Food bank gets help for the new year
From The Review Mirror, December 14, 2023, page 5
By Margaret Brand
The Portland area community’s generosity will benefit clients of the Portland Food Bank for weeks to come after $21,177 and 2295 lbs. of food were collected last Saturday.
The food drive was part of the RCL Automotive Build a Mountain of Food campaign (BAM), whose arrival in communities across Lanark and North Leeds brings focus to the needs of the local food banks. “I am always amazed at the generosity of the community,” said Louise Martin, who along with Norma Cummings manages the service’s week to week operations. The food bank is an outreach project of the Elgin United Church which makes available tax receipts for donations. Country Roads Community Health Centre became the new home for the Food Bank and the clothing cooperative in September 2022 before the demolition of the community hall in the fall of 2022.
The new location has proved to offer convenience to food bank volunteers and clients who appreciate its accessibility for moving goods as well as the access to the clothing cooperative.
Households are able to receive food bank help twice a month, and on the third Tuesday of the month can also access fresh produce from the Good Food Box. Clients also receive vouchers for Gordanier’s Fresh Mart to purchase perishable food such as meat, milk and eggs. While the build a mountain shelter and van were collecting donations in front of the LCBO, a crew back at Country Roads was sorting the harvest of groceries. In the coming months those food items will help to feed 28 households, including 29 adults and 20 children who benefit from its support.
After the move to Country Roads in September 2022 the number of households served jumped from 17 to 28 over the past year. In the summer of 2022 clients were restricted to one visit a month when the food bank’s resources were low. “Our costs have really gone up with the increase in clients and the increase in the cost of food,” said food bank treasurer Norma Cummings.
After scouring the fliers for bargains she and Martin make weekly grocery shops to Kingston, Perth and Smiths Falls to maximize their resources. In the past year the food bank’s costs to supply its households have averaged over $4500 per month said Cummings. The food bank has benefitted from large donations from organizations in the area and sometimes receives donations of food or cash raised from an event.
“The response in the community is very good. People realize that people are struggling,” said Martin who is grateful for the help from B.A.M. to spotlight their needs.
RCL Automotive’s Build a Mountain of Food organizers Chris Craig and Jim Wright are winding down their six-Saturday campaign on December 16 with visits to the Athens Freshmart in the morning and Delta’s Country Market in the afternoon.
