
“It takes a village to keep the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank running in an organized, thorough, and successful way,” said Linda Prizant, Director of the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank (OKFB). “I’ve been blessed with incredible and dedicated volunteers who pack bags of food and toiletries for each household and who help distribute the bags to clients in a timely and structured fashion.”
The need for donating food and other items has never been more important. From 2019 to 2023, the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank saw a 58% increase in regular clients. Furthermore, with food prices rising by 11% post-pandemic, the food bank's operations have faced significant impacts.
To help alleviate some of this strain, Federation has allocated $28,000 to the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank through the Emergency Campaign. While this support has made a meaningful impact, the broader challenges facing the food bank, including reduced donations from the Ottawa Food Bank, highlight the ongoing need for the community to donate food.
Thanks to the dedication of committed volunteers, the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank continues to offer several impactful programs throughout the year. One such initiative during the holiday season is Chanukah Helpers. This program provides clients with $25 gift cards to Shoppers, Walmart, or Canadian Tire, enabling recipients to choose what they need most — a meaningful shift from previous years when donors provided gifts or food items directly.
“We heard the clients and provided them with this option,” said Prizant. “They told us that they enjoy being able to shop and pick out exactly what they want and that this gave them a sense of dignity.”
The Ottawa Kosher Food Bank has several upcoming programs this year that will provide opportunities to raise both food and funds. The first such event will be taking place next week when a group at Congregation Machzikei Hadas will be making a variety of foods such as vegetable soup, potato kugels, and desserts for clients. All food, of course, will be kosher certified by the Ottawa Vaad HaKashrut.
Other events to look forward to this year include an online silent auction taking place at the end of April as well as a food drive run by the Ottawa Jewish Community School near Shavuot.
However, the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank accepts food donations throughout the year. “We have baskets and bins at a few different locations around the city where people can drop off any non-perishable food items that are kosher certified, not expired, not opened, and not for Passover,” said Prizant.
Places where you can drop off food include at Machzikei Hadas, Loblaws at Baseline and Woodroffe (College Square), and Kehillat Beth Israel.
In addition, the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank is also always talking volunteers to help in this city-wide endeavour. To find out more about this, please reach out to Linda Prizant either by email at linda@kehillatbethisrael.com or by phone at 613-728-3501, ex. 235.
The work that Prizant and the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank do is invaluable to this community, and we are forever grateful for all the time and effort she and all volunteers put into providing food and other items to families throughout Ottawa.
Federation supports JFS (Tikvah Fund, Miriams Well, and Kosher Meals on Wheels) through annual allocations, and community impact grants; as well as the Ottawa Kosher Food bank through applicable community impact grants.