St. Paul's Food drive to happen during Harrowsmith parade

Suzanne Hoag | Nov 29, 2012

St. Paul's United Church Sunday School in Harrowsmith is no stranger to outreach projects. The past several years have seen the children raising funds through bike-a-thons and craft sales to purchase livestock, school and medical supplies for under-privileged countries and special projects in Haiti. This year the children are learning of Canadians who live in poverty and who need the generosity of others to survive and feed their children. This year our Sunday school is asking for community support during the Harrowsmith Santa Claus parade on December 1 at 10 a.m. Volunteers from the church will be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations to help assist the Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation (SFCSC) food bank and Christmas hamper project. Last year St. Paul's and their sister church, Trinity United in Verona, packed 34 Christmas hampers. As well, the Sunday school is selling Christmas earrings handcrafted and generously donated by Helen Lamb to help raise funds. You can purchase these earrings for $5 by contacting our church office at 613-372-2525.

Jennifer Linton, SFCSC food bank coordinator, spoke with the children and congregation on Nov. 18. All were shocked by the statistics and information presented. Since 2008, food bank usage in Canada has increased by 31%. Last year the SFCSC food bank provided 423 families, which included 783 adults and 551 children, with food hampers. The food bank reached this number by the end of the first week in October this year! Why the increase? Jennifer explains, “There are many reasons people turn to the food bank: wages not keeping pace with inflation, job loss, sudden unexpected expenses like car repairs, increased hydro bills, illness or accident. The first reason is huge and one that Food Banks Canada is focusing attention on.”

Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada stated recently, “It is shocking that, in a country as prosperous as Canada, hundreds of thousands of children rely on food banks to have enough to eat each month. Though food banks do what they can to fill the need, too many kids are still going to school on empty stomachs.”

It is completely unacceptable for any child or any human being to go hungry in Canada...in Frontenac County...in Harrowsmith. So please, this year support our food bank either by bringing your donations to the parade, dropping them in the bin at Trousdale’s Foodland in Sydenham, or dropping donations off directly to the SFCSC office on George Street in Sydenham, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30.

Rev. Patsy Henry of the Harrowsmith-Verona Pastoral Charge summed things up by saying, “After having made contributions to help those in need in our community to get through the weeks ahead, let us resolve to call upon our leaders in this country to take action to alleviate poverty and hardship and much lessen the need for food banks at all. Let’s make this a merry Christmas for everyone and make it our mandate in 2013 to continue to support those who need our help the most.”