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Kin Fight Hunger with Feed the Need Food Drive

Written by: Krista Conrad, National Blog Writer
Volunteers with applesKin from across the country banded together in fall 2025 to “Feed the Need” in Canada with resounding success.

Feed the Need Food Drive was a Kin-wide service project aimed at addressing food insecurity across the country by encouraging clubs to get involved and raise food or funds for their local food banks and community food programs.

National Service Director Gord Patterson and Kin Canada Projects Coordinator Lindsay Irvine had hoped to see 50 clubs participate and raise around $25,000.
The results blew them away.

Feed the Need Food Drive saw 106 clubs reporting a total of 6,722 volunteer hours, collecting 111,380 lbs of food, and raising a total $279,387. With contributions from the Kin Club of Russell to their local food bank from Catch the Ace proceeds, the total raised climbed to $541,029.

Feed the Need Food Drive Statistics


“The stats from this project are overwhelming to process, and soared beyond anything we imagined would happen,” said Irvine.

The goal of Feed the Need was multi-faceted. Not only was it intended to meet the ever-growing demand of local food banks across Canada, it empowered Kin clubs to make a real impact.
Clubs raised food and money for food banks and food programs, but also strengthened their community connections through service, increased club membership by engaging new volunteers, and boosted the national visibility of Kin Canada as a leader in community support.

“We saw so many fantastic and unique examples of community projects,” said Irvine.

The list included not only volunteering at food banks, but also collecting donations in parades, contributing funds from bingos and Catch the Ace, running food drives in schools and communities, organizing fill-a-bus or similar projects, working with other local service clubs, and hosting family events and barbecues.


Volunteers at a food bank
Volunteers with a large donation check


Volunteers serving foodRunning barbecue events was a nod to the project out of which the initial Feed the Need idea was born: BBQ Canada.

In 2003, Kin Canada organized BBQ Canada to support a beef industry ailing with exports to the US shut down. On Labour Day that year, Kin clubs across the country hosted free barbecues to show the world Canadian beef was safe and show solidarity for the industry.

“Our association set a Guinness World Record for most burgers served in a BBQ,” said Patterson. Kin clubs had served beef products to more than 280,000 individuals in a single day.

More than 20 years later, when he was appointed as National Service Director, Patterson recalled BBQ Canada and wanted to build a national service project with a similar impact. Initially, it was going to be called “Feed the Need BBQ and Fish Fry.”

The concept was reworked and transformed into a more accessible campaign for clubs and communities of all sizes, resulting in the Kin-wide Feed the Need Food Drive project.

The Feed the Need project follows the proud tradition of unifying Kin clubs to fight food insecurity – and not only in Canada.


Volunteers running a food driveThis service tradition began with the Milk for Britain campaign during the Second World War, when Kin Canada founder Hal Rogers mobilized clubs across the country to help British children by sending powdered milk to the UK.

The initial goal was for 1 million quarts, but within nine months the amount donated was 3 million quarts, and by the end of the campaign more than 50 million quarts of milk were sent to Britain.

Hal Rogers was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1948 in recognition of this effort, and the campaign resulted in 41 new Kin clubs chartering and the formation of the original Kinette branch.

“Kin Canada has a long tradition of stepping up in times of need,” said Irvine. “From World War II to today, Kin members have united to make a national impact.

“The Feed the Need Food Drive follows in this proud tradition, unifying Kin Clubs to fight food insecurity across Canada.”

There is no end to the need for food security support in Canada, and Irvine said the National Service and Projects teams will continue to provide support to clubs as they serve their communities.


Kin Canada thanks the following clubs for participating in the Feed the Need Food Drive:



District 1 - Southern Ontario


Kin Club of Clearview
Kin Club of Ridgeway-Crystal Beach
Kin Club of Windsor
Kinette Club of Elgin St. Thomas Kinettes
Kinette Club of Palmerston and District
Kinette Club of Tillsonburg
Kinette Club of Walkerton
Kinette Club of Wasaga Beach
Kinsmen Club of Cayuga
Kinsmen Club of Chatham
Kinsmen Club of Chesley
Kinsmen Club of Collingwood
Kinsmen Club of Fonthill and District
Kinsmen Club of Meaford
Kinsmen Club of Stratford

District 2 - Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario 


Kin Club of Flin Flon
Kin Club of Gladstone
Kin Club of Neepawa
Kinette Club of Brandon
Kinette Club of Dryden
Kinette Club of The Pas
Kinsmen Club of Killarney
Kinsmen Club of Stonewall

District 3 - Saskatchewan


Kin Campus Club of U of S
Kin Club of Maidstone
Kin Club of Moose Jaw & District
Kin Club of Regina and District
Kin Club of Weyburn
Kinette Club of Assiniboia
Kinette Club of Eastend
Kinette Club of Estevan
Kinette Club of Macklin
Kinette Club of Nipawin
Kinette Club of Saskatoon
Kinette Club of Swift Current
Kinette Club of Watrous
Kinsmen & Kinette Club of Kindersley
Kinsmen Club of POW City

District 4 - Alberta


Kin Club of Airdrie Kin
Kin Club of Beaumont
Kinette Club of Brooks
Kinette Club of Calgary
Kinette Club of Claresholm
Kinette Club of Edmonton
Kinette Club of Hanna Kinettes
Kinette Club of Milk River
Kinette Club of Ponoka
Kinette Club of Red Deer
Kinette Club of Slave Lake
Kinette Club of Smoky Lake
Kinette Club of St. Albert
Kinette Club of The Foothills
Kinette Club of Vulcan
Kinette Club of Wetaskiwin
Kinsmen Club of Camrose
Kinsmen Club of Edmonton
Kinsmen Club of Kinette Club of Vegreville
Kinsmen Club of Ponoka
Kinsmen Club of Provost
Kinsmen Club of St. Albert
Kinsmen Club of Taber

District 5 - British Columbia 


Kin Club of Armstrong
Kin Club of Cranbrook
Kinette Club of Juan de Fuca (Victoria)
Kinette Club of Port Alberni
Kinsmen Club of Campbell River
Kinsmen Club of Kitimat
Kinsmen Club of Nanaimo
Kinsmen Club of Port Coquitlam
Kinsmen Club of Prince George
Kinsmen Club of Terrace

District 6 - Eastern Ontario 


Kin Club of Orleans and District
Kin Club of Russell
Kin Club of Trenton
Kinette Club of Campbellford
Kinette Club of Picton
Kinsmen Club of Cornwall
Kinsmen Club of Picton
Kinsmen Club of Prescott
Kinsmen Club of Smiths Falls

District 7 - Atlantic Canada


Kin Campus Club of Memorial University
Kin Club of Charlottetown
Kin Club of Dartmouth
Kin Club of Florenceville
Kin Club of Halifax
Kin Club of Nashwaaksis
Kin Club of Paradise
Kin Club of St. John’s
Kinette Club of Goose Happy Valley
Kinette Club of Kentville & District
Kinette Club of Marystown
Kinette Club of Sackville
Kinsmen Club of Bathurst
Kinsmen Club of Bible Hill
Kinsmen Club of Bridgeport & Area
Kinsmen Club of Bridgewater and Area
Kinsmen Club of Marystown
Kinsmen Club of Mount Pearl
Kinsmen Club of Notre Dame
Kinsmen Club of The Miramichi
Kinsmen Club of Witless Bay and Area

District 8 - Northern Ontario


Kin Club of Bolton
Kin Club of Timmins
Kinette Club of Bobcaygeon
Kinette Club of Greater Sudbury
Kinsmen Club of Peterborough
Kinsmen Club of Sudbury
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