The Sharing Place Food Centre served its 100,000th meal through its Meals 4 Change program today.
The program, which began in October 2020, sees volunteers cook and prepare meals for community members who are food insecure.
"Many individuals in poverty don't have the cooking facilities or the ability to afford the fresh healthy food to make a well-rounded meal,“ explained Chris Peacock, executive director of the Sharing Place Food Centre. "This helps individuals who would really benefit from and require nutritionally balanced meals that we can output."
Peacock says serving 100,000 meals for community members in need is a "monumental achievement."
"It means a lot considering the importance of the program and how it provides fresh, healthy, meals to individuals who have a lot of trouble affording such meals," he said. "It's probably one of the best social returns on our donors’ investments and it keeps costs below $2 a meal for our organization."
Food for the program is provided by local grocery stores through the Sharing Place food recovery program. The program is in partnership with Helping Hands, Hillcrest Lodge, the Canadian Mental Health Association, The Lighthouse, and St. James' Anglican Church.
"Some of these organizations have relationships and already established programs with these severely food insecure individuals," Peacock explained. "They are quite happy to be able to provide these individuals with free meals."
The people accessing the Meals 4 Change program are going "days without fresh and healthy food," making it a possibly life-changing service.
"These are individuals who are getting sicker every day because they just can't access food," Peacock explained. "They deserve the human right to have access to nutritious food."
The people who benefit from the Meals 4 Change program typically have no food in their cupboards, Peacock says. They do not have the luxury of going to a restaurant or ordering takeout, he explained.
"A lot of individuals in poverty have to continue to grind it out," he said. "This program provides a break for somebody living in poverty with three kids, who are drained at the end of a work week."
The program is funded through community partners and donations that come to the Sharing Place throughout the year.
"Without the $50 to $1,000 donations that we get from our community, we would not be able to develop or sustain this program," Peacock said. "We are completely dependent on our community and neighbours to provide monthly donations to our organization."
The Sharing Place also relies on 38 volunteers who support the program each week by helping to cook and prepare meals.
"We are very thankful and fortunate to have an incredible volunteer team," Peacock said. "We encourage the community to continue to check out the volunteer opportunities that are available online."
Peacock says volunteering at the Sharing Place is one of the most rewarding experiences an individual could have.
"We need to find ways to help the individuals who just don't have access to fresh and healthy food," he said. "It's such an important part of life."
Laurie Hayes, 59, is a regular beneficiary of the Meals 4 Change program. She says she is forever ever grateful for the service.
"It's saved my life," she said. "If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't be able to afford groceries."
Hayes says the Meals 4 Change program puts "outstanding meals" on her table.
"It allows me to eat healthy which I am so grateful for," she said. "I have the Sharing Place to thank for that."
Having the support of the Meals 4 Change program provides Hayes with a "big stress release."
"It takes away the anxiety of not knowing where my next meal is going to come from," she said. "I know that's a big problem for many people in Orillia."
To give back to the service, Hayes has volunteered with the Meals 4 Change program regularly for the past five years.
"I'm on disability right now and I can't work," she explained. "But, I want to give back to the community. People are in need and that's where my heart lies."