends available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGgU4UsqbVk.

"With the warm, summer days, the issue of hunger is often the last thing many Canadians are thinking about, but it's a problem that persists year-round" says Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "In fact, this summer just under a million Canadians will turn to food banks for help and we want to make sure every plate they need is full."

Due to circumstances such as low paying employment, inadequate benefits or the high cost of housing, food is often out of reach for individuals and families in need. Food banks provide an essential role in ensuring they fill the meal gap for the 918,000 people who will use their services this summer.

Summer is a particularly difficult time for families living with food insecurity as school supported breakfast and lunch programs tend to close with the schools for the holidays. As 1 in 3 of the people turning to food banks for help are children, school holidays combined with the traditional drop in summer donations put a tremendous stress on families struggling to get by.

"With every dollar donated, food banks are able to provide three meals to Canadians in need so when we say 'every dollar counts' we really mean it," Schmidt adds.

Thank you to Every Plate Full's national sponsor French's and national partners IATSE and Health First.

About Every Plate Full
Established in 2014, Every Plate Full was launched to help raise millions of lbs of food and funds to help give food banks the resources they need to ensure food gets on the table during the summer months. To date, Every Plate Full has raised. To learn more visit www.everyplatefull.ca

About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing and supporting the food bank community across all of Canada. Our network of 550 food banks support 85 per cent of people turning to food banks help. Together, we strive to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow. Visit foodbankscanada.ca for more information.

Video with caption: "Video: Every Plate Full Campaign". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGgU4UsqbVk 

SOURCE Food Banks Canada

Media Contact: Marzena Gersho, Food Banks Canada, [email protected], [phone] x228