Learn more and take action: resources for education, advocacy, and outreach on food insecurity
Advocacy
The Daily Bread Food Bank’s petition is demanding action from federal candidates by calling on them to support a strong social safety net that will ensure Canadians can afford their basic needs and live with dignity. Visitors to their website can sign a letter to political party leaders and candidates in their local riding demanding change this federal election.
Community Food Centres Canada has launched a #NoMoreScraps campaign to demand action to end food insecurity from candidates in the upcoming federal election. Visitors to their website can sign and send a letter to candidates in their riding, download images to share on social media, and access a toolkit that includes information on how to plan a community event.
Join FoodBanks Canada’s call for change by signing their petition calling for “all political parties to commit to reduce food insecurity in Canada by 50% by 2030.” The organization’s website includes links to a Party Platform Monitor and information on how to vote on April 28th, 2025.
The Toronto Vegetarian Foodbank’s Put Food Banks Out of Business campaign is advocating for all levels of government to work together to implement a guaranteed livable basic income, so that nobody in Canada can fall below the poverty line. They also offer a letter that members of the public can sign and send to their Members of Parliament.
FoodShare’s Right to Food campaign advocates for a redevelopment of Toronto’s Food Charter that is representative, actionable and accountable.
The Stop Community Food Centre has a Community Advocacy Program that “empowers people to challenge chronic income and food insecurity by building stronger community support networks, raising political consciousness, and taking direct action.”
Check out the manual Let’s mobilize: How to start a community action program created by Community Food Centres Canada to help organizations working to address poverty-related issues to engage their community in advocating for social change.
Feed Ontario’s website includes recommendations for change that the government can take to address the root causes of poverty and food insecurity as well as information on ways that voters and others can “take bold action.”
Resources
Who’s Hungry Report 2024 [PDF], a report on poverty and hunger in Toronto, Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank
Hunger Report 2025: Unravelling at the Seams, Feed Ontario
How Food Banks in Canada Work – and Why They’re Necessary, by Wing Sze Tang for the United Way
Kids’ books and videos to tackle the topic of food insecurity. From the Daily Bread Food Bank
News and Resources from Community Food Centres Canada, including articles on food security advocacy and issues, stories with service users, manuals, backgrounders, and research and reports.
Our food, our future: Indigenous Action for Food Sovereignty, Community Food Centres Canada.
Building Inclusive Communities Tips Tool [PDF], Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
Research and stories covering food security issues from Feed Ontario.
Banerji A, Pelletier VA, Haring R, Irvine J, Bresnahan A, Lavallee B (2023) Food insecurity and its consequences in indigenous children and youth in Canada. PLOS Glob Public Health 3(9): e0002406.
Learn about the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan — a community-led plan to address chronic food insecurity, anti-Black racism and structural inequity in Toronto’s local food system to create immediate and long-term change to improve the health, wellbeing and capacity of Black Torontonians.
Learn about Black Canadians and food insecurity via the Afri-can Food Basket’s website.
Podcasts and videos
Podcast: Dignity and Joy — “FoodShare’s Sheldomar Elliott delves into the connections between food and justice with folks who have their fingers on the pulse, and their hands in the soil.”
Everybody Hates Me: Let’s Talk About Stigma – Hosted by Carmen Logie, Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work — examines different kinds of stigma with a new guest each week.
Food Insecurity: An interview with Valier Tarasuk, hosted by Matt Noble, Executive Director, Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank
Food Insecurity in Canada: A Blind Spot in Public Policy, with Valerie Tarasuk, Professor Emerita, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Conversation with Cari Kozierok, Executive Director of Ve’ahavta, hosted by the Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto
Organizations
The Stop Community Food Centre
University of Toronto Student Union Food Bank
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
Peer reviewed research publications, by FIFSW researchers
Logie, C.H.; Okumu, M.; Tailor, L.; Taing, L.; Dorea, C.; Mbuagbaw, L.; Hakiza, R.; Kibuuka-Musoke, D.; Katisi, B.; Nakitende, A.; Kyambadde, P.; Mackenzie, F.; & Admassu, Z. (2024). Water and food insecurity and linkages with physical and sexual intimate partner violence among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda: cross-sectional survey findings. Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 14 (3), 261-276.
Hyland, C.E.; & Lee, E. (2024). Body mapping as a site to negotiate eating struggles and food insecurity for street-involved and homeless youth.Qualitative Social Work. EARLY ACCESS APRIL 2024. DOI: 10.1177/14733250241245717
He, J.; Xiao, Y.; Zhang, Y.: Wang, H.; Ganson, K.T.; Nagata, J.M.; & Chen, C. (2024). Food insecurity is related to eating disorder psychopathology beyond psychological distress in rural Chinese adolescents. The International journal of eating disorders. DOI: 10.1002/eat.24227
Bhuyan, R.; Osazuwa, S.; Schmidt, C.; Kwon, I.; Rundle, A.; & Park, Y. (2024). Canadian social workers’ attitudes toward immigrants with different legal statuses in Canada. Journal of Social Work. DOI: 10.1177/14680173241240942
Hallward, L., Nagata, J. M., Testa, A., Jackson, D. B., & Ganson, K. T. (2023). Associations between gender identity, eating disorder psychopathology, and food insecurity among Canadian adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eating Behaviors, 49, 101723.
Nagata, J.M.; Chu, J.; Cervantez, L.; Ganson, K.T.; Testa, A.; Jackson, D.B.; Murray, S.B.; Weiser, S.D. (2023). Food insecurity and binge-eating disorder in early adolescence. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56 (6), 1233-1239. EARLY ACCESS April 2023. DOI: 10.1002/eat.23944
Ganson, K.T.; Pang, N.L.; Testa, A.; Jackson, D.B.; & Nagata, J.M. (2023). Food insecurity is associated with muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among a sample of Canadian adolescents and young adults. Body Image, 47. EARLY ACCESS September 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101628
Logie, C.H.; Lys, C.; Sokolovic, N.; Malama, K.; Mackay, K.I.; McNamee, C. ; Lad, A.; & Kanbari, A. (2023). Examining Pathways from Food Insecurity to Safer Sex Efficacy Among Northern and Indigenous Adolescents in the Northwest Territories, Canada. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. EARLY ACCESS July 2023. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-023-10195-w
Logie, C.H.; Sokolovic, N.; Kazemi, M.; Islam, S.; Frank, P.; Gormley, R.; Kaida, A.; de Pokomandy, A.; & Loutfy, M. (2022). Does resource insecurity drive HIV-related stigma? Associations between food and housing insecurity with HIV-related stigma in cohort of women living with HIV in Canada. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 25. DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25913
Henriques, E.; Schmidt, C.; Pascoe, R.; Liss, K.; & Begun, S. (2022). Counter-Narratives of Structural Oppressions, Stigma and Resistance, and Reproductive and Sexual Health Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Qualitative Health Research. EARLY ACCESS JUN 2022. DOI: 10.1177/10497323221110694
Nagata, J.M.; Ganson, K.T.; Cattle, C.J.; Whittle, H.J.; Tsai, A.C.; & Weiser, S.D. (2021). Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health Nutrition, 25(1), 76-81. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980021003001
Nagata, J.M.; Whittle, H.J.; Ganson, K.T.; Tabler, J.; Hahn, J.A.; & Weiser, S.D. (2021). Food insecurity risk and alcohol use disorder in US young adults: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. American Journal on Addictions. Early Access AUG 2021. DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13218.
Park, Y.; Torres, M.; Bhuyan, R.; Ao, J.X.; Graves, L.; & Rundle, A. (2021). Social Workers’ Perceptions of Structural Inequality and Immigrant Threat: Results From a National Survey. Journal of Social Work Education. Early Access: APR 2021 DOI: 10.1080/10437797.2021.1895936.
Bhuyan, R., Valmadrid, L., Panlaqui, E. L., Pendon, N. L., & Juan, P. (2018). Responding to the structural violence of migrant domestic work: Insights from participatory action research with migrant caregivers in Canada. Journal of Family Violence, 33(8), 613-627. Available on T-Space: