In 2002, the Red Cross Mobile Food Bank began delivering food in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to those unable to access walk-in food banks. It is now operated in partnership with the Daily Bread Food Bank and is supported by both volunteers and staff. The program provides nutritiously balanced food hampers to clients who are isolated or who are unable to transport themselves to a food bank. 

Initially the program began by serving 13 neighbourhoods that were identified as a priority through the United Way’s “Poverty by Postal Code” report. The Mobile Food Bank provided service to about 70 households during its pilot phase. The program started off with just one delivery vehicle and one part-time driver; today the program provides food hampers to over 600 diverse individuals in the GTA.

Canadian Red Cross employee Martha Gutierrez works in the Mobile Food Bank sorting facility, packing hampers for clients with the help of volunteers. Gutierrez herself was a client for a time after she came to Canada as a refugee from Mexico. “When [clients] see a carton of eggs, they start jumping because they are going to have a nice breakfast the next day,” she says. 

The Mobile Food Bank responds to the needs to a variety of clients who otherwise might not have access to the food they need. Food hampers are created in a way that accounts for special dietary needs as well as health status and issues. Clients for this program include people with chronic illness, physical disability, seniors, or those who have limited contact with the outside world for an assortment of reasons.  

The program brings food directly to the client’s place of residence, allowing the Mobile Food Bank to reach some of the GTA’s most vulnerable and isolated individuals.