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.
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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.
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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.

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.