During a time where many more families are turning to food banks to put food on the table, the Cambridge Food Bank is expressing gratitude after collecting thousands of pounds of food to surpass its goal of $100,000 from the Spring into Action Food and Fund Drive.
Cambridge Food Bank employees say they're thankful to people in the community, businesses, schools, faith groups, and clubs for helping keep shelves stocked during the slower spring and summer months.
But as Food banks continue to face the challenge of an inconsistent flow of donations during this time, and with inflationary food costs, the Cambridge Food Bank continues to see a significant decrease in donation bins in grocery stores.
“Many charities are expecting a decrease in donations because everyone is struggling right now, so it was a little worrisome as to whether we could meet our goal,” said Dianne McLeod, executive director at the Cambridge Food Bank.
“I think that surpassing this goal really speaks to the generosity of the community, and even those who may be struggling themselves, are still giving what they can. That’s because people are invested in helping make sure that their neighbours are cared for.”
To help keep shelves stocked, the Spring into Action Food and Fund Drive was launched in March and ran until May 31.
McLeod says even though the donations will help short term, the need for food in the community continues to grow.
“There is always a need. This is only the first campaign of the year and there are till many more to go. We are seeing a huge increase in the number of families coming in and our stock gets depleted almost as quickly as we fill it up again,” McLeod said.
The Cambridge Food Bank continues to accept financial donations so more food can be purchased to help restock shelves.
“We have critical items that we are completely out of right now which we will purchase thanks to financial contributions,” McLeod said.
“We do always need a steady supply to keep up with the need in the community.”
There are many ways to support the Spring into Action Food and Fund Drive including: donating food in bins at participating grocery stores or directly at the Cambridge Food Bank at 54 Ainslie Street, donating online, organizing a food drive, or by sponsoring a food hamper.
For more information or to make a donation, visit here.
