With 2022 in the rearview mirror, Helping Hand Food Bank is reflecting on another record-setting year.
“We are so grateful to our community for their incredible generosity,” said Brian Febel, chair of the board. “We cannot thank enough the over 500 people who donated to the food bank in 2022, including the hundreds who gave as part of our year-end holiday fundraising drive, which raised more than $136,000, exceeding our goal of $100,000.”
Helping Hand had set a fundraising record for the most yearly donations in 2021, and exceeded that amount in 2022, raising a new record of $431,000 in cash and over $500,000 in food donations. Since 2020, the food bank has raised over $1 million in cash donations and over $1.4 million in donated food products.
“This is a remarkably generous community where we are still a small town at heart, a community that pulls together to help our neighbours,” said Councillor Jonathan Scott, Helping Hand’s fundraising co-chair since 2020 and Town Council liaison. “This fundraising success shows we have an incredibly generous community, but with client visits continuing to grow every week, we know there is a poverty issue that needs to be solved by decision makers across the country."
Although the fundraising milestones are something to celebrate, the food bank continues to see record client visits. There were over 1,200 client visits in December, up from the average of 600 per month in 2020.
“Food Banks started in the 1980s and 90s as a stop-gap measure to address holes in the social safety net,” said Carolyn Khan, Executive Director of Helping Hand. “As thrilled and grateful as we are by our fundraising success, it’s not a good thing that people need to use the food bank, and we need all levels of government to work together to fix the root causes of poverty.”
With the expanded need for the food bank, Helping Hand will be moving later this year into the north-east wing of the Church Street community hub. The move will allow the food bank space to serve clients in a grocery style, with sufficient warehouse space, greenhouse and community garden, cooking classes and an office for client consultations.