The stories behind the numbers: What our Annual Program Survey reveals about Community Food Centres
July 10, 2026
At CFCs like The Local CFC, food brings people together and helps build stronger, more connected communities.
Earlier this year, Right To Food’s Evaluation Specialist Rini Fernandes visited a Community Food Centre (CFC) to interview program participants for our Annual Program Survey. But she found herself putting her laptop aside to watch a seniors’ exercise class.
Participants danced along to a video, chatting, laughing, and encouraging one another. What began as a brief pause in Rini’s work became a moment that stayed with her. Later, when she surveyed the participants, she learned more about the people in the room and what their CFC meant to them.
Over the past year, Rini and Melissa Yule, Right To Food’s Research and Evaluation Manager, visited 12 CFCs across the country and spoke with over 1,300 community members to conduct the Annual Program Survey. While the survey helps Right To Food understand the impact of CFCs, the conversations revealed something deeper than numbers alone.
CFCs are a second home
“A lot of people actually refer to the CFC as their second home,” says Rini.
Again and again, participants spoke about friendship, belonging, and connection. They shared stories about meeting neighbours, building confidence, and finding community through programs at their CFC.
As Rini points out, these stories are especially meaningful during this time. “We are living in a time where people are really isolated, really fragmented right now.”
The survey findings reflect the vital role CFCs play in connecting people during this time of disconnection. This year, 96% of participants reported feeling a sense of belonging at their CFC. Many also said they had opportunities to connect with people from different backgrounds and life experiences.
Fostering connection beyond programs
One story that stood out to Melissa came from a gardening program. Participants had become so close that they continued meeting at a café after the growing season ended. When one participant became ill and was hospitalized, their peers sent cards and visited them in the hospital.
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It really illustrated how the CFC is a place where people meet, but it can easily extend out into their lives outside the walls of the centre.
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Melissa Yule, Research and Evaluation Manager, Right To Food
For many participants, the impact of a CFC extends beyond the programs. Relationships formed around a shared meal, in a garden, or during an exercise class often become part of people’s lives long after they leave for the day.
Measuring more than food
For Melissa, these are outcomes worth measuring. “What gets measured matters,” she says.
While food access remains a critical part of the CFC model, the Annual Program Survey also measures other outcomes that are key to CFCs, like belonging, dignity, leadership, and well-being. Together, the findings point to an impact that goes beyond food alone.
As Melissa explains, “So many social opportunities in society right now cost money.” CFCs offer something different: a place where people can “just show up as they are and enjoy a meal with others.”
The numbers help measure impact. The stories help explain it.
Together, they show what CFCs make possible: not only access to nourishing food, but opportunities for friendship, purpose, dignity, and belonging.
Learn how you can support this work.
