This after school dinner program provides a warm meal to children and youth. As part of the Building Safer Communities initiative, the City of Ottawa engages at-risk youth in afterschool programs to support their health and wellbeing, and to prevent them from engaging in criminal activities.

The program follows the academic calendar from September to June and provides 30,000 hot meals at six community centres in three priority neighbourhoods, in partnership with the Integrated Neighbourhood Services Teams (INST) at the City of Ottawa.

This flagship program bridges the nutritional gap created each summer, when food programs are unavailable to families who are dependent on food programs during the academic year. In the absence of a Summer Nutrition Program many children would go without a regular supply of nutritious food, putting financial and mental stress on their families. 

In its debut year in 2023, the Summer Nutrition Program delivered over 20,000 hot lunches to children and youth enrolled in free summer camps across 21 sites in the city

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Impact report

Operated by the Carlington Community Health Centre, the SWAG program is a community-based student support program designed to increase the high school graduation rate of students identified as most at risk of not graduating without intervention. Nutrition Blocs provides approximately 6000 hot and nutritious meals to youth throughout the academic year as well as their summer camp program.

Operated by Christie Lake Kids, the LIT program offers quality experiences for youth ages 13-18 from low-income families, by matching them with a traines mentors who support them and encourage meaningful goal setting to help each participant realize personal success academically and career readiness.

Orkidstra is a leadership development program that empowers kids to build a better community, through the medium of music. Our program offers weekly hot meals to youth musicians throughout the academic year, as well as when they are at summer camps.

Operated by Vanier Community Service Centre, the Youth Drop-In engages youth aged 13-17 in series of recreational and cultural activities, to promote physical and mental wellness as well as offer them a safe environment during critical hours of the day where they are most vulnerable and at risk. This program also contributes to the positive development of teenagers by fostering the creation of social bonds with others and by acting as an information source in the community.

Operated by the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, the Aktion Club is a service club for adults with disabilities, with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Club members become competent, capable, caring leaders through the vehicle of service. Our program provides a hot meals to the participants in a safe and inclusive environment.