For Dr. Mikhail Pliousnine and his staff at Simcoe Family Dentistry, creating healthy, happy smiles is the best part of the job. The clinic prides itself on offering full-service dentistry including kid-friendly treatments, implant dentistry, Invisalign, emergency appointments and innovative solutions including a new scanning tool that eliminates the need for those messy and uncomfortable impressions formerly used when creating crowns and bridges, as well as bite guards and sport mouth guards.
And this holiday season, Simcoe Family Dentistry is going the extra mile to bring smiles to more families in the community by hosting their annual Holiday Food Drive in support of the Barrie Food Bank. Patients, colleagues and all members of the Barrie community are encouraged to help the clinic meet their goal of collecting over 300 pounds of food by Thursday, December 23.
“In the Community, For the Community”
This is more than a motto at Simcoe Family Dentistry. The Barrie community is currently experiencing a food crisis, and Dr. Mikhail sees the urgency firsthand. “I hear from the patients that the Food Bank is empty. There is no food. The people are suffering and there is even more need than ever – because of Covid, because people lost their jobs, because of inflation and food prices going up.” He recognizes the importance of giving back, and takes pride in the clinic’s ability to help its neighbours.
With so many families left reeling from the economic effects of Covid-19, and even more struggling to find affordable housing, the need for healthy food has reached a critical point. The Barrie Food Bank provides groceries to over 900 local household and as a true “community food bank”, is 100% locally supported. For this reason, specialized events such as the Simcoe Family Dentistry Annual Food Drive are critical for providing additional resources when they are needed most. Members of the community are encouraged to visit the clinic with their non-perishable food donations, including these in-demand items:
- Baby Formula
- Large size Diapers
- Canned Vegetables
- Sugar
- Toiletries
- Lunch Snacks
- Oatmeal
To encourage participation, Simcoe Family Dentistry is offering supporters the chance to win a prize in exchange for food donations. For every pound of food collected, Dr. Mikhail will contribute one dollar in prize value. For example, if the Food Drive brings in five hundred pounds of food, there will be a total of $500 in prizes to be won.
Dr. Mikhail urges other businesses in the Barrie area to step up and provide their support as well. “We’ve been supporting the Food Bank since we opened the clinic. We do this Food Drive twice a year, but this time we need to call on other businesses to support. My hope is that this will trigger businesses in the Barrie community to help the food bank. We can help, and we can make a change for others. As a business and as a community. That’s the main goal.”
Donations can be dropped off at the Simcoe Family Dentistry clinic located at 11 Ferris Lane, Unit #301 in Barrie. For more information about the Holiday Food Drive, or to book a dental care appointment, call 705-792-0079 or visit online at www.simcoefamilydentistry.com