Fresh Produce

FoodShare’s Good Food Programs operate from our Field to Table Community Food Hub to connect families and communities with affordable fresh culturally appropriate vegetables and fruit, build communities, increase the consumption of healthy produce and improve the income of small family farms.

The Good Food Box delivers top-quality fresh produce through 200 volunteer-run drops in which neighbours meet and form communities. Customers pay the cost of the produce and some of the delivery costs, starting at just $13, while other costs are subsidized. We deliver 50,000 bountiful boxes every year, serving 7,000 families and saving them an average of $9 per month.

FoodShare provides training and produce to support the operation of up to 17 Good Food Markets run by local groups in Food Deserts. These vibrant markets make available the same top-quality fruits and vegetables, but allow shoppers to purchase in quantities that meet their cash flow needs, at the same time creating public space and breaking down social isolation. FoodShare’s Fresh Produce Program for Schools and Agencies provides affordable and healthy fresh produce delivered directly to 250 schools, child care centres and community agencies on a weekly basis, serving 67,000 children weekly.

FoodShare’s distribution of fresh produce started in 1994 as a way to create linkages between field and table. The goal was to increase the income of farmers, at the same time making affordable produce more accessible to Toronto communities and, particularly prioritizing low-income people. Today, FoodShare’s Good Food Programs distribute 1.8 million dollars worth of fresh produce annually, purchasing directly from family farmers, and supporting many more farms through purchases made through wholesalers at the Ontario Food Terminal.