Renfrew and Shawville made a massive impact in the local fight against food insecurity during the myFM and Renfrew Canadian Tire All Hands on Deck Food Drive.
Residents in both communities showed up in droves at the Renfrew Metro, Chris and Tanya’s No Frills, and the Shawville Giant Tiger to donate several trucks full of food, toiletries, and close to $4,000 in cash in support of the Renfrew and District Food Bank and Bouffe Pontiac.
Janet, a teacher and volunteer with the Renfrew food bank, says the day’s intake was their first major rush of donations since Easter, filling shelves at a time when family budgets are feeling the strain.
Fellow food bank volunteer Russ adds that contributions will be used to help those in need bridge the gap in their food budgets for weeks to come, hopefully until Thanksgiving, and anyone out there who would like to be a part of supporting the community only needs to reach out to get started.
Final tallies are still being calculated, but current estimates from both food banks suggest that this year’s total donations will more than double those given between both communities last year combined.
(written by Kasey Egan)
