A new program has been set up to make it easier for Ontario chicken farmers to donate birds to food banks.
The Chicken Farmers of Ontario Food Bank Donation Program has an annual donation target of 100 thousand chickens.
CFO officials say that level of donation has a retail value of about 1 million dollars.
Chair Henry Zantingh says this is the first time the province’s chicken producers will have an effective mechanism to contribute to food banks.
CFO and it’s members have previously supported the food bank system primarily through cash donations.
This new donation program will take advantage of the provincial Food Donation Tax Credit for Farmers.
That means farmers involved will get a 25 per cent tax credit for the fresh food they donate to Ontario food banks.
Carolyn Stewart of the Ontario Association of Food Banks says over 375 thousand people in this province rely on food banks to provide their basic sustenance each month.
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