In Ottawa, Aly Mawani helps IBM volunteers dig in the dirt – and streamline a food bank’s operations.
Today, more than 600,000 Canadian children and their families live in poverty. In Ottawa, the country’s capital city, the Ottawa Food Bank (OFB) is one of the key agents in the fight against hunger, providing groceries for families, breakfast for children before school, and hot meals at shelters. OFB agencies serve 43,000 Ottawa residents a month, and 40 percent of those served are children.
On average, the Ottawa Food Bank distributes 14 tons of food every working day. OFB funds less than 10 percent of its operating costs with government money – it relies almost exclusively on community support, and each dollar donated to the Ottawa Food Bank generates $5 worth of groceries into the community.
Ismailimail 