Meals that are not needed by patients at a hospital in Brantford, Ont. are instead being used to fuel a difference in the community. The Brant Community Healthcare System, the organization responsible for the Brantford General Hospital, said it donated more than 7,022 packaged meals to the Brantford Blessing Centre, an outreach program run by local churches, during their fiscal 2025/2026 year. The Brantford Blessing Centre took those meals, which would have otherwise gone to waste, and gave them to people facing food insecurity. “Every day we cook and we give a hot meal, but then we give enough sustainability for the next day,” Jennifer Barker, the Brantford Blessing Centre’s director of community relations, said “That’s where the hospital meals really come in as a game changer for us.” The pre-packaged meals include a range of foods from pasta and vegetables to pork and chicken. Although the meals are intended for hospital patients, sometimes they don’t all get eaten due to dietary needs, preferences or patient flow. “We try to forecast as best as we can. As a result of that process, and variances in patient population, we do have some overproduction,” Joe Belancic, director of procurement and nutrition services for the Brant Community Healthcare System, explained. Barker said those meals are gratefully received, and the demand is high. “We pick up [the meals] from the hospital every Wednesday and Sunday, and by the time the next pickup comes, we don’t have any meals left over. Sometimes it lasts a day or two. Sometimes a lot is gone in one night,” she said. The donations are part of an ongoing partnership that began in 2024. Since then, over 101,000 lbs of food have been diverted from landfills and used to feed a sense of community.
