Volunteers and community organizations around the city have come together to help the Sharing Place Food Centre with its annual holiday food hamper program.
The food hampers help to lighten holiday expenses for those in need locally, providing a Christmas dinner — turkey and fresh vegetables included — and a holiday breakfast as well.
“The objective of the hamper is just to be able to have a nice holiday dinner and breakfast,” Chris Peacock, the executive director of the local food bank, told OrilliaMatters.
This year, rampant inflation has greatly increased demand for food bank services locally and across Ontario.
According to Feed Ontario’s 2022 hunger report, the number of people accessing food banks between January and September increased 24 per cent over the previous year, with a third of this year’s visitors accessing food bank services for the first time.
Locally, the picture is similar, with monthly averages at The Sharing Place rising from 1,500 earlier this year to 2,100-2,200 visitors per month now, lamented Peacock.
“We know we have to not just increase our support (with the) amount of food that we're distributing through our food bank program, but we needed to match that with our holiday hamper program,” Peacock said. “We knew this year we were going to have to step it up a little more.”
With need climbing, the Sharing Place has opted to put together 50 additional food hampers this year, bringing its seasonal total this Christmas season to 500.
A variety of local organizations, ranging from grocery stores and social service organizations such as The Lighthouse, Couchiching Jubilee House, Orillia's Rotary Club, and others have come together to help distribute the food hampers, which is taking place this week.
Lynn Beaton, who has volunteered at the Sharing Place for seven years, is one of many helping to put the food hampers together.
“It’s absolutely wonderful, and I am very proud of the community and the people that have donated for the Christmas hamper for the clients to get it,” Beaton told OrilliaMatters.
The cost of living has risen so much since the pandemic that Beaton herself has had to begin relying on the Sharing Place’s services as well, as she relies on ODSP.
Despite a recent raise in ODSP compensation, Beaton said recipients still are unable to make it without help — particularly as skyrocketing costs of living make more and more people food insecure.
“It’s very important for people because they have to supplement what they get,” she said. “Some people pay rent that’s almost their full cheque, so they have to come here to get food.”
Around 55 per cent of the Sharing Place’s revenue comes in through the holiday season, Peacock said; that funding supports its various programs, such as the holiday hampers, Meals for Change, School Fuel, its food bank services, and more.
Both Beaton and Peacock stressed the need for community organizations and individuals to donate to the Sharing Place.
“If you can, please just donate — we need it all the time,” Beaton said. “January and February is going to be really slow on donations.”
The donations received through the holiday season play a big role in determining the Sharing Place’s programming in the coming year, Peacock explained.
“The big thing for us is just that ability to continue doing what we're doing,” said Peacock, who emphasized the increased costs of doing business. “We just really would love the community to support us and make sure that that we can have a successful December.
“We almost decide in January how we're going to continue our programming based on the support we get through the holiday season, so it's a stressful time.”
