Kay Morris Foundation (KMF) is addressing this critical issue in marginalized communities where Hunger in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has reached unprecedented, record-breaking levels with the Who’s Hungry 2025 report indicating that over 4.1 million food bank visits occurred in Toronto between April 2024 and March 2025. This represents a 340% increase in food bank usage since 2019.

Here are the Kay Morris Foundation (KMF) Objectives for 2026 Hampers of Hope World Hunger Day.

I. Objective: 
●  To address immediate local food insecurity while raising awareness about hunger in the GTA. 
●  To promote community engagement & partnerships that will help to alleviate poverty in marginalized communities in the GTA.
●  To  focus on building community resilience against present or future food crises in the GTA. 
●  To alleviate immediate food insecurity and provide nutritional support to vulnerable families and individuals. 

II. Core Actions (The KMF “Hampers of Hope” Food Insecurity Program): 
●  Nutritional Focus: We are seeking to incorporate healthier varieties of nutritious items rather than just filling hampers with low-nutrient foods. 
●We will distribute hampers and care packages to homeless individuals. 
●  Partnerships/Collaboration: We seek to partner/collaborate with local community centres, NGO organizations, churches, food banks, and other stakeholders for effective community service/engagement and for successful outcomes for the 2026 Hampers of Hope World Hunger Day Food Insecurity event. 

III. Awareness & Advocacy (World Hunger Day Focus) is Malvern Community:  
●  Per statistics, Food insecurity in Malvern is primarily because of the high costs of living, causing residents to make impossible choices between paying for housing and buying food.  Food insecurity in Malvern (Scarborough) is acute, reflecting a broader crisis where food bank visits in Scarborough increased by 19% in the past year 2025. As part of a city-wide surge, Malvern faces high levels of food insecurity, often driven by low income and high living costs, with the city declaring a food emergency in late 2024. 

 IV. Event Program, Community Engagement Strategies/Tools:   
● Refreshments: Light refreshments will be served to the patrons.    
●  Speaker(s): 2026 Keynote Speaker will be Annie Bynoe, Executive Director of The Knights Table and Recipient of Key To The City of Brampton. There will be stories of impact; how we can find workable solutions to address the correlation between poverty and health; encourage participants to take a bold action (for e.g., zero food waste, donating) and challenge others to do the same. 
●  Community Service Nurses: In partnership with TAIBU Community Health Center, nurses will be offering free Blood Pressure (BP) checks at the Hampers of Hope event. This initiative helps to bridge the gap between food access and health monitoring for the vulnerable populations.  
●  Entertainment/Games: To avoid stigma or shame related to food insecurity, KMF will be making it a dignified and welcoming environment that will shift the focus from just coming for Charity hand-out to making it a joyful occasion and community engagement celebration. We will incorporate music by DJ, live entertainment, fun games, engaging activities.