{"id":57264,"date":"2025-12-15T16:34:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/?p=57264"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:13:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:13:45","slug":"hamilton-food-share-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/charity-life\/hamilton-food-share-success-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamilton Food Share Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n

About Hamilton Food Share<\/h2>\r\n

Since 1990, Hamilton Food Share has been the central hub of the emergency food network across Hamilton, connecting food donors, community agencies, and families in need. As a food distribution warehouse and food-raising organization,<\/span> it supports 16 member agencies and 22 programs<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 including food banks, meal programs, and shelters \u2013 ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for everyone in need.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Each year, Hamilton Food Share distributes over 4.7 million pounds of food valued at more than $17 million, including nearly 3 million pounds of fresh produce, dairy, and proteins.<\/strong> <\/span>The organization plays a vital role in coordinating resources and logistics that smaller agencies couldn\u2019t manage alone \u2013 from cold storage and transportation to food recovery partnerships with wholesalers and retailers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The charity\u2019s impact goes beyond meals. It\u2019s about building a system that ensures food equity, cultural inclusion, and shared dignity for every person it serves.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe believe people shouldn\u2019t have to compromise their values or culture just to eat. Dignity and essentials for everyone. That\u2019s what drives us.\u201d \u2014 <\/span><\/em>Haleigh-Rain Eady, Senior Manager, Fundraising & Development, Hamilton Food Share<\/span><\/strong><\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

From halal and kosher options to fresh fruits and vegetables, they ensure that families can eat in ways that respect health and heritage. For parents, essentials like diapers, baby formula, and hygiene products bring relief <\/span>at a time when every dollar counts.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

\r\n

Relationship with CanadaHelps<\/h2>\r\n

Since 2015, Hamilton Food Share has partnered with CanadaHelps for all its online fundraising. <\/span>CanadaHelps has supported Hamilton Food Share with a reliable, user-friendly system.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The organization uses CanadaHelps for:<\/span><\/p>\r\n–<\/em> Custom donation forms<\/span><\/div>\r\n

– Monthly & one-time donor campaigns<\/span><\/div>\r\n
– Automated tax receipts & thank-you emails<\/span><\/div>\r\n
– Donor management, reporting, and more.<\/span><\/div>\r\n
\r\n

See how the charity has increased donations by 25%, monthly donors by 60%, and total donors by 11.6% with CanadaHelps.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe use CanadaHelps for any and all of\u00a0<\/span>our online donations. It\u2019s our only online platform \u2013 everything runs through it,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em>shared Haleigh-Rain<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n\u00a0<\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\"\"<\/a>Fundraising: A Diverse Approach<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Hamilton Food Share\u2019s fundraising model mirrors the community it serves \u2013 collaborative, diverse, and grounded in trust.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\ud83d\udca1Corporate and Community Partnerships<\/span><\/strong><\/span>: <\/b><\/b>Local businesses and community groups form a major part of Hamilton <\/span>Food Share\u2019s giving ecosystem. One standout example is the long-standing partnership with Purolator\u2019s Tackle Hunger Program and the Hamilton <\/span>Tiger-Cats, which in 2025 alone raised over 253,000 pounds of food. These campaigns combine corporate support, community participation, and digital giving through CanadaHelps donation forms. <\/span><\/div>\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\u201cThe partnership with Purolator and Tiger-Cats was a huge success for <\/span>us \u2013 it\u2019s proof of how the city comes together when there\u2019s a cause to rally behind,\u201d<\/span><\/em> shared Haleigh-Rain. <\/span>\u201cThrough that program, we broke a record this year over the summer, which is usually our slowest period. So, yes, every season we work a lot with partners and run them through CanadaHelps.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/span><\/b> Community Fundraising & Food Drives<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/b>:<\/strong> Schools, faith groups, and local businesses organize drives and fundraisers that run year-round. Organizers can use Hamilton Food Share\u2019s accessible CanadaHelps standard donation link and the provided QR code, or receive a custom CanadaHelps donation form and QR code for their event.<\/strong> This allows donors to give instantly online \u2013 a major step in modernizing traditional community giving.<\/span><\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\ud83d\udca1 Digital Fundraising & Monthly Giving<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/b>: <\/b>As more donors shift online, Hamilton Food Share has leaned into digital fundraising through CanadaHelps, transforming one-time donors into ongoing supporters. <\/span>Their monthly giving program has grown by an incredible 60% in less than a year<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 and it continues to rise. The team often reaches out to existing donors and invites them to consider breaking that gift into smaller, manageable monthly contributions.<\/span><\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/span><\/b> Major Gifts &<\/span> Foundations<\/span>: <\/strong><\/strong>In addition to grassroots donations, Hamilton Food Share receives grants and gifts from family foundations and corporate donors who value its transparent, high-impact model. With over 90% of funds spent directly on food programs, only 1\u20132% on administration, and rest on other operations, donors trust their contributions are making a tangible difference.<\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\r\n

\u201cDespite limited access to federal or provincial funding, Hamilton Food Share thrives on donor generosity and transparent operations. Our donors can see exactly where their money goes. That transparency has been key to building a loyal donor base,\u201d <\/span><\/strong><\/em>emphasized Haleigh-Rain.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\u00a0<\/div>\r\n

\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Digital Fundraising with CanadaHelps<\/h2>\r\nCanadaHelps plays a vital role in helping Hamilton Food Share build and sustain its donor community. From streamlined donation forms to automation tools to donor data, the platform has been integral to their digital fundraising success.<\/span><\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\r\n

1. Customizable Donation Form (CDF)\u2705<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n

The charity uses CanadaHelps CDF for all its digital campaigns. Through CDFs, the team can create fully branded, mobile-friendly donation pages for every campaign \u2013 from seasonal food drives to memorial funds and community-led fundraisers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Additional features, like Smart Sums that suggest preset donation amounts to donors, have helped the charity encourage higher giving by suggesting meaningful donation amounts to donors<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cIt takes five minutes to make a form. We use them for our campaigns and food drives as they\u2019re easy to share across different donor segments,\u201d <\/span><\/em>shared Haleigh-Rain.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\nHere are some different types of campaigns that Hamilton Food Share uses CDFs for:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\r\n

\u27a1\ufe0f Community Fundraisers: Turning Every Neighbour into a Champion<\/h4>\r\n

\"Sample<\/p>\r\n

Hamilton Food Share gives local businesses, schools, and community groups the tools to run their own food drives online with CDFs. When a partner hosts a fundraiser, Hamilton Food Share provides a general donation link and QR code that all organizers can use. For recurring annual events, the charity creates custom forms with the partner’s name, branding, and direct link, and shares them along with supporting materials.<\/p>\r\n

This model also helps bring in new donors that the charity might not have reached otherwise. Each donor who gives through a community-run food drive is automatically added to Hamilton Food Share\u2019s database, allowing the team to steward those relationships long after the campaign ends.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe power is really in their hands. They can send it to people, put it in their email signatures, and do the fundraising work \u2013 and it takes that burden off our small team.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\u27a1\ufe0f In-Memoriam Pages: Honouring Loved Ones Through Giving<\/h4>\r\n

\"Another<\/p>\r\n

Hamilton Food Share also helps their community give in the form of in-memoriam pages. When families lose a loved one, they often want to honour their memory through acts of generosity. Instead of a single one-time gift, Hamilton Food Share helps them create a dedicated donation page in memory of that person.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u201cUsually, they’ll come to us. We don’t ask them to set it up, but if somebody asks how they could donate at their funeral, we\u2019ll make a form for their family member. Sometimes they ask that it stays open so they can donate every year. It becomes like a living fund, something they can return to together.\u201d \u2014 <\/span><\/em>Haleigh-Rain<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Each page often includes a short note about the individual and their connection to Hamilton Food Share, offering families something deeply personal to share with friends and relatives. These pages and forms are kept private (not listed publicly on the website) and remain open as long as families wish.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cFamilies feel like they\u2019re contributing to a legacy, and we love to do that for them,<\/em>\u201d shared Haleign-Rain. These in-memoriam pages also create lasting relationships. Hamilton Food Share checks in with families periodically, offering to keep the page active or transition the giving into an annual tribute.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n