The chef-led food program that fights food waste in Guelph is facing a financial shortfall and needs urgent support to continue its important work. Since its inception in 2022, the program has successfully diverted 50,000 pounds of food from landfills, serving nutritious meals to the community and catering events.

Founded by Chef Yasi Zorlutuna under the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, Community FEWD is currently facing a $60,000 deficit. While the program successfully reached its initial fundraising goal of $10,000 to remain operational through May, it now needs additional funding to ensure its survival for the remainder of the year and beyond.

The program’s core mission is to prioritize food equity with dignity (FEWD), ensuring that excess food is redistributed rather than wasted. Since its launch, it has served over 44,000 meals and prevented thousands of pounds of food from going to the landfill.