What Foodsharing Ottawa does

Foodsharing Ottawa is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit food rescue organization founded in 2015 in Ottawa, Canada. The organization functions as a logistics intermediary connecting businesses holding surplus edible food with charities serving food-insecure populations, coordinating volunteer-led pickups and transfers. Its operational footprint comprises more than 80 volunteers, 17 regular food donors (including national chains such as Loblaws and Starbucks alongside independent operators), and 32 partner recipient charities, with an indicated rescue rate of approximately 5,000 pounds of food per month.

The program portfolio extends beyond routine day-to-day rescue to include specialized initiatives: the Great Potato Rescue (a high-volume single-event produce diversion), the Community Fridge Program operated jointly with the Caldwell Family Centre, and the Inverness Pilot Project launched with the City of Ottawa in late 2023. The organization operates no proprietary technology platform; matching, scheduling, and volunteer coordination are managed through volunteer networks and a public Facebook group, with donations processed via CanadaHelps, PayPal, and Trellis fiscal sponsorship.

The business model is contribution-based rather than commercial. Revenue derives from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and government grants — most notably an Ontario provincial grant received in 2023. External validation includes Ottawa Awards in 2023 and 2024, and the organization's profile has continued to expand through municipal partnerships and episodic large-scale rescue events through 2024.

Name

Foodsharing Ottawa

Legal name

Foodsharing Ottawa

Website

https://foodsharingottawa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Foodsharing Ottawa is a volunteer-driven nonprofit founded in 2015 that rescues surplus food from 17 regular business donors in Ottawa, Canada, and redistributes it to 32 partner charities at a rate of approximately 5,000 pounds per month.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Redistribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Surplus food redistribution
• Food waste reduction
• Community food bank support
• Volunteer nonprofit operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Donations: Foodsharing Ottawa accepts tax-deductible donations through Trellis, a CRA-registered charity partner. Donors can contribute via CanadaHelps, e-transfers to [email protected], or cheques payable to Trellis mailed to 2391 Pepin Court, Gloucester, ON, K1B 4Z3. CanadaHelps retains a 4% service fee.
2. Non-Tax-Receipted Donations: Donations not requiring tax receipts can be made via PayPal to Foodsharing Ottawa or e-transfers to [email protected].
3. Government Funding: Foodsharing Ottawa is a funding recipient of the Ontario government's Surplus Food Redistribution Infrastructure Program, which supports food rescue organizations to redirect edible food to people instead of waste.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Foodsharing Ottawa operates a volunteer-driven food rescue and redistribution service that collects surplus food from Ottawa-area businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, hotels, and farmers' markets, then redistributes that food to local charities, food banks, and shelters. The service is provided free of charge to both donors and recipient organizations and rescues approximately 5,000 lbs of food per month. Supplementary programs include a peer-to-peer Facebook sharing group, a Community Fridge partnership, large-scale produce rescue projects, and food waste reduction workshops.

Product overview

Foodsharing Ottawa operates a food rescue and redistribution ecosystem centered on its volunteer-driven core service that collects surplus food from businesses and donates it to local charities. The organization runs multiple interconnected programs: the Food Rescue Service (volunteers pick up and redistribute food), the 'Share it - Don't Toss it!' Facebook group (peer-to-peer food sharing platform), the Community Fridge Program (in partnership with Caldwell Family Centre for perishable food distribution), the Great Potato Rescue initiative (large-scale produce rescues), the Ugly Fruits and Vegetables Campaign (awareness/advocacy), and the Inverness Pilot Project (food skills workshops). These programs work together to address both food waste reduction and food insecurity in Ottawa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Rescue and Redistribution Service Core volunteer-driven service that collects surplus food from local businesses (grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, hotels, farmers' markets) and donates it to local charities, food banks, and shelters in Ottawa. Provided free of charge to donors and recipients; approximately 5,000 lbs rescued monthly.
• Share it - Don't Toss it! Peer-to-Peer Food Sharing Group Facebook group platform with 2,000+ members that allows individuals and businesses in Ottawa to share surplus food they do not want to throw away, providing an alternative to disposal and supporting community-level food waste reduction.
• Community Fridge Program Partnership program with Caldwell Family Centre operating a community fridge stocked with rescued food, allowing extended reach for perishable foods to those in need; intended to be replicated with other community organizations.
• Inverness Pilot Project (Food Skills Workshops) Series of workshops on food skills and reducing food waste, delivered in partnership with the City of Ottawa at the Inverness Fieldhouse in Nepean priority neighbourhood, teaching participants ways to extend the life of food and reduce waste.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ lbs of food rescued monthly
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers39 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Care Centre OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered with Foodsharing Ottawa in the Great Potato Rescue project in early 2024. Care Centre Ottawa participated in rescuing and redistributing 42,000 lbs of surplus potatoes within 9 days.
• Deep Roots Food HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated in the Great Potato Rescue project, contributing to the 42,000 lbs potato rescue operation in early 2024.
• LionheartscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered in the Great Potato Rescue project, helping redirect 42,000 lbs of surplus potatoes to community organizations.
• The Farmlink ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Key strategic partner in multiple large-scale food rescue operations. Partnered in Great Potato Rescue (42,000 lbs in Jan 2024), July 2024 rescue (40,000 lbs potatoes), and October 2024 rescue (20,000 lbs cucumbers/tomatoes). Foodsharing Ottawa is grateful to The Farmlink Project for believing in and partnering to make these rescues happen.
• City of OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Partnered with Foodsharing Ottawa to initiate the Inverness Pilot Project in December 2023, offering food skills and waste reduction workshops at the Inverness Fieldhouse in Nepean.
• Caldwell Family CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Foodsharing Ottawa partnered with Caldwell Family Centre to support its food bank by installing a community fridge stocked with rescued food. The fridge allows extended reach for perishable foods and is expected to be replicated with other community organizations.
• TrellisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Trellis, a CRA-registered charity, serves as Foodsharing Ottawa's trusted local partner for receiving tax-deductible donations. Donations designated to Foodsharing Ottawa flow directly to the organization, and Trellis issues official tax receipts on behalf of Foodsharing Ottawa through CanadaHelps.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Second Harvest: Canada's largest food rescue organization, operating primarily in Ontario with a logistics-driven model collecting surplus food from businesses and redistributing to nonprofits. Closest functional analogue to Foodsharing Ottawa's volunteer-led food rescue mission.
• Ottawa Food Bank: Largest food bank in the Ottawa region, aggregating and distributing food to member agencies. Operates in the same geography with overlapping donor and recipient networks as Foodsharing Ottawa.
• Food Rescue US: US-based nonprofit using volunteer drivers to directly transport surplus food from businesses to agencies. Mirrors Foodsharing Ottawa's volunteer food rescue logic and donor/recipient matching model.
• The Farmlink Project: Flagship strategic partner of Foodsharing Ottawa on multiple 2024 large-scale produce rescues; operates a volunteer-driven farm-to-agency surplus produce redistribution model in the US, directly comparable to Foodsharing Ottawa's operations.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization, collecting surplus food from businesses and delivering it to soup kitchens and food pantries. Closely comparable mission, scale and volunteer-driven logistics.
• Daily Bread Food Bank: Toronto-based food bank serving member agencies via food rescue and food banking. Comparable operating model of redirecting surplus food through a charity distribution network.
• Moisson Montréal: Quebec food bank federation member that recovers and redistributes food to community organizations across greater Montreal. Comparable nonprofit food recovery model serving a major Canadian city.
• FoodCycle: UK charity that rescues surplus food and serves community meals to people facing food poverty. Comparable volunteer-powered food rescue + redistribution model.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: Commercial app-based marketplace connecting consumers with surplus food from businesses. Operates in the same food waste space as Foodsharing Ottawa, but through a for-profit, technology-mediated model rather than a volunteer charity network.

Broad incumbents

• Food Banks Canada: National umbrella organization for the Canadian food bank network, providing infrastructure and policy advocacy across the country. Operates at a broader scale and geographic scope than Foodsharing Ottawa but serves the same charitable food distribution space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodsharingOttawa/?ref=bookmarks
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodsharingottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodsharing-ottawa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foodsharing Ottawa