Kanata Food Cupboard

Providing food to those in need since 1985, the Kanata Food Cupboard relies on community support to serve thousands annually. We are powered by dedicated volunteers, staff, and donors committed to making a difference.

Our Strategic Plan

Our vision

A resilient Kanata community where individuals and families can thrive.

Our mission

Offer the healthiest food choices and support to those we serve by engaging and inspiring our volunteers, donors, partners, and community.

Our values

We treat people with dignity, respect, and compassion. We are inclusive and reliable.

Our history

The Kanata Food Cupboard was founded in 1985 following a discussion at a Christian interchurch ministry council meeting regarding the social services needs of Kanata. Many churches were seeing an increase in the number of families asking for help with food around Christmas time.

The founding group realized there were limited services in Kanata and many residents were regularly taking three or four buses to downtown Ottawa to access food. That is when Jim Van Doorn, Heather Colls, Jane Grant, and Bernie Hartlin started making calls.

“We didn’t have a social agency,” said Heather Colls. “We didn’t have anything out here, and the city of Ottawa said, “use what we have downtown, or you can do your own thing.’”

Not to be deterred, the group went to Marianne Wilkinson, the then mayor of Kanata, and secured a grant of $500. The group used the funds to set up shop in the basement of St. Paul’s Anglican Church. With the help of volunteers from various Christian church groups, the Kanata Food Cupboard was born. “The first Christmas we had 25 families and from there it just mushroomed,” said Colls.

“The organization has changed a lot since then,” said Wilkinson, who has remained involved with it, having been chairwoman of the food cupboard’s board for eight years in the late '90s.

Amanda Burnside, past volunteer co-ordinator of the Kanata Food Cupboard and Jim Van Doorn, one of the founding members of the Kanata Food Cupboard

MP Jenna Sudds, Dylan Samuel, and Cody Guthrie, past chairs of the Kanata Food Cupboard

Our team

We are supported in our work by an enthusiastic and committed volunteer crew, three dedicated staff, and are governed by a volunteer board of directors with a broad spectrum of expertise, knowledge, and experience.

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Cara-Leigh Wyllie

Executive Director

Jessica Matchem

Volunteer and Operations Manager

Kaitlyn Lalonde

Client and Community Outreach Co-ordinator

Board of Directors

Lynn Barclay

Interim Chair

Jerry Rankin

Privacy Officer

Natalie Gouthro

Director of Governance

Shelley Seward-White

Director of HR

Louise Foley

Director of IT

Dale Hudson

Director of Finance

Demetria Tsoutouras

Secretary / Director of Communications

Mohammad Mousa

Director at Large

John Cunningham

Director at Large

Lindsay Coffin

Director at Large

Shauna Cronin

Director at Large

OUR IMPACT IN 2025: In 2025, with the support of our community, we served: 1. 462 FAMILIES (ON AVERAGE) PER MONTH 2. 32 NEW FAMILIES (ON AVERAGE) PER MONTH 3. COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED 22,950 TIMES Our volunteers & donors: 1. COMPLETED 3,307 VOLUNTEER SHIFTS 2. DONATED 18,565 HOURS OF THEIR TIME 3. DONATED 398,000 POUNDS OF NON-PERISHABLE FOOD In 2025, our rescue program redirected an additional 131,000 pounds of safe surplus food from local stores and restaurants to our families.

Please help us support our community's most vulnerable by donating.

Donate food
Donate funds

Community partners

Over 95% of our funding comes directly from local residents, schools, churches and companies,
a testament to the goodwill and generosity of our caring community.

Stores

Rescue programs

Businesses and associations

Initiate design + creative

Farms

Community groups

Our national network and standards

The Kanata Food Cupboard is a fully independent, autonomous local food bank. Because centralized city networks do not service our Kanata community, we exist as the primary lifeline for Kanata residents.
 
While we operate independently, we align with Canada’s largest hunger-relief networks to maintain the highest standards of safety, accountability, and advocacy:

Feed Ontario alignment

We collaborate on provincial insights, research, and systemic data collection to help address the root causes of food insecurity in Ontario.

Food Banks Canada Accreditation

We are proudly accredited under the Food Banks Canada Standards of Excellence program, ensuring optimal food handling and operational efficiency.