The Ontario Christian Gleaners(OCG) have just hit a massive milestone in their charity giving history as they send another shipping container of food across the world.
The Cambridge-based organization has officially sent out their 100 millionth meal to help feed families and those in need across the globe.
This time a shipment of over 1 million meals will be going to Jamaica with the help of another Canadian charity, Food for the Poor Canada.
"It is so amazing to see the work that everyone is putting in here and it shows," said Elaine Merkus, manager for OCG. "We are almost all volunteer and donation based so it's impressive to hit the 100 million mark."
The organization is made up 95 per cent volunteers with Merkus, her assistant and a warehouse worker as the only paid employees.
Starting in 2008, the Gleaners have been packaging over 150,000 meals each week and less than 20 years later have hit the 100 million meal mark.
Nearly every piece of food that gets processed and packaged is donated by companies or organizations that want to give back and help those in need.
The current shipment to Jamaica is a vegetable mix that is full of sweat potatoes, lentils and other protein filled veggies to help those receiving the food eat a nice balanced meal.
"They might make veggie patties, plant balls or soup with it, there are so many things that they are able to do with it and the more protein we add the more they can stretch it out with rice and other carbs," added Merkus.
Food for the Poor Canada has been partnering with the Gleaners for over 13 years and primarily sends food to the Caribbean.
"The Gleaners are an amazing organization that helps us get food to where it needs to go and we're so proud to be apart of this huge milestone," said Andrea Slipek, senior project manager, Food for the Poor.
The Toronto based charity has sent millions of meals to the Caribbean and with the Gleaners new expansion they hope to send millions more.
The OCG has spent the last year adding a dedicated warehouse addition as well as a new cooler to store fresh vegetables as they await to be packaged and shipped off.
Merkus estimates they will be able to process a few hundred thousand kilos more food through the facility each month.
"We just opened this area up and we can't wait for the possibilities we will have with this new space," she added.
OCG sends food and humanitarian aid into some of the most volatile places on the planet. At the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, they sent more than 3 million meals to Ukraine and surrounding NATO countries to help feed refugees and those trying to escape the fighting.
They also send aid to natural disaster sites like Haiti and parts of the Middle East and Africa.
Merkus adds that they are always looking for volunteers and donations.
If anyone is interested in volunteering at OCG information can be found on their website.
"We are making a difference in the world by sending this food. It might not seem like much but every volunteer can feel that they are helping and can feed a family that might not otherwise be able to get food," said Merkus.
