About Us

Halton Food for Thought has been feeding thousands of Halton students for nearly three decades!

History

Halton Food for Thought has been feeding Halton students for nearly three decades as the sole provider of Student Nutrition Programs in the region.  

Our history isn’t uncommon; a grassroots group of people who identified a problem and came together to form a solution.  In this case, one of the strongest groups you can have behind your cause: Parents. These Parents noticed that not every child at school had food in their lunch box or that many kids had food that didn’t contain enough nutrients to fuel their minds and bodies for learning. In 1997, the parents came together and formed an advisory committee to oversee the first 6 official Student Nutrition Programs in Halton.  Fast forward to 2007, just ten years later, HFFT became an incorporated, registered, charity with its own Board of Directors and 63 programs.

As of June 2026, HFFT has partner programs in 163 schools, providing over 96,000 Halton students access to healthy food daily during the school year.  We have over 1,500 volunteers and dozens of community partners who all work together to feed students in their communities.

Volunteers making pancakes

Our Vision

We believe in a Halton Region where no student goes hungry at school! 

We connect Halton students with healthy food in school, so they can reach their full potential.

Our Values

Community Building: We believe that sharing food is a powerful way to build a sense of community.
Universality: We strive to connect all students to nutritious food without barriers.
Partnership: We convene unique and valuable partnerships that enable us to better connect students to food.
Youth-Led: We empower students to be active contributors and leaders in all aspects of our work.
Stewardship: We value our relationships with partners, donors, volunteers, and staff. We are intentional about nurturing those relationships over the long term.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: We celebrate the diversity of our community and are thoughtful and intentional about inclusion and equity in all of our work.

School boards recognize and value our contributions to student wellness and success, and actively support our work.

We have robust revenue-generating systems with a focus on cultivating unrestricted and recurring income sources.

We integrate an equity focus into our work to ensure our programs are as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Our programs are embraced by school leaders and integral to the culture of each school.

Our organization is a great place to work and volunteer, with a positive organizational culture that reflects our values.

Our programs cultivate a sense of community, centered around the shared experience of food.

Our parent community is informed about our programs, and supports our work as champions, donors and volunteers.

Our impact-focused work is supported by internal systems designed for efficiency and effectiveness.

Student engagement and leadership play a central role in how we plan, execute, and assess the impact of our programs.

Our programs are strengthened by a network of community volunteers and partners who eagerly and actively support our work.

Expansion to new schools happens in an intentional and sustainable manner that aligns with available capacity and resources.

Board Of Directors

Leading The Way To A Healthier Halton

Eleanor Ramuscak

Board Chair

Prasad Samala

Board Vice Chair

Rana Afzal Muhammed

Treasurer

Annita Pospisil

Board Member

Chelsea Bristow

Board Member

Jay Michael Poitras

Board Member - Elemetary Rep

Brett Moodie

Board Member

Lisa Cadotte

Board Member

Ian Chan

Board Member

Liam Rondeau

Board Member

Rebecca Mayville

Board Member

Ayla Bax

Board Member

Our Staff

Meet our Incredible Team!

Aliya Khawari

Executive Director

Carrie Baillie

Community Development Manager

Maureen McLaughlin

Community Development Manager

Lea Minkhorst

Community Development Coordinator

Reports

Numbers Don't Lie 👀 Get The Full Scoop Below.
Choose a year to view or download a PDF report.  

HFFT Annual
Reports

Audited Financial
Statements

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