McAntony’s Menu is one of the core programs of GlobalMedic’s Grassroots Revolution. In the summer of 2018, we started developing GlobalMedic’s Emergency Food Program. The entire premise of our Food Program is that it is adaptable and must be changed to best fit the needs of the people we are looking to reach. McAntony’s Menu is the domestic arm of this program.
The Needs
Over 22% of Canadians, approximately 8.7 million people, across the country are food insecure. The number of first time food bank users also continues to climb month by month, a trend that began over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of food insecurity is immense, causing increased risk of poor mental and physical health. Food insecure households can have healthcare costs up to 121% higher compared to those who are food secure. Families often have to make the decision to skip meals in order to pay for rent, phone bills and transportation.
Our Solution
This program mobilizes volunteers and our existing supply chains in order to create 500g bags of pantry staples like rice, lentils and kidney beans. Volunteers fill these individual bags with food from large 50 lb bags. These bags are boxed up and then delivered to food banks and other support programs to support their clients. Donating food in this way allows us to give a 500g bag of food to a family for a third to a quarter of the retail price. Because we make bulk orders of products in large sizes, we make the most of our buying power. Utilizing volunteers allows the cost of creating this product to remain so low.
Another key aspect to this program is the look of the finished product. We wanted the design for the food packaging donated through the McAntony’s Menu program to look similar to other products you would see in a retail environment. People who are accessing food banks deserve the dignity of choosing from items that are not obviously “charity food”. Therefore, the design does not feature the GlobalMedic name or logo.
McAntony’s Menu is not meant to compete with existing food support services but rather to complement a heavily utilized system. The program is a unique way to think about and approach food donation.
Our Impact
We launched McAntony’s Menu at the beginning of 2020 and since then have been working to get out as much aid through this program as possible. Much of our impact at the beginning of the program was in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. We have delivered:
