The Helping Hand Food Bank in Bradford West Gwillimbury will hold a drive this spring to help address the increase in food insecurity.
The food drive will be divided by wards, with residents able to drop off non-perishable items at the food bank, located at 123 Moore St. Residents in wards 1 and 2 are able to drop off food items May 27, while the drop-off date for those in wards 3 and 4 is June 2, and wards 5, 6 and 7 is June 10.
The food bank will be open from 12 to 4 p.m. all three days to receive donations.
“Food drives are very important at this time of year, when food and monetary donations are typically low but demand for our services continues to be high,” said Carolyn Khan, executive director of Helping Hand.
“Monetary donations are best. Money allows us to purchase the fresh food we need, like milk and eggs. It also means we can purchase in bulk and stretch each dollar further.”
With the cost of living increasing and food insecurity becoming more common, Khan fears for the future if more is not done for those in need.
“Food insecurity is a massive struggle for many people right now,” she said. “I feel that food banks are saying the same thing over and over again: The need for help is greater than it’s ever been, the cost of living is out of reach for many people, and the solution is to increase financial support for all people living in poverty. But the bigger question remains: Is this message being heard?”
Having a town council that supports and promotes the food bank has been key to consistently bringing attention to Helping Hand’s needs and ensuring support, she added.
“It is critical that our food bank has the support of municipal council, and we are fortunate to have support from councillors in BWG,” she said.
Coun. Cheraldean Duhaney is the acting food bank liaison and she hopes to see residents from all over town doing what they can in these trying times.
“We wanted to make sure this was highlighted to the community to ensure more support,” she said. “Food insecurity is more common than ever and we felt this would be a good opportunity to get the community involved and to bring more awareness in an effort to give others hope, especially the more vulnerable.”
As the food bank liaison, Duhaney loves to see the food bank, town council, and the community working together to help lift others up.
“We know that there are vulnerable people in our community struggling,” she said. “It’s very important that we give them hope and bring awareness about food insecurity to the community. It’s also an opportunity for residents to give back to their community and it helps build relationships throughout our community when we work together.”
The food bank has listed pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, Kraft Dinner, cereal, granola bars and cereal bars, peanut butter, juice boxes, baked beans, chunky soup, chili and stew, and canned meat as its most needed items.
Monetary donations can be made online here.
