When farmer John Alderson is left with unsold produce following a day at a farmer’s market or when he has produce that doesn’t make the grade for grocery stores, he donates it to the food bank and other places in need.
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Alderson, from Alderbrook Farm in Wilsonville, knows of other farmers who do the same and it’s been a long-standing practice for his family, he told The Spectator.
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He remembers his father taking extra apples from their orchard to the women’s shelter before the food bank existed, he said.
Today, Alderson’s drop-offs consist mostly of apples, but he also brings vegetables, like tomatoes, carrots and potatoes, when he has them, he said.
These donations provide great sustenance for individuals who are using the service, said Heather Vanner, executive director of Community Resource Service in Brantford, but, better yet, nutrition.
“Because we know health outcomes for people living in poverty are not as good,” she said. “So we want to make sure that we’re doing the best we can, with what we have, to provide nutrition for everyone as well.”
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A challenging task, with food banks experiencing what she calls a “double hit.”
With the increase in food and housing costs, food banks are not only seeing more people needing their services, but people are able to help less than they may have previously, Vanner told The Spectator.
“We’re at about 1,300 households a month,” Vanner said — close to 2008 recession numbers — and on top of that, they’re also providing food to nearly 20 other programs in the community that are working to address food insecurity.
The food bank is available to locals from Brantford for use once a month, to collect a three-to-five-day supply of food. While they also have some folks visiting from the county, there are several additional food banks and smaller free panties in Burford, Paris and Scotland.
If individuals with farms or businesses are interested in helping with produce donations, “the best thing they can do is contact us directly and we can give them a direction in terms of when and where to take those donations,” Vanner said.
A donation of money allows them to purchase fresh produce, too, she said, and “the specific foods that we actually need to refill our shelves.”
Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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