Nonprofit Alliance Food Aid Providers Data
The Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda’s Association of Food Aid Providers [AFAP] has released 2025 collective data, revealing significant shifts in food aid delivery across Bermuda.
A spokesperson said, “While demand for food support remains high, overall service outputs have declined as providers face rising food prices, increased operating costs, and fundraising challenges.
“AFAP brings together nine nonprofit organisations and churches that provide food aid services across the island, including Adventist Community Services, Age Concern Bermuda, Bermuda is Love, the Cathedral, Christ Church Warwick, the Eliza Doolittle Society, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, and St. Vincent de Paul Society. AFAP members meet every other month to coordinate food aid services, with the goal to improve food distribution and communication between providers.
“In 2025, seven of the nine AFAP members collectively provided 101,002 fresh meals, 19,166 grocery bags, 785 food vouchers, and 1669 Christmas hampers to 5,781 clients. Across these seven providers, $1,364,202 was spent on food aid. In comparison to 2023, this reflects an increase in cost per client, with average spending increasing from $177 per client up to $191. The result was a decrease in services and clients served between 2023 and 2025:
- Total food aid spending: 1% increase
- Clients served: 16% decrease
- Meals distributed: 36% decrease
- Grocery bags provided: 14% decrease
- Food vouchers issued: 46% decrease
“The data shows that while overall spending has remained largely stable, the cost of delivering services has risen. Organisations are spending more per person to provide the same programmes, limiting their ability to expand capacity. AFAP members report that food costs, general cost-of-doing-business increases, and a more difficult fundraising environment have placed pressure on services. In some cases, organisations have adapted their models to stretch resources further, while others have maintained intake levels cautiously amid financial uncertainty.”
Clare Mello, Executive Director of Eliza DooLittle shared, “The dramatic increase in demand for our pantry services is unlike anything we have experienced in recent years. At this moment, over 100 of our neighbours are waiting for access to food, a basic necessity that no one in Bermuda should ever have to go without. These numbers are far more than mere statistics; they reflect the daily struggles of families, seniors, and hardworking individuals who, despite their best efforts, are unable to keep pace with the escalating cost of living. At TEDS, we are committed to meeting this need, but we cannot do it alone. Now more than ever, we need our community to stand with us so that no one is left behind.”
A spokesperson added, “In response to these challenges, AFAP collaborates to find creative ways to expand access without incurring more costs. This includes coordinating services to ensure coverage seven days a week at multiple locations, and the publication of a weekly food aid calendar, helping individuals easily identify when and where food support is available across the island. The calendar can be accessed at: https://nonprofitalliance.bm/directory-of-helping-services/
“AFAP continues to work collaboratively to strengthen food aid coordination and is coordinated and supported by the Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda.”
