A new initiative in Ottawa is tackling the growing crisis of food insecurity among newcomer families by delivering dignity alongside nutritious meals. Foodeliver, a recently launched service, connects surplus food from local businesses with families struggling to put food on the table.
Personal Experience Drives Community Solution
The founder, Ali Shaker, was inspired by his own family's challenges after immigrating to Canada from Iran. He recalls the immense stress his parents faced while adapting to a new country, learning a language, securing employment, and managing the high costs of relocation—all while ensuring their family was fed.
"It's natural, I believe, for newcomer families who don't come with a significant financial resource to struggle financially, at least for the initial period," Shaker told the Ottawa Citizen. "They've gone through very difficult times to be able to find peace and security here in this country."
This personal understanding fuels Foodeliver's mission. The model is straightforward: restaurant, farm, and grocery store partners notify the team when they have surplus food available. Volunteers then collect the donations and deliver them directly to families in need. The program's first restaurant partner is the Silk Road Restaurant.
A Response to a Soaring Crisis
Shaker's service launches at a critical time. Data reveals a stark increase in food bank usage among newcomers in Ottawa. According to the Ottawa Food Bank's latest Hunger Report, visits by newcomers have skyrocketed by 98 per cent since 2019. Newcomers now represent approximately 32 per cent of all food bank clients in the city, with many being refugees from conflict zones like Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Congo.
Compounding the problem is the relentless rise in food costs. Statistics Canada reported that in November 2025, grocery prices had increased by 4.7 per cent year-over-year, marking the highest rise since late 2023. The overall consumer price index also climbed by 2.3 per cent in the same period.
"Absolutely, this concerns me," Shaker said regarding the rising costs. "Relocating to a new country is an extremely costly journey... Experiencing insecurity in terms of food, I think, is a natural consequence of facing so many challenges and lacking support."
Building Capacity for the Future
Currently, Foodeliver supports ten families, but Shaker has ambitious plans for expansion. The goal is to build enough capacity to extend services beyond the newcomer community to assist any food-insecure family in Ottawa.
"These are the people that we're supporting right now in the initial phases of our rollout," he explained. "Our long-term growth plan is to grow and build capacity and open the door to welcome any food-insecure family, because that's the right thing to do."
By addressing immediate nutritional needs and reducing food waste through a dignified delivery model, Foodeliver represents a grassroots, compassionate response to one of Ottawa's most pressing social challenges.
