Volunteers Urgently Needed
Submitted by Linda Godhue
Due to increased demand, for the first time the Tobermory Food Bank will continue its regular hours on Tuesday, from 1-3 p.m. through July and August.
As it is with other organizations, we are in urgent need for volunteers, especially now that we are maintaining our regular hours during the summer months. An evergrowing concern is that there will come a day when we do not have the volunteers and we will not be able to open the Food Bank on that day. We desperately do not want to be in that situation, so we are once again asking if anyone has time to give us please get in touch. Even if you are just a seasonal resident, perhaps you have a few hours to give us. Any new volunteer would be paired with a regular volunteer. It is a very rewarding experience, to assist those most in need in our community.
As mentioned many times, we are so very grateful to Peacock’s Foodland participating in Food Rescue that is donated to our Food Bank. We also need help in this effort. The grocery items need to be picked up at Peacock’s on Tuesday mornings at 9 a.m. and transported to the Food Bank. There the items are weighed and shelved. We recognize that someone volunteering to do that would be required to do some heavy lifting as some of the items are frozen. If volunteering to do that, you would not be committed to do it every Tuesday, perhaps you might offer to do it once a month.
Food Banks across Ontario are seeing an increased number of clients and visits, just as we are. With the cost of living and accommodation costs increasing, we, as other Food Banks, know that this situation is approaching a critical level. The Tobermory Food Bank is generously financed by donations from the Community, individuals, organizations and Churches, which has enabled us to keep our shelves stocked. We are so thankful for the support that allows us to continue our work. But that work requires volunteers, and at the moment that is a very real need.
Although we are the recipients of grocery items through the Food Rescue Program, and donations left at the Tobermory Post Office, there are a few items that we find hard to keep on hand. Canned pasta such as Chef-Boyardee meals, Chunky style soups, and canned tuna and ham. Dry cereal is very much needed as well as dried pasta.
If you have any questions regarding volunteering or regarding the Food Bank, please call Jennifer Dewey at 519-596-2188 or Linda Godhue at 519-596-2333.
