County Food Depot

Food depot set to open in Picton Town Hall

Thanks to an $80,000 grant from Community Food Centres of Canada, plus contributions from The County Foundation and the municipality, the County’s first Food Depot will open on Friday in the old firehall at the Picton Town Hall. On April 3, the federal government announced an investment of $100 million to meet urgent food needs of Canadians facing uncertainties as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That money will be used to provide funding to organizations such as Food Banks of Canada, the Salvation Army, Second Harvest, Breakfast Club of Canada and Community Food Centres of Canada. The latter distributes money to the Good Food Organization, which the County’s Food to Share joined in 2019. Founder Glen Wallis submitted an application for funds, and last Thursday was awarded the grant of $80,000. He is part of the Food Collective tasked with addressing food insecurity in the County, and the group has a long-term goal of establishing a community food centre. With the impetus necessitated by the economic effects of the pandemic, the Food Collective is using the firehall as a food depot, to assist any resident in need of food. People can simply come to the firehall when it opens on Friday at noon, and they will be given a box of non-perishable food, plus a grocery card that could be used to purchase things such as meat or dairy from local stores. “We intend to give out boxes of food, pretty much all non-perishable, although there will be things like carrots, potatoes, onions,” said Wallis. “It will be stuff that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and along with the box, people will get a grocery card to buy protein or dairy.”

The Food Depot will distribute food every Friday. “Basically, anyone who is in need of food can come” said Wallis. “We are encouraging people to make a donation, if they can. Perhaps they are in a short-term situation where they need food and they are anticipating money to come in from their employer of the government, and if they are able to make a donation afterwards, that will be great.” The firehall location was chosen so that volunteers helping to distribute the food, as well as residents in need of food, can maintain proper physical distancing. With the roll-up doors open, there will be plenty of space for access. Wallis is uncertain how many people will make use of the food depot. “A lot of people have applied for government assistance, and some of those may not receive it for a while, so we see an intense need very shortly, and it will probably go down as people start getting money,” he said. “But there is a consensus across the country that there will be a need, and we project there will be a need that will overwhelm what the foodbanks are capable of dealing with right now.”

The Food Collective is buying the food in bulk directly from wholesalers, and is using the Sophiasburgh Food Hub for storage. Volunteers will break down the bulk packaging to make up the items in each food box, and then bring those boxes to the firehall for pick-up. Fresh produce will be taken directly to the firehall. The majority of the grant money will be used for the grocery cards, and retailers No Frills and Metro provided a 20 per cent discount on the cost of the cards. The Food Collective is working closely with the local foodbanks to ensure that they are not left wanting when it comes to donations. “Our projection is that we’ll need significantly more money than we’ve already raised, so hopefully the community will still make donations directly to the foodbanks and the Food Depot through the COVID-19 fund set up by The County Foundation.”

Wallis expects that the foodbanks will see an increase in the number of clients they are serving, and said that the Food Depot is set up for people who are not foodbank members. “One of Food to Share’s goals, and a goal of the Good Food Organization, is to get rid of the stigma of using a foodbank,” he said. “Ultimately we will continue with our quest to have a community food centre in the County where people are more engaged in the distribution of food.” Another goal of Food to Share, and one that personally resonates with Wallis, is to buy produce from local farms as much as possible. “If there is a reduction in tourists coming, our local roadside farm stands, who sell a lot to visitors, will need our support so we need to make sure we’re filling the gap this year,” he said. “Having our Food Depot purchase from local farms is really important to these farmers, who have been super-generous over the years with our foodbanks and Food to Share, and now is an opportunity for our community to support them.”