Harvest Hands: Supporting Food Rescue in Southwestern Ontario

Harvest Hands is a non-profit food distribution centre dedicated to rescuing surplus food from bakers, growers, and retailers, ensuring it gets to the people who need it most. Powered entirely by donations and volunteers, Harvest Hands supports over 200 organizations and agencies across 14 counties in Southwestern Ontario, helping serve more than 60,000 meals each month. 

As food insecurity continues to rise — with 1 in 5 Canadians now affected — Harvest Hands is growing to meet the increasing need. Despite Canada producing more than enough food, over 50% of it is wasted each year. Harvest Hands bridges this gap by collecting, sorting, and distributing good-quality food that would otherwise go to waste, nourishing families and strengthening communities. 

The Sifton Family Foundation is proud to support Harvest Hands with a grant to help purchase a new Heli forklift with rotator. This equipment allows staff and volunteers to efficiently transfer large bins of fresh produce into smaller containers, making the food sorting and packaging process faster, safer, and easier. By reducing physical strain and improving workflow, the forklift ensures that even more food can be rescued and distributed. 

Thanks to Harvest Hands' tireless efforts thousands of pounds of nutritious food are reaching families across our region every month. 

Learn more about Harvest Hands and how you can help here.