Ottawa Mission Serves 17,601 Easter Meals to Meet Continuing Extreme Hunger in Ottawa – A New Record for Easter

Ottawa, ON – During the Ottawa Mission’s special Easter meal service, which was held on April 21 for shelter and community members in our dining room, as well as the week prior through our Mobile Mission Meals food truck program, the shelter served 17,601 meals to those in need – a new record for an Easter meal. Several elected officials participated in serving this special meal today to shelter guests and community members.

Continuing food inflation, sky-rocketing rents and other factors have meant unprecedented increases in food insecurity in Ottawa, which has risen from one in seven to one in four households according to Ottawa Public Health. To meet this deepening need, The Mission has expanded its food truck program to two trucks, 39 stops across Ottawa and serving over 10,000 meals a week. For the past two fiscal years, the shelter has served over one million meals to vulnerable community members across Ottawa through its community and food truck meals programs.

“This is a new record for our Easter meal and more than five times the number of meals we served for Easter 2019, before the pandemic. The astounding increase in hunger in our community is why we’ve expanded our food truck program so many times across our community,” noted Chef Ric Allen-Watson, Director of Food Services for the Mission.

“Ottawa was already in the grip of a continuing homelessness emergency, an opioid-use epidemic and then the pandemic. And now hunger is at urgent levels across our community because of continuing food inflation and the lack of affordable housing. Our food truck program costs about $900,000 a year and is entirely funded by donations. While we’re glad to be able to support so many people, our capacity to continually expand the number of meals we serve is not infinite. We also need to address the root causes of hunger, including housing and continuing poverty,” noted Ottawa Mission CEO Peter Tilley.

“Our dedicated volunteers and exceptional kitchen staff worked hard to ensure that everyone had a delicious Easter meal. And a special thanks to our donors and supporters who have been profoundly generous in their continuing support of the Mission. A huge thank you to all,” Tilley concluded.

About The Ottawa Mission
Since 1906, The Ottawa Mission has been serving the homeless, the hungry and the lost by providing food, clothing, shelter and skills. In 2023-2024, The Ottawa Mission provided emergency shelter to an average of 187 men every night and served an average of 3,103 meals every day.  The Ottawa Mission also provides to men and women health services, mental health and addiction treatment programs, hospice care, dental services, housing services, educational support, job training, spiritual care, and clothing to thousands in need in our community. In September 2020, The Ottawa Mission marked the one millionth hour that the shelter has been in existence since its founding in 1906. In 2019, the Mission became a housing-focused shelter reflective of its commitment to a home for everyone as a human right with the launch of a new housing department.

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Aileen Leo
Director of Communications
T 613.234.1144 x 305
C: 613.712.3092
E-mail: aleo@ottawamission.com