Every Breakfast Counts

The ‘Every Breakfast Counts’ program began in 2018 to ensure school aged children here in Algoma have access to nutritious meals they can count on during the summer break. We know that food has a major impact on the health, growth, and intellectual development of our youth who are the future of our community. Coordinated by Algoma Family Services, Every Breakfast Counts is a partnership between many organizations in the community who recognize the need for children to have healthy lunches throughout the year. In 2023, we worked with partners to distribute around 7,700 meals to 10 different locations across the city to be accessed by children in need. For more information and to donate, visit their website.

Grocery Rescue

Three times a week our staff or members of Connect the Dots – Community Harvest visit our grocery store and food retailer partners to rescue food destined for the landfill. Most of this food is still safe to eat, so our team of volunteers sort, store, and make it accessible to our network of partner agencies who pick it up on behalf of their clients or organizations. We serve over 60 different agencies including every food bank in the Algoma district, as well as many of the social service agencies. Our goal is to ensure no food that’s safe to eat goes to waste while redirecting it to those in our community who are facing the greatest need.

Great Pumpkin Rescue

Each year once Halloween has ended, we put on the Great Pumpkin Rescue to divert thousands of pounds of pumpkins from the local landfill. We collect both whole, uncarved pumpkins as well as carved ones – the whole pumpkins get processed by staff and volunteers to be turned into delicious breads, soups, and muffins and the carved pumpkins are composted or picked up by local farmers to feed their livestock.

Harvest Skills

Here at Harvest, we don’t just feed people – we teach people how to feed themselves. Through our partnerships with local schools and post-secondary institutions, we teach community members practical skills that can help them in their everyday life as well as their future careers. Our kitchen space and greenhouses double as classrooms to offer experiential learning opportunities from seed to table.

RAIN Incubator Kitchen

Located at Harvest Algoma, the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) operates a commercial kitchen to offer aspiring local food entrepreneurs the space, equipment, and expertise to turn their ideas for innovative new food products into reality. If you have an interest in food product development and developing a new business, we have many resources available. If you are interested in getting more information, contact the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) at info@rainalgoma.ca.

For more details on incubator kitchen rental, click the button below!

Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Resilient Communities Fund funding (Apr 2024 – Apr 2025) is backing our efforts to fortify Harvest Algoma by: building a cloud-hosted digital platform to track every pound of rescued food, creating a five-year strategic plan to steer growth, up-skilling staff through targeted training and coaching, and a feasibility assessment of new initiatives.