WELLINGTON COUNTY – Food banks in the county are preparing for a possible increase in clients as people are increasingly isolated and unable to work.
Fred Aleksandrowicz, managing director of the Centre Wellington Food Bank in Fergus, said he thinks he will see more visits from existing clients because they are spending more time at home.
“What i’m expecting is an increase in the number of visits for our clients at this point in time because if they’re laid off or their kids aren’t at school they’re consuming more food,” he said.
He said there could be more clients depending on how long COVID-19 measures last.
“Down the road if this continues on for months, two months, three months, four months, yes I would see an influx,” he said. “But to what extent? I do not know.”
Drayton Food Bank coordinator Lauren Devries shares this thought.
“We are expecting an increase in usage, we haven’t seen it yet,” Devries said.
Devries said there will be some changes in distribution methods and pick-up times.
“Normally we’d have clients come into our food bank, which is very small, at this point we’ve decided their hampers will be outside for them to pick-up,” Devries said, adding that clients normally come and go as they please. “Now it’s going to be very much ‘come at this time’ and a lot more staggered with our pick-up times.”
Business will be carrying on mostly as usual at Centre Wellington Food Bank. Aleksandrowicz said with Centre Wellington being a market space where clients shop, they are being increasingly vigilant in sanitation in the market part and the community kitchen.
Rev. Ann Turner from St. James Anglican Church said they are changing their practices in regards to community meals prepared at the Centre Wellington Food Bank's community kitchen.
“We are centralizing the making of community meals, so it’s a small group in the community kitchen at the food bank and then we will have a different small group that will distribute,” Turner said. “We’re trying to keep small pods of separated people.”
She said she anticipates a rise in people accessing community meals because those most affected by lay-offs and closures can be food vulnerable families.
“I think we’ll see an uptick because kids are home, so kids who may have once gotten some of those meals at school, that’s not happening,” Turner said. “So we anticipate more family groups coming to us because it appears to be the economically lower folks that are going to be hit hardest with bars and restaurants and people who kind of live more paycheque to paycheque.”
Although she hasn’t had any shortages yet, Devries said she’s concerned about availability of fresh items like milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. She said they were fortunate to have a surplus of donations from Christmas to get them through this tough situation.
The Centre Wellington Food Bank has been involved with local retailers such as Walmart, Zehrs and Freshco to take their products that would normally be thrown away. This has had a big impact on their stock
Aleksandrowicz said he recently has had many phone calls from those looking to donate. He is happy how the community has come together in this time of need.
“They’re thinking of others,” he said. “That's what's most important to me, do you think of yourself or do you think of others?”
