By Pepper Parr
July 31st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The feeding of people in need is not small potatoes.
Food Banks have been with us for a long time and are going to be with us for much longer. The why of that being the case is another story.
The Burlington Food Bank has been around since the early 90’s. It is run now by Robin Bailey who has done a yeoman’s job of adapting to the constant change in the needs of the community.
Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank reports regularly to the community on what they have been able to do and where they need help.
A lot of people lost their jobs when everything was locked down last March. There weren’t any jobs available anywhere and the fall back money just couldn’t cover as much as five months.
People who were self-isolated needed help in getting food – the Food Bank was there to deliver it to their door.
Burlington’s Food Bank has a very strong reputation both provincially and federally. They are part of the Feed Ontario set up that is used to funnel food to the local Food Banks
Bailey reports that his organization “just received the annual survey request from Feed Ontario asking us for our self reporting of policies and procedures.
Feed Ontario is truly supportive of the Burlington Food Bank in many ways such as sharing tips on best practices and to check on our regulations compliance with pest control and cleanliness or checking to make sure we’re giving food that meets criteria for expiry.
These are just some of the people who sort the food that comes in and pack the food that goes out
“We want to make sure we comply with all the standards for any Feed Ontario agency, for the benefit and safety of our clients.
Food Banks Canada gives us opportunities to learn more through their online training system so that we can study best practices from across the country. We are the member of both organizations for the City of Burlington and want to continue to lead the way as a visionary Food Bank to continuously learn how to better help our families. We also use our membership in these organizations to continue assisting other community partners in serving our community!
We will be reporting next week on what the Burlington Food Bank has done during the first five months of the pandemic and learning what Bailey expects the job to be in the months and years ahead.
Top ten needs at this point are:
- Peanut Butter
- Canned Pasta Sauce
- Canned Tomatoes
- Juice (Boxes and Litres)
- Hot Cereal
- Canned Meat (Chicken, Ham, Turkey)
- Shampoo, Deodorant, Toothpaste and Toothbrushes
- Coffee and Tea
- Crackers
- Mac and Cheese
Bailey closes every report he makes with this statement:
If you are in need or know of someone who could use our help PLEASE have them email us at info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at their door or they can now pick it up. If you live in Burlington, we are here to help.
