Central Food Network

Our mission is to relieve poverty by providing food heating supplies & other basic necessities for people who are of low income & in need. We operate two food banks a food distribution hub a Community Cooks meal program & Heat Bank Haliburton County - a program that supports households who are faced with a heating or hydro-related emergency through the provision of emergency firewood home heating fuel as well as information referrals and advocacy. Under the Heat Bank banner we also offer free tax filing assistance as a CVITP Volunteer Income Tax Clinic to help our clients unlock financial benefits for which they are entitled. Application assistance is also provided for several low income hydro programs (Ontario Electricity Support Program and Low-Incoime Energy Asssistance Program). We serve a rural area with limited transportation options and so our team of volunteers has stepped up to assist with monthly food hamper deliveries to aid clients who are unable to attend in person at either of our food banks. Our Community Cooks program turns bulk food donations into free frozen prepared meals to support food bank clients who do not have the ability to cook for themselves due to lack of kitchen facilities running water health challenges or other barriers. With a committed team of around 60 volunteers and 2 main staff we respond to around 3000 visits/requests for help annually with a collective impact on over 700 people.