North Frontenac Food Bank: “We don't know where it is going to end”

Jeff Green | Mar 20, 2024

The North Frontenac Food Bank (NFFB) provides food for individuals and families in need, throughout Central Frontenac and in much of North Frontenac as well. The food bank has been well supported in recent years by a strong core of volunteers and the generosity of the local community, and agencies such as the Partners in Mission Food Bank, Feed Ontario, and Food Banks Canada.

But with more and more people finding themselves in need of food, Food Bank President Janice Anderson said that what used to be a busy week for the food bank volunteers is now a normal week as demand grows, especially among people living on fixed incomes.

“We see a lot of families living on ODSP, and we see a lot of new seniors as well” she said, “anyone living on a fixed income just can't keep up with costs. Everyone who goes to a grocery store knows that.”

The statistics bear out what Anderson said. Since 2021, growth in the number of families and individuals using the food bank is at about 50%, as is the number of orders handed out each year. They used to do about 40 orders a month, early in the pandemic, but now they run at least 80 orders in a typical month. She said that, through the food bank networks that she is in contact with, the situation in Sharbot Lake is typical of other locations regionally and provincially.

The Food Bank provides one order each month to its clients, but Anderson said sometimes, especially when there are kids involved, they try to be a bit flexible about that.

“Luckily we have some very strong financial supporters, people who donate smaller amounts every month, or annually, and we have enough money, for now, to buy what we need to keep up.”

Between staples that come from outside sources, such as Feed Ontario, cash donations, and local food drives, the NFFB keeps the food supply rolling through its small space in Sharbot Lake.

“We don't have much storage space and we aren't able to have our clients choose food the way some larger food banks do,” she said.

The typical NFFB order contains a chicken, cereal, kraft dinner, jam, baked beans, chunky soup, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, canned meat (salmon, ham, chicken or turkey), canned tuna, canned tomatoes, regular soup, juice, pasta, rice, tea, instant coffee, milk, bread, eggs, oranges, apples, potatoes, carrots, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste and hand soap. Large orders get more of some of the items, and families with children get 5 juice boxes per child, 5 granola bars per child, 5 applesauce cups per child, a can of canned pasta per child, cheese slices and ground beef.

The Food Bank no longer supplies bags so clients bring their own and bag up their own orders, which has made things easier for the entirely volunteer run agency.

“One of the challenges people face in our spread out area, especially now, is transportation. People have trouble keeping a car on the road, or paying for gas, so they have trouble getting to our depot. We sometimes get help from Frontenac Transportation Services drivers, and others, but we are not set up for deliveries so it is tough,” she said.

The NFFB is holding a Stuff the Cruiser event on Saturday March 30, at Mike Dean Local Grocer in Sharbot Lake.

For Further information, go to Northfrontenacfb.org or phone 613 279-8855

(Note – the stuff the cruiser was advertised for this Saturday, March 23rd, in last week's Frontenac News and elsewhere, by mistake.)