"I volunteer at a lunch program serving people who do not have enough money to buy food. It is time for the government to live up to its responsibility, and stop relying on volunteers to shoulder the burden that should be covered by our tax-funded social services."

Teresa Porter, Volunteer, LAMP Community Lunch Program, Newmarket, Ontario

"You cannot live off a food bank diet, it acts as an aid for people. It's not a solution to people that cannot afford food."

Brian Morris, 2015 Food Bank Challenge Participant, Constituency Manager & Executive Assistant, York Region

"I began volunteering with the food bank in 1990 thinking I would do this for a couple of years; here I am 22 years later. The government needs to ensure that people have enough income for at least the basics."

Alf Judd, Former Director of Operations, Georgina Community Food Pantry, Sutton, Ontario

"In Canada we have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms; I wish that it included the right to food and shelter so that food banks would become redundant."

Pauline Apperly, Director, Our Town Food bank, Tottenham, Ontario

Join us ⇨

Join Freedom 90 as a member, as a friend or as a subscriber and receive our interesting, informative and sometimes controversial newsletter

Why I'm joining ⇨

See video messages from members describing why Freedom 90 is necessary

Our theme song ⇨

"50 Ways to Close the Food Bank" Listen to our theme song performed by volunteers in Sudbury (with apologies to Paul Simon!)

Thumbnail: Freedom 90 theme song performers

Our brochure ⇨

Download and print a copy of our brochure and share it with fellow volunteers!

Our charter ⇨

Download and print a copy of the Freedom 90 Charter to post in your volunteer workplace!

Our Privacy Policy ⇨

You are welcome to read our privacy policy.

Our Demands

Welcome to the website of Freedom 90, Ontario's new union of food bank and emergency meal program volunteers.

Volunteers in a food bank We are forming the Freedom 90 Union because we want to retire from volunteering at food banks or emergency meal programs - before we are 90 years old!

Volunteers at food banks and emergency meal programs in Ontario have earned the right to speak out about poverty in our communities. Freedom 90 Union members are a new and powerful voice for change.

The Freedom 90 Union demands urgent action by the Government of Ontario to end poverty and make food banks and emergency meal programs unnecessary.

OUR THREE DEMANDS

Lay us off!

The Government of Ontario must ensure that social assistance and minimum wage levels are sufficient for everyone to have adequate housing and to buy their own food.

Mandatory retirement by the age of 90!

Many of us have been volunteering for twenty years and there is no end in sight. The Freedom 90 Union demands the Government of Ontario take urgent action to end poverty and make food banks and emergency meal programs unnecessary.

Freeze our wages! Or double them!

It doesn't matter because we are unpaid volunteers.