The North End Harvest Market went one step further Wednesday night, bringing in roughly 20 community groups and agencies to connect them with people from the neighbourhood.
For the past three years the market has distributed fruit and vegetables to those in need every Wednesday out of a portable at Waverley Road Public School.
On Wednesday the market brought in agencies it felt its clients should know about, and agencies it felt should know about its clients at a Community Resource Night.
Roughly 20 were represented, ranging from the Salvation Army and Hope House to a new mental health initiative called Sidewalk Talk, where trained volunteers listen to whatever a person wants to talk about.
"This is more than I bargained for," said organizer Barb McPhee of the turnout, both of community agencies and people from the neighbourhood.
"It's not just about the people finding out about the agencies, its about the agencies and people finding out about one another,' McPhee said. "A lot of time you don't know about these organizations, but if they are right there you are more likely to check it out."
She said roughly 60 per cent of the people that use the North End Harvest Market are new to Canada and might not have any idea about what support agencies and organizations there are out there.
"Communication is important and on a night like this you see how easy that is. People talking to one another, people asking questions ... they earn while they're here. It's exciting."
The North End Harvest Market was founded three years ago through a grant by Chalmers United Church looking to expand its food bank program.
These days a number of organizations contribute to the $500 a week in food costs, with 60 individuals being given food they need, which McPhee said means that 250-300 people are being fed when family size is taken into consideration.
Market clients usually come every other week to spread out the numbers, but Wednesday saw all clients come, allowing the community agencies to connect with everyone on one night.
Brendan Johnson of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition said McPhee is the driving force behind the event and deserves all the credit.
"She said 'why don't we get them all here at once and have a fair?'" Johnson said. "She's one of those people that just makes it happen."
Johnson said there are a lot of reasons people don't reach out to social agencies or try and find out what's out there. When you bring those agencies to the people it makes a connection.
"It breaks down some of that stigma and barrier," he said. "It just makes it a little less heavy."
McPhee hopes to make the event an annual affair.
