Ottawa Summer Food Drive 2026
Project overview
Khalsa Aid Canada, in collaboration with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, founded the Ottawa Summer Food Drive to coordinate a city-wide response to child food insecurity. Through this initiative, and with key support from Odd Bunch, students, schools, families, suppliers, local businesses and community partners work together to help ensure food reaches families when they need it most.
Supporting children and families facing food insecurity across Ottawa this summer.
Summer is the hardest time of year for many families experiencing food insecurity in Ottawa. Donations drop while need rises. When schools close, many children lose access to the meal programmes they rely on during the academic year.
Through the Ottawa Summer Food Drive, Khalsa Aid Canada is supporting a city-wide response that brings together students, schools, families, suppliers, local businesses and community partners to help food reach families when they need it most.
Donate to your local food bank
Fresh produce support
Filling the gap most food drives miss.
Most food drives focus on canned and non-perishable items, which are important for long-term support. However, families also need access to fresh, nutritious food.
Fresh food is just as important, and that is where Odd Bunch comes in.
Odd Bunch will help fill this gap by providing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Ottawa Food Bank and Ottawa Community Housing Foundation will help ensure children and families receive food that supports their health, dignity and wellbeing.
300 volunteers. 100,000+ lbs. One coordinated day of action.
On 6 June 2026, more than 300 volunteers, including staff and students from Algonquin College, will come together for one of Ottawa’s most ambitious single-day food distributions.
In just six hours, volunteers will sort, load and deliver more than 100,000 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables to 40+ organisations across the city.
This is more than a food drive. It is a coordinated operation shaped by real-world emergency and disaster response strategies, where food arrives at a central location, is rapidly processed and dispatched to food banks, shelters, social housing communities and frontline agencies serving children and families facing food insecurity.
The produce will be purchased by Khalsa Aid Canada and local businesses. It will be distributed alongside student-led collections from 31 OCDSB schools, helping food reach those who need it most quickly.
Led by students. Supported by the community.
The Ottawa Summer Food Drive brings together 31 participating Ottawa Carleton District School Board schools, reaching more than 50,000 students, parents and educators across the city.
The initiative is supported by suppliers, local businesses, community groups, public servants, volunteers and partner organisations working together to address child food insecurity in Ottawa.
Main partners
Ottawa Carleton District School Board
Odd Bunch Canada
Algonquin College
Ottawa Food Bank
Ottawa Community Housing Foundation
Khalsa Aid Canada
A student led food drive supporting local food banks and community organisations.
From 1 May to 1 June 2026, students and schools across Ottawa will lead classroom-based food drives to collect food for children and families experiencing food insecurity.
Food suppliers, local organisations, community groups and businesses will also pledge food to help increase the total collected for each school.
Since the Ottawa Summer Food Drive was established in 2023, the initiative has raised 340,000 lbs of food through grassroots community action.
The wider effort is working towards collecting more than 500,000 lbs of food to support children and families across Ottawa.
From schools to local food banks
Food drives will take place across participating OCDSB schools in Ottawa.
Collected food will be distributed to local food banks, community organisations and areas of the city with high rates of child food insecurity.
Because summer should not mean hunger.
Summer is the worst time of year for food insecurity in Ottawa. Donations often fall to their lowest level while need increases.
When schools close, children lose access to the meal programmes many rely on. 37% of Ottawa food bank visitors are children under 18, which shows the urgent need for community support during the summer months.
The Ottawa Summer Food Drive exists to respond to this gap, raise awareness of child food insecurity and inspire students to lead through service.
Key dates
1 May to 1 June 2026
Student led food drives take place across 31 participating OCDSB schools.
6 June 2026
A coordinated city-wide distribution will take place across Ottawa, with volunteers delivering fresh produce and collected food to local food banks, shelters, social housing communities and frontline agencies.
Impact So Far
Food raised in the last three years
Students, parents and educators involved
Supported by suppliers, schools and community partners.
This initiative is made possible through the support of food suppliers, local businesses, schools, public servants, community organisations and volunteers working together to address child food insecurity in Ottawa.
Participating schools
A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School
Agincourt Public School
Alta Vista Public School
Arch Street Public School
Avalon Public School
Bell High School
Bridlewood Community Elementary School
Churchill Alternative School
Colonel By Secondary School
Emily Carr Middle School
General Vanier Public School
Glebe Collegiate Institute
Glen Ogilvie Public School
Henry Munro Middle School
Hilson Avenue Public School
Jack Donohue Public School
Katimavik Elementary School
Lakeview Public School
Le Phare Elementary School
Maplewood Secondary School
Pleasant Park Public School
Sawmill Creek Elementary School
Sir Robert Borden High School
Sir Winston Churchill Public School
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
South March Public School
Stephen Leacock Public School
Summerside Public School
Vimy Ridge Public School
Vincent Massey Public School
Wazoson Public School
W.O. Mitchell Elementary School
Support families in your community this summer.
Food insecurity affects children and families across Ottawa, especially during the summer months. You can help by supporting your local food bank and making sure food reaches those who need it most.
Donate to your local food bank
