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Harvest Kitchens

Rescuing and preparing healthy, delicious meals since 2001.

Taking food rescue to the next level

Harvest Kitchens takes our food rescue efforts to the next level. Working with businesses and non-profits, Harvest Kitchen teams create nutritious and delicious meals using rescued food.

 

These nutritionally balanced meals are available to non-profit organizations who serve meals but lack the kitchen space or staff to cook meals from scratch. Through Harvest Kitchens, we use rescued food that wouldn’t otherwise have a home. It’s just another way we’re making sure that people are fueled, and no good food goes to waste.

Peppers cooking in a pan.

Here's how it works:

  • Each Harvest Kitchens partner gathers surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, to be used in meal production  
  • Working with staff and/or volunteers, the Harvest Kitchens team transforms that surplus food into nutritionally balanced meals   
  • The meals are packed in oven-safe trays and labelled   
  • The trays are distributed to non-profit organizations in the community

Feeding communities


In 2023, we made an incredible impact


Join us

6

Harvest Kitchens production partners

354,000+

Meals produced

65

Recipient organizations

Our Partners

Any business can be a Harvest Kitchens partner. We are fortunate to work with an incredible network of organizations who are saving food while feeding their communities. 

Join us

Interested in joining us? We’ll cover the costs; you make the meals! We’re proud to offer our Harvest Kitchens partners special benefits like free safe food handler certification, promotion though our website and social media, attendance at our workshops, volunteer engagement opportunities and much more.   

 

Harvest Kitchens is a great way for your business to give back to your communities and provide your staff the chance to get involved. We’ll work with you to build a tailored Harvest Kitchens plan for your location, train your team and develop a production schedule. The plan is based on your capacity, so your commitment is right for your business.  

 

To learn more, contact harvestkitchens@secondharvest.ca.

Testimonials

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At 1 Hotel Toronto, partnering with Second Harvest is our way of giving back to the community. We want to give our team members the opportunity to help others and make a difference in the local community – and what better way than to provide fresh, mindful and healthy meals during the holiday season.

Chef Derek Powers Jr
1Hotel
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Second Harvest and the Harvest Kitchen program has an enormous impact on the very vulnerable part of the population. At MLSE we are proud to contribute to the Harvest Kitchen program. Harvest Kitchen is making our city a better place for all of our citizens, we are thrilled that we can help make a difference.

Chef Z, Maple Leaf
Sports Entertainment
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During the last 22 months, food insecurity has become more widespread due to the impact of the pandemic on marginalized communities. Second Harvest's continued efforts to provide prepared meals to those with limited access to nutrition through the Harvest Kitchen program has been critical during this time.

Sonia Shuster
Centre for Opportunity, Respect and Empowerment