Thursday mornings are beyond busy at Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Helping Hand Food Bank.
That’s when donations are delivered, and a small army of volunteers sort and restock the shelves.
This Thursday, the food bank was busier than usual, as members of the Bradford Board of Trade dropped by to kick off its new Spring One Bag Challenge.
It was an idea that the BBT’s Vice President of Public Relations Jennifer Harrison got from another food bank, with the aim of creating a “chain of giving.”
The concept is simple: Fill a bag with non-perishable food items, take a selfie of yourself with the bag, and tag someone on your list of contacts to do the same thing. Then just deliver the bag to the food bank, or drop it off at the Bradford Board of Trade’s Home & Lifestyle Show on Saturday, April 27 at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre, where the food bank will have a booth.
Admission to the Home & Lifestyle Show is free.
The BBT members not only delivered the first bags in the One Bag Challenge to the food bank – and took a selfie – they also presented Bradford food bank president Anne Silvey with $220, raised at various BBT events.
The food bank, located at 123 Moore St. in Bradford, is open to clients from 1-2 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Fridays – and currently has more than 160 families, couples and individuals on its client list.
This means it can be tough to keep the shelves well-stocked.
Right now, said Silvey, “the biggest priority is juice – both juice boxes and one litre… and granola bars.” Juice and granola bars are important for families with school-age children to provide healthy snacks.
Also on the food bank’s wish list: canned meats (chicken and ham; “We have plenty of tuna,” said Silvey), spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, canned potatoes, canned mushrooms, large size diapers (sizes five and six), jars of baby food, and single-serving meal replacement drinks.
"We have some seniors who use them," Silvey explained.
Even while members of the BBT were launching the One Bag Challenge, inside the building the volunteers were unpacking donations. They sorted through the buns, breads and treats contributed by Costco in Newmarket – with surplus donations going to the Bradford Community Meal, a free meal held every Friday evening at Bradford United Church; as well as to LOFT’s Bradford House, and local seniors' programs.
And the donations continued to come in, from spring food drives held by organizations and companies like Inscape Solutions, located on Toll Road.
“We were doing an Easter food drive,” said Inscape’s Sarah Penney. “We do try to make it a bit of a competition, with teams.”
The teams filled two wire baskets with non-perishable food and collected $40 in cash, to help keep the shelves filled at Eastertime.
