KAWARTHA LAKES-Local 368 Union Steward Carrie Fitzpatrick knows what it’s like to go hungry.
“I grew up with food insecurities in my home. I grew up with a single mother so this is near and dear to my heart. And with the food prices the way they are and the rent and all the prices for everything and we are seeing such an acute mental health, addictions and homelessness crisis we felt it was important to do something and we chose to do the food drive.” Fitzpatrick told Kawartha 411 News.
The OPSEU union Local 368 food drive began approximately three weeks ago with members setting up donation bins at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay and calling for donations.
Today members of the union dropped off 453 pounds of food at Kawartha Lakes Food Source.(KLFS)
“It’s wonderful.” said KLFS Executive Director Heather Kirby. “It means that we have more supplies that will last us into January, February and March when we don’t get as many donations. We are not able to get them out in time for Christmas but when folks are nestled in their house in the winter we still are serving at the food bank so having this extra food now is really helpful for the colder months.”
Kirby says the need in our community keeps growing.
“The numbers are slowly rising in our community. From the larger urban centres like Toronto we hear the numbers there in the last year or so increasing and it is hitting here in the last six months, so the numbers are going up. Our own food bank for example served 500 last year at this time and now we are serving 750 per month.” said Kirby.
KLFSÂ is a not-for-profit distribution centre which supplies food and personal care items to member organizations that provide support to individuals in need.
According to the most recent annual Hunger Count, the month of March 2024 alone saw over 2 million visits to food banks in Canada – the highest number in recorded history. The 2024 Hunger Count demonstrates the ways poverty is growing throughout Canada, with food bank usage being a clear indicator that Canadians are suffering due to circumstances beyond their control.
Click here to find a food bank near you: https://www.kawarthalakesfoodsource.com/find-a-food-bank
Click here to make a donation:Â https://kawarthalakesfoodsource.kindful.com/
