Local non-profits are directly benefitting from government funding for the country’s largest food rescue organization.
The new grant program saw a $100-million contribution from the federal government to various food organizations to help meet the urgent needs of vulnerable Canadians across this country.
Second Harvest’s FoodRescue.ca is launching $4.5 million in new funding for communities affected by the current health crisis surrounding COVID-19.
David Busby Centre executive director Sara Peddle told BarrieToday she's very appreciative of the work Second Harvest does to help organizations like hers.
“We’ve been working with them for a few months now and getting really great produce,” Peddle said. “It is a fantastic program and the recent news on the government’s assistance is even better.”
Second Harvest connects businesses with food surpluses to charities and non-profits in their own community.
Busby Centre volunteers head out to local farms and grocery stores that help through the program and return with food that is needed.
The idea is no food goes to waste.
Peddle says even when the Busby Centre has a surplus, it's dealt with appropriately.
“We work closely with other local organizations to make sure that no food is wasted. Youth Haven and the Elizabeth Fry Society, to name a couple, get some of our overage and they are also working hard at helping the vulnerable,” she said.
On March 19, the Busby Centre moved its operations from 88 Mulcaster into a local motel. With financial help from the County of Simcoe, approximately 50 people are being provided much-needed accommodations.
Peddle said the current health crisis has been met with mixed feelings, as some believe they’ve been through so much and this will be another thing they will overcome. Others are only now seeing how COVID-19 has been affecting the world at large.
“Many of our guests have not had a way to see the impact of the crisis until recently," she said. "Now that they have TVs or are able to hear just how bad it is, many of them are really beginning to see that people in the community care about them.
"They maybe haven’t had that in a long time, or ever," Peddle added. "It is certainly emotional for them to see people trying to help when the situation worldwide looks scary.”
As Canada’s largest food rescue organization, Second Harvest has many existing networks in place to recover perishable food from the supply chain and provide it to the charities and non-profits that redistribute within their communities to those who are hungry or facing food insecurity.
Companies with a food surplus can visit FoodRescue.ca to be connected with local organizations in need and avoid needless waste during this time of great need.
“Our country needs to fight through this pandemic together,” said Second Harvest CEO Lori Nikkel. “We know well-established charities and non-profits can access resources that smaller organizations – local groups, shelters, local meal programs, and others – simply cannot.
"Money for these groups means food on the tables of hungry families across Canada," she added. "Without these groups, we risk whole communities and vulnerable populations falling between the gaps of our social safety net.”
