by Adam Gault
Surplus food boxes from the Windsor-Essex June 27 Miracle Food Drive were distributed to people in need this past Saturday, September 9, as local volunteers, including Kingsville Councillor and Rotarian, Kim DeYong, and members of the Green Heart Kitchen, came together to take part in the charitable initiative.
The remaining food has been stored at Kingsville’s Unico Hall since the initial distribution from the Miracle Drive.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” DeYong said of Green Heart’s generosity during the pandemic. “This is a pretty tight-knit community and people really do step up, you can just see by how much food was collected on Miracle Day.”
While much of the contents of Saturday’s food boxes consisted of excess non-perishable, dry goods, such as pasta and cereals from the June collection, DeYong said that they information provided to those picking up the boxes, and directed them to the food bank for a wider-variety of fresh goods in the future.
“Our goal today is not only to get this food out to the public, but to give them information about the food bank,” DeYong said. “The food bank offers milk and eggs, and meat and bread, and a lot more variety than what’s in these boxes.”
While large portions of the population have been plunged into economic instability since the beginning of March, highlighting the importance of outreach programs, such as food banks, DeYong said that the results of June’s Miracle Drive show that Canadians are always willing to go above and beyond when it comes to supporting their fellow citizens, even in times of great uncertainty.
“I think that it shows no matter what we’re facing, people are going to step up and help,” DeYong said. “We’re willing to face the challenge, and I think that shows in not just Kingsville, but all across Windsor-Essex.”
The Kingsville Community Food Bank is located at 18 Division Street North, and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., and Wednesdays from 5p.m. – 7p.m.