Despite an afternoon of on and off rain showers last Saturday, volunteers working on behalf of Community Food Share collected 20,575 pounds of food to cap off the seventh annual Fill-a-Bag campaign. Monetary donations were also received amounting to $1,450.10.
Volunteers in the communities in Dundas and Stormont Counties returned to the homes where they delivered grocery bags the previous Saturday. The use of re-useable bags proved to be a wise choice for a rainy day, as volunteers shared memories of the paper bags disintegrating in the rain in previous years. The more than twenty thousand pounds of non-perishable food that was collected will go a long way to ensure there is enough food to help the food bank through the summer months and into the fall.
“The Fill-a-Bag food drive is the major event that stocks the food bank shelves helping fulfil our vision that no person or family in our community goes hungry,” said Jane Schoones, Team Leader for CFS. “We couldn’t do this without the support and dedication of the local Lions and Leos (Chesterville, Mountain, Iroquois-Matilda and Morrisburg), along with help from the Winchester RBC, Therien Martial Arts, Girl Guides, Lactalis Ingleside, NDDHS student volunteers, Winchester BGC, community volunteers and of course, our CFS Food Bank volunteers and CFS staff.”
Our volunteers were unable to drop off bags to apartments or seniors’ buildings; however, those residents are invited to purchase a pre-made bag at a local grocery store. Those bags will be counted in the Fill-a-Bag numbers the week of May 12. You’re also welcome to send a monetary donation indicating that it’s for the Fill-a-Bag 2024 campaign.
