Rescuing food since 1985, Second Harvest is Canada's largest food charity.
Founded in 1985, Second Harvest started out rescuing surplus food in a hatchback and delivering it to those in need in Toronto.
Over the last 40 years, we’ve expanded our reach to become Canada’s largest food rescue organization and a global thought leader in food waste and perishable food redistribution.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the urgency to address food insecurity and waste grew exponentially. Second Harvest spearheaded the Food Rescue Canadian Alliance, a national task force bringing together government, the food industry and non-profits to bolster food redistribution efforts across the supply chain. It was then that we ramped up our national expansion plans and within weeks, we had made our way into communities across the country.
Our influential research, The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste, was first published in 2019 and updated in 2024. It is the only national study that measures food waste within the Canadian food supply chain, offering a roadmap for industry leaders, policymakers and community organizations to further reduce food waste and redirect surplus food to those in need.
Today, through our fleet of trucks and extensive network of logistics partners, Second Harvest distributes millions of pounds of surplus food to non-profits in every province and territory. We also make it easy for businesses to donate surplus food directly to local charities through the Second Harvest Food Rescue App.
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