Gilbert Ngirumpatse — Founder & Executive Director
I grew up in Africa, a continent of 54 countries where more than 20% of people face hunger.¹ I saw it everywhere I went, not just in my own country but across many nations. I have seen children die from hunger, and I have lived through days and even weeks without food. I know what it feels like to be hungry, to go to sleep with an empty stomach, and to wake up wondering if you will eat that day.
Those memories never leave you. Even today living in Canada, I still feel that connection to people who are struggling because I know their pain. Many of the people I grew up with still experience that same reality every day.
When I came to Canada, I discovered a very different kind of hunger. Here, we have more than enough food, yet people still go hungry. Families work hard, some with two jobs, and still skip meals. Across British Columbia, nearly 1 in 6 households face food insecurity.² We live in a province known for its beauty and prosperity, yet access to food is broken.
At the same time, 60% of food waste in Canada is completely avoidable,³ and that wasted food creates 56.5 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year,⁴ accelerating climate change. The contrast is painful with abundance and waste on one side, hunger and struggle on the other.
It goes beyond food. Rates of suicide among Canadians reach nearly 4,500 per year, with suicide rates approximately 3 times higher among men compared to women.⁵ Single fathers face particularly high mortality risk, with premature death rates 2 to 3 times higher than single mothers or partnered parents.⁶ These numbers show that food, mental health, and housing are all connected, and when one fails, the others suffer too.
That's why I founded NourishConnect - to bridge the gap between waste and need, and to build a system that cares. We rescue surplus food from farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries, and deliver it directly to households in need - seniors, single parents, and families who need support but deserve dignity.
NourishConnect is not just about food, it is about hope, compassion, and connection.
We are proving that we can end hunger in our communities not by creating more, but by sharing better.
My journey — from going hungry as a child to feeding others today — is proof that out of struggle can come purpose. And that purpose is simple: no one should go hungry when there is enough for all.
References
1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2023). Africa – Regional overview of food security and nutrition 2023. FAO.
2. BC Centre for Disease Control. (2023). Household food insecurity in British Columbia. BC Centre for Disease Control.
3. Second Harvest & Value Chain Management International. (2019). The avoidable crisis of food waste: Technical report. Second Harvest.
4. Second Harvest & Value Chain Management International. (2019). The avoidable crisis of food waste: Technical report. Second Harvest.
5. Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022). Suicide in Canada: Key statistics (infographic). Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic.html
6. Chiu, M., Rahman, F., Vigod, S., Lau, C., Cairney, J., & Kurdyak, P. (2018). Mortality in single fathers compared with single mothers and partnered parents: A population-based cohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 3(3), e115-e123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30003-3