Sharing food has always been one of the simplest ways we take care of one another. A granola bar tucked into a lunch bag, cookies passed around a table, a juice box offered to a friend — these are the small moments that remind us we belong.

But when food is scarce, those everyday acts of kindness can quietly disappear. In Saint John, too many families face the weight of food insecurity. Cupboards run thin, school lunches get smaller, and the chance to share — something so natural to childhood — becomes harder to find.

The Sharing Snack was created to bring those moments back. Across the city, our vending machines serve as little hubs of sharing moments. Each machine is filled with snack packs — three simple, familiar items — that children can grab without barriers, families can rely on without stigma, and neighbours can support with ease.

Because these machines do more than offer snacks. They invite us into a circle of giving: families redeem tokens for what they need, while every purchase made by debit or credit becomes a donation that helps fill the machine again.

It’s a quiet, thoughtful cycle of care — snacks shared, dignity protected, community nourished. A reminder that sharing is not just something we do, but something we all need.

Why It Matters

In New Brunswick and across Canada, too many children are going hungry — not because food doesn’t exist, but because access is limited, stigma is real, and dignity is too often forgotten.

The Numbers:

• 30% of households in New Brunswick experienced food insecurity in 2023 — an 88% increase since 2019.

• Across Canada, 1 in 5 children — that’s over 2 million kids — live in food-insecure homes.

• In New Brunswick, nearly 1 in 5 kids live in poverty, with cities like Saint John seeing rates as high as 25%.

These aren’t just numbers — they’re lunchboxes left empty, after-school hunger pangs, and children quietly skipping meals.

What We Believe

A snack is more than food.
It’s connection.
It’s confidence.
It’s care.

When kids use The Sharing Snack, they’re not being labeled or judged — they’re just getting a snack, like every other kid.
No hoops. No questions. Just moments of sharing.