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Celebrating Nutrition Month: Nourishing Our Community Together 

March marks Nutrition Month, a time to reflect on the importance of healthy, accessible food for all. At Cambridge Food Bank, we know that food is more than just sustenance; it’s the foundation of wellbeing, growth, and community connection. 

Every day, our team works to ensure that families, seniors, and individuals in need have access to nutritious options. From fresh produce and whole grains to dairy and protein-rich foods, we prioritize providing balanced items that support a healthy lifestyle. 

Did you know? Many households accessing our services face barriers that make it difficult to maintain proper nutrition, such as financial challenges, limited access to grocery stores, or dietary restrictions. Our programs aim to bridge that gap, ensuring that no one in our community has to compromise on health because of food insecurity. 

This Nutrition Month, we also want to recognize the generosity of our donors and volunteers. Every donation, every hour spent packing hampers, and every contribution to our programs helps families enjoy meals that are both nourishing and satisfying. 

As we celebrate Nutrition Month, we invite the community to join us in supporting access to healthy food. Whether through volunteering, donating, or spreading awareness, your involvement makes a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve. Together, we can ensure that everyone in Cambridge has the nutrition they need to thrive.

Learn More

Support Families This Spring: Join the Spring Into Action Food & Fund Drive

As the weather warms and the season changes, the need for food support in our community remains high. Each year, the Cambridge Food Bank sees increased demand for our programs during the spring months, even as donations often decline. To address this, we’re excited to launch our annual Spring Into Action Food & Fund Drive, running from March 20 to May 31.

This community-wide campaign is an opportunity for residents, businesses, and local partners to come together and ensure that families facing food insecurity have access to the nutritious food they need. Whether it’s donating non-perishable items, contributing funds, or hosting a drive, every action helps keep our shelves stocked and supports essential programs that make a real difference in people’s lives.

This year, your impact goes further than ever. Cedar Signs has generously committed to match financial donations made during the Spring Into Action campaign, up to $10,000. That means every dollar you give can be doubled, helping more families access reliable food support throughout the spring and into the summer months.

Getting involved is simple:

  • Donate food: Drop off non-perishable items at the Cambridge Food Bank.
  • Give funds: Every financial donation helps fill shelves and supports programs.
  • Host a drive: Organize a food or fundraising drive with friends, family, or your workplace.

Spring is a season of growth, renewal, and coming together as a community. By participating in Spring Into Action, you can help ensure that everyone in our community has enough to eat and the support they need to thrive.

Join us today and make a difference this spring.

Donate now

Lettuce wraps with sweet potato, zucchini, carrots and chickpeas

This week’s mobile food market features lettuce, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and Carrots. Here’s a delicious recipe to try:

Ingredients:
1-2 sweet potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1-2 zucchini, cleaned and cubed
1-2 carrots, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
Lemon juice
lettuce

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 35-40 minutes, then add zucchini and carrots and roast an additional 10-15 minutes
  3. In a frying pan over medium heat, saute chickpeas, garlic and paprika and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3-5 minutes
  4. Add roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots and lemon juice, stirring together and saute another 3-5 mins

Place spoonfuls of mixture onto lettuce leaf, wrap and enjoy!

Click here to shop this week’s mobile food basket

 

A New Chapter for the Cambridge Food Bank

After years of planning and looking toward the future, the Cambridge Food Bank (CFB) is proud to share a major milestone: we have purchased a new home.

Located at 384 Franklin Blvd., our new 31,000 square foot building marks the end of a multi‑year search and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our organization and the community we serve.

Why This Move Matters

The Cambridge Food Bank has operated from its Ainslie Street South location since 2001. Over the years, the nature of food banking has changed significantly. What was once focused primarily on shelf‑stable items now includes large volumes of fresh, refrigerated, and frozen food, along with a growing number of wellness and community programs.

Our new space will nearly double our current footprint and allow us to work more efficiently in a layout designed specifically for today’s needs. The wide‑open design will reduce congestion, improve food flow, and create a more welcoming environment for everyone who walks through our doors.

What the New Space Will Include

The new building will allow us to expand and enhance key areas of our work, including:

  • A larger community pantry and emergency food assistance space
  • A bigger commercial kitchen to support cooking and nutrition programs
  • Expanded programming areas for children, youth, and adults
  • The addition of a greenhouse to support food education and gardening initiatives

The location is also accessible, with parking and transit connections that make it easier for community members to reach us.

Meeting a Growing Need

Demand for food bank services in Cambridge and North Dumfries continues to rise. In 2024 alone, 1 in 8 households in our community relied on the Cambridge Food Bank for support. During that year, CFB served over 23,000 individuals, rescued more than 349,000 pounds of food, and welcomed over 1,000 children and adults into wellness programs.

This new space will help us better meet this growing demand while continuing to offer programs that go beyond food, including wellness initiatives, youth mentorship, and community education.

What’s Next

While the building purchase is complete, the work is not finished. Renovations are now underway to transform the space into a functional, welcoming hub for food access, learning, and connection.

This next phase would not be possible without the continued support of our community. Every donation helps us move closer to opening doors to a space designed with dignity, care, and connection at its core.

We look forward to sharing more updates as renovations progress and as we prepare to welcome the community into our new home.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Cambridge Food Bank: 2025 Year in Review

2025 was a year that showed, more than ever, how much our community depends on each other. Across Ontario, more than one million people needed a food bank last year, as the cost of living continued to rise and families struggled to make ends meet. Here in Cambridge and North Dumfries, the reality was clear: food insecurity is affecting more people, and people are turning to the Cambridge Food Bank for help more often than ever before.

Between January and December 2025, the Food Bank supported 10,717 individuals across 4,664 households. Of those households, 1,334 were accessing our services for the first time, highlighting the growing number of people who had never needed a food bank before but now find themselves in need. Over the year, we distributed 24,268 hampers, each one a vital source of food, dignity, and stability for the families we serve.

Children and seniors continue to be some of the most vulnerable in our community. In 2025, 3,470 children under 18 received support through the Food Bank. Families, working adults, and individuals living with disabilities also form a large part of those we help. In fact, one in five visitors was a person with a disability, and one in four households accessing our services were employed, showing that hunger doesn’t just affect those without income—it affects people trying to make ends meet every day.

Housing pressures make food insecurity even more challenging. Seventy-four percent of households we served live in private rentals, while others rely on social housing, stay with family or friends, or are experiencing homelessness. For many, high rent and limited income mean difficult choices between paying for housing, bills, or food.

The broader numbers from the Feed Ontario Hunger Report confirm what we see every day: across the province, families are visiting food banks more frequently just to get by. In Cambridge and North Dumfries, the Food Bank was visited over 22,000 times in the year, an increase of 10% over the previous year. One in four visitors were new to the Food Bank, and one in three visitors were children. These numbers remind us that hunger is not an occasional problem—it is a daily challenge for thousands in our community.

Behind every number is a neighbour doing their best. Every hamper we pack, every volunteer shift, and every donation matters. Without the generosity of our community, the Cambridge Food Bank could not meet this growing need.

If you want to make a difference today, your support can help feed someone in need immediately. Every donation helps ensure that no one in Cambridge goes hungry. Donate today and be part of the solution.

Donate Today

Bean There, Done That!

Celebrating 2025 with the Wellness Program

As 2025 comes to a close, we celebrate the journey of the Wellness Program at the Cambridge Food Bank, supported by Health Promoter Chai through the Wellness Hub, Rise & Shine, and Plant Power Mondays.

Participants explored 14 different beans, learning through hands-on experiences,soaking, simmering, blending, and baking. Each step built confidence, creativity, and connection.

Highlights from the Wellness Hub

Participants tried new and familiar plant powered meals, used recipes inspired by Canada’s Food Guide, explored budget friendly options with Ontario Beans, and built practical cooking skills with guidance from Chai.

Why It Matters

The Wellness Program was about participation, curiosity, and growth. Each question asked, recipe tried, and shared success created a welcoming space where healthy eating became accessible and empowering.

Thank you to all participants and especially Chai for making 2025 a year of learning, connection, and nourishment.

Bean There, Done That.

Explore our new wellness programs here