Many of our supporters have been part of the Canadian Feed The Children (CFTC) family for a long time, but we know some of you have either just given for the first time or are thinking about it.

Wherever you are on this journey,  thank you for helping to change the future for children. We know that like us, you believe that food is a human right, and that no one deserves to be hungry. That’s why we’re letting you know how your support in 2022 will help make children and families food secure.  

The number one cause of food insecurity is poverty, and this is expected to get worse in 2022. Climate change, conflict, and continued economic downturns are also having an effect. Families are struggling more than ever to feed their children well. This is true for all our partners in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda as well as in Indigenous communities in Canada. 

CFTC is supporting community-led action to help families become food secure now and for the future Here’s how your support will help. 

There are so many ways that our supporters can help build long-term food security for children and families this year. 

Providing vital meals 

Meals supplied through school, community centres or family food boxes are the crucial first step in addressing child hunger. Did you know that CFTC supporters helped supply 45% more meals in international communities by October 2021 than in all of 2020?

School meals address the immediate concern of nutrition and physical hunger but have many other benefits. They keep children in school, improve their academic performance and reduce their parents’ food costs. This is why communities continue to make supplying meals a priority. Your support in 2022 means children will continue to receive meals, whether in school or at home.

Growing family, school and community gardens

Gardens are life-changing for families. Fourteen-year-old Sharai in Bolivia says that gardens were a big help to her family after her father lost his job: “We have enough healthy food to eat, and now we have our own family garden to produce our veggies.”  

Gardens are helping communities in Canada and around the world develop strong local food systems that feed everyone. They provide healthy and affordable nutrition for families, schools and entire communities. In Bolivia alone, your support in 2022 can help build 126 home gardens and support 400 children with gardens in school and at their after school programs.  

Planting Food Forests in Indigenous communities

What’s a food forest? It’s a revolutionary way to support long term food sovereignty for Indigenous communities in Canada. A food forest is a nature inspired growth of vegetation that includes edible plants, helps wildlife to flourish, produces medicines and so much more.

Unlike a farm, a food forest is self-sustaining once set up. They provide a permanent food source that can feed families for generations. For the communities who are planting them, food forests will help rebuild local food sovereignty, and reconnect children and families to Indigenous ways of knowing. Your support this year will help plant three new food forests in Indigenous communities and continue development of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation Food Forest, first planted in 2018.

Increasing economic power for women farmers

Did you know that in Ghana, like many countries in the world, women earn less than 10% of income in the farming sector, even though they make up 70% of the agricultural workforce? That’s why we are supporting communities in their efforts to increase women’s economic power.  

When a woman receives the tools and knowledge to earn more money, she can bring economic stability to her household, lift her family out of poverty and ensure that her children have enough food to eat. She can also rely on her many strengths to contribute to community development and build food secure communities. Your support in 2022 can support strong women’s livelihoods in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda through projects like SHINE, CLIMATE and the Gender Equality Fund.

We at CFTC are grateful to all our supporters for standing with communities as they work to keep children and families food secure. Whether you plan to give a one-time donation, sign up as a monthly donor, sponsor a child, give a symbolic gift (the Best.Gift.Ever!) or simply spread the word, you’re helping to create a world where children thrive.

Thank you for changing the future for children in Canada and around the world!