Hundreds of volunteers gathered in Mississauga this week to put together more than 200,000 healthy food packs for children who need them over the summer.
Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, said the massive packing effort at the International Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday was for the organization’s After the Bell program. About 1,500 volunteers took part.
The program attempts to make sure children who rely on school breakfast, snack and meal programs don’t go hungry over the summer months, she said.
“That need comes to the food bank. So we need to make sure the food banks have what they need so that they’re able to meet the needs of families throughout the summer,” Beardsley said.
“We’ve seen extreme growth in the GTA and and other centres where the cost of living is high. So this program really fills a gap.”
The packs will be distributed to participating food banks in 235 communities across Canada.
Beardsley said there are about 2.2 million visits to food banks in Canada every month. It’s estimated that a third of food bank clients are children, she said.
Each pack contains healthy, nutritious food for children, including granola bars and oatmeal. She said the food banks will get a grant to add fresh food, such as apples and oranges, to the packs locally.
“We’re just hearing from folks just how hard it is right now,” Beardsley said.
“People don’t go to food banks as a first choice. They’re using their credit. They’re borrowing from friends. They’re leaning on purchases and making different types of lifestyle choices. And it is that heart-breaking moment when you realize it’s all not going to add up anymore and that’s when you turn to the food bank.”
Isaiah Kliger, a volunteer and business development manager at Victory’s Kitchen, a specialty food manufacturer based in Toronto, said it’s exciting to see all the volunteers working toward a good cause.
“We’ve been going and packing boxes and meals and making sure that every kid has a good nutritious meal ready,” Kliger said.