For generations, Canadian kids have gone to bed on Christmas Eve believing one thing is absolutely non-negotiable: Santa gets his milk and cookies.
But this year, Santa is breaking the news gently — he doesn’t need them.
What he is asking for is something bigger. He wants you to rethink your Holiday Giving.
In a message shared with families across the country, Santa Claus is encouraging Canadians to start “a new tradition”: instead of leaving out a plate for him, he wants people to help feed the millions of Canadians who don’t have enough to eat.
And for the first time in a long time, the request doesn’t feel whimsical. It feels necessary.
Hunger in Canada Has Quietly Become a National Emergency
Food insecurity in Canada has been rising for years, but 2025 has pushed the issue into full crisis.
More than 10 million Canadians now struggle with hunger — a staggering number for a wealthy country.
It’s not just people in big cities. Rural and small-town families, newcomers, seniors, single parents, and students are all getting hit. Food banks are reporting record demand, and many say they can no longer keep up.
Meanwhile, millions of pounds of perfectly good food continue to be thrown away every single day — food that could be rescuable, edible, and life-changing for someone.
That gap between abundance and need is where Second Harvest has built its mission.
Why Santa Chose Second Harvest
Instead of cookies, Santa is encouraging donations to Second Harvest because the organization does something unique:
it rescues surplus food before it goes to waste and redirects it to people who need it.
This means every donation does double duty — it feeds families and protects the environment.
Santa even joked that he’s had more than enough sweets in his lifetime, but then turned serious: there are families who have nothing to put on the table, and no child should go to bed hungry on Christmas Eve.
The Scale of the Problem — and the Solution
Second Harvest now operates the largest food-rescue network in the country, connecting thousands of farmers, manufacturers, grocery chains, distributors, and restaurants with more than 10,800 grassroots organizations nationwide.
Last year alone, the group rescued 95 million pounds of food — everything from fresh produce to proteins to dairy — all of it redirected to shelters, school programs, community groups, seniors’ organizations, Indigenous communities, and food banks.
And during the month of December, something powerful happens:
every donation will be matched by the Nikita Foundation, doubling the number of meals delivered.
To put it in perspective:
- $1 can provide 10 meals.
- $25 can feed a classroom.
- $100 can support multiple families through the holidays.
CEO Lori Nikkel calls it “the most direct, practical way to fight hunger and stop waste at the same time.”
A Tradition Worth Changing
Some holiday traditions are fun. Some are meaningful.
But some outlive their purpose.
Santa’s letter doesn’t scold anyone for old habits — it simply invites Canadians to redirect a small gesture toward something that brings real comfort to real people. The idea isn’t to remove magic from the holiday, but to extend it beyond your own home.
This is a year when generosity matters more than nostalgia.
Who’s Behind Second Harvest?
Second Harvest wasn’t created by a corporation or a government program.
It began in 1985, founded by Ina Andre and Joan Clayton, two women in Toronto who were frustrated by the amount of food being wasted while people in their own city were going hungry.
What started with a station wagon and a handful of rescued groceries is now a national operation — one guided by a volunteer Board of Directors and led by CEO Lori Nikkel, a global advocate for food-waste reduction.
Their work has inspired international policy discussions, trained thousands of organizations in safe food handling, and produced influential research such as “The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste” — a report that has helped shape Canada’s conversation around sustainability and hunger.
How Canadians Can Join the New Tradition
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, Santa’s request is simple:
If you can spare a cookie, you can spare a meal.
Donations can be made at: secondharvest.ca/donate
And thanks to matching funds this month, every dollar goes twice as far.
A plate of cookies won’t change the world — but a shared plate of food just might.
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