Kincardine Food Bank usage hits record high in November

The Kincardine Food Bank saw record usage in November.

So, it was with great pleasure that co-ordinators Nancy Dawson and Pat Stewart welcomed members of the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, Thursday morning, to present a donation of $425. Rather than hold a gift exchange, the 20-member sorority makes a donation to the food bank.

Open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the food bank is located at the Anglican Church of the Messiah in Kincardine. A good complement of volunteers was busy sorting non-perishable food and sundry items Thursday morning.

Stewart said there were 143 visits in November, the highest number ever, helping 346 people. She said those visits could include singles, couples and families. November, 2016, saw huge use at 107 visits, compared to 96 in November, 2015.

"Last month, we saw 14 new people which could be singles or families," said Stewart. To date, 2,758 people have used the food bank, compared to 2,353 at this time last year.

"People are telling us they need to use the food bank because they have bills to pay, or they're waiting for a pay cheque, or they have simply run out of food," said Stewart.

"With the Christmas food drives, we are getting the shelves stocked for the holiday season," she said. "We are very fortunate to receive financial donations and food donations from such a generous community."



Members of the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, present a donation of $425 to the Kincardine Food Bank; from left, are Marg Lamont (left), Maureen Burr and Jackie Mitchell of the sorority; food bank co-ordinators Nancy Dawson and Pat Stewart; and Frances Nixon and Joanne Ballantyne of the sorority