In recent weeks, my reporting has taken me through Waterloo Region communities where an uncomfortable reality persists beneath the surface of summer festivities. While most families plan barbecues and cottage getaways, thousands of local children face intensifying food insecurity during what should be carefree months.
“The hunger gap widens dramatically when school meal programs shut down for summer,” explained Wendi Campbell, CEO of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, during our conversation at their Maple Grove Road facility. “Many parents suddenly need to provide 10 additional meals per week per child – an impossible stretch for families already walking financial tightropes.”
The numbers paint a troubling picture across our region. Last year, over 5,200 children accessed emergency food assistance during July and August – a 34% increase from pre-pandemic summers. Behind these statistics are real families making impossible choices between paying rent and putting food on the table.
I spent an afternoon with Sarah, a single mother of three in Kitchener who asked that her surname be withheld. Despite working full-time at a local retail chain, her hourly wage barely covers housing costs. “During school months, breakfast programs and subsidized lunches help tremendously,” she told me while unpacking a food hamper. “Summer feels like drowning – every grocery trip becomes a mathematical nightmare.”
The Food Bank of Waterloo Region has launched their “Full Bellies, Full Summer” campaign in response, aiming to collect 500,000 meals before September. Campbell emphasized that childhood nutrition can’t take summer vacations. “Missing proper nutrition during crucial developmental months creates academic and health setbacks that follow children into the school year.”
Local agricultural partners have stepped up, with area farmers donating fresh produce through the “Grow & Give” initiative. “Kids deserve fruits and vegetables, not just pasta and canned goods,” said Mike Krause, whose family farm in Woolwich Township has pledged thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables.
Regional Councillor Elizabeth Clarke, who chairs the Children’s Planning Table, pointed to systemic challenges underlying seasonal hunger. “The affordability crisis isn’t taking summers off either,” she noted during a council meeting last week. “Housing costs consume such a disproportionate share of family incomes that food budgets become the elastic expense – the thing families must stretch or shrink when bills come due.”
Food bank volunteers describe the changing face of need. “We’re seeing families who never imagined needing food assistance,” said Janice Weber, who has volunteered at the St. John’s Kitchen for eight years. “These aren’t just traditionally vulnerable populations anymore – they’re your neighbors who work full-time jobs but still can’t make ends meet.”
The issue extends beyond immediate hunger into questions of childhood development and long-term community health. Dr. Maria Rodrigues, a pediatrician at Grand River Hospital, explained that nutrition gaps don’t simply cause temporary discomfort. “Children experiencing food insecurity during critical developmental windows show measurable cognitive effects,” she told me. “Concentration suffers, learning capabilities diminish, and physical growth can be compromised.”
The region’s network of community organizations has assembled a patchwork of solutions to address the summer gap. The YMCA has expanded their summer meal offerings at day camps. Local libraries host “lunch and learn” programs that provide both educational activities and nutritious meals. Faith communities organize weekend backpack programs sending food home with children.
Yet these efforts, while crucial, remain inadequate against the scale of need. A recent University of Waterloo study found that only about 40% of food-insecure children in the region connect with summer feeding programs – leaving thousands without consistent support.
“The geography of hunger in Waterloo Region doesn’t follow expected patterns,” explained Dr. Jonathan Davids, who researches food security at Wilfrid Laurier University. “Some of our highest need areas are in suburban neighborhoods where transportation barriers prevent families from accessing centralized services.”
Municipal innovation shows promise in addressing these gaps. Cambridge has converted two city buses into mobile food markets that bring affordable produce directly to underserved neighborhoods. Kitchener’s community center gardens now incorporate “pick-your-own” sections where families can harvest vegetables without cost or stigma.
Waterloo Region’s business community has shown increasing awareness of their role in addressing childhood hunger. Several tech companies, including Arctic Wolf and ApplyBoard, have established summer internship programs specifically for older teens from food-insecure households, providing both income and skill development.
“Summer should be about growing, playing and developing – not worrying about where your next meal comes from,” said Deb MacLatchy, President of Wilfrid Laurier University, announcing a new initiative where campus dining halls will serve free lunches to children under 12 throughout July and August.
The political dimensions of childhood hunger remain contentious. Provincial poverty reduction strategies have emphasized employment pathways over direct food assistance, while federal proposals for a national school food program would not address summer gaps.
Regional Chair Karen Redman acknowledged the policy challenges during our interview at her Kitchener office. “While we push for systemic solutions, we can’t wait for perfect policy to feed hungry children,” she said. “Our approach must combine immediate relief with advocacy for structural change.”
For families like Sarah’s, these debates feel distant compared to immediate needs. “I don’t care which level of government solves this – I just need to feed my kids this weekend,” she told me, her voice catching as her youngest daughter carefully arranged canned goods in their cupboard.
As summer temperatures rise across Waterloo Region, so too does community mobilization. Food drives at local festivals, corporate matching programs, and neighborhood collection events demonstrate a growing awareness that childhood hunger doesn’t take summers off.
The Food Bank welcomes donations at thefoodbank.ca/donate, with financial contributions creating the greatest impact through their bulk purchasing power. For those wanting hands-on involvement, volunteer opportunities and neighborhood food drive kits are available through their website.
Summer in Waterloo Region brings abundant local food production alongside persistent childhood hunger – a paradox demanding both immediate compassion and sustained policy attention. The growing movement to address summer food insecurity reminds us that ensuring children have full bellies is a prerequisite to building full futures.
