From Food Access to Food Systems: Strengthening Communities Through Partnership
Access to nutritious food is foundational to individual wellbeing and thriving communities. Since 2023, the Peter Gilgan Foundation (PGF) has supported partners working to ensure more than 1 million people can access healthy food today while building more stable food systems for the future.
Across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, PGF has supported key levers for food access. These include community-led farms, school food programs, and food rescue initiatives that ensure good food reaches people where they are. Together, these efforts respond to rising food insecurity while centering dignity, equity, and community leadership.
Importantly, this work goes beyond meeting urgent needs in the moment. The outcomes PGF supports help stabilize food security over the long term. That includes increasing community ownership over local food systems, strengthening connections to housing, employment, and education supports, and building capacity within social service agencies. Hands-on growing experiences also help individuals and families build skills and knowledge that last.
“It’s thanks to compassionate and visionary partnerships like this that children and youth across the GTA have brighter futures and better access to the nutritious food they need to thrive. Together, we are building stronger, healthier communities, one meal at a time.”
— Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest
A key example of this systems-level approach is PGF’s partnership with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. Second Harvest works not only to increase food access, but also to strengthen the social sector’s ability to respond to food insecurity at scale, while also freeing up resources for stabilizing supports such as housing and employment. Through PGF’s support, Second Harvest has helped serve hundreds of thousands of children and youth and supported more than 600 community agencies in the Greater Toronto Area. The partnership also advances climate outcomes: by the end of 2026, Second Harvest estimates it will divert over 22 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions by rescuing surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, totaling to over 78 million pounds over the course of 3 years.
We are proud to work alongside Second Harvest and our partners as they advance food systems solutions that support communities today and into the future.
Click here to explore PGF’s partners under the Children, Youth & Families funding priority.