Food Banks Busy In 2012

Jeff Green | Jan 10, 2013

The Food Banks in Sydenham and Sharbot Lake both showed increases in usage in 2012, with the sharpest increase occurring in Sydenham.

The South Frontenac Food Bank, which is operated by Southern Frontenac Community Services, served 1676 individuals in 2012 (of whom 659 were children), an increase of 25.6% over the 1334 people in 2011 (of whom 551 were children).

“Most of the people who use the Food Bank are from the southern end of our catchment area. We have a depot in Verona, and we are looking for one in the Battersea area along with our main depot at the Grace Centre in Sydenham,” said David Townsend, the Executive Director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, which provides support and co-ordination for the 16 or so volunteers who run the Food Bank.

“The Food Bank provides about a 5-7 day supply as often as once a month to individuals and families who need it,” said Townsend. Our hours in Sydenham are Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings, and the Verona depot is open twice a month

A partial reason for the increased demand in 2012 may be an increase in awareness of the Food Bank, “but mostly I would say there is an increased need in the community,” Townsend said.

The needs will likely increase in 2013, according to Townsend, as benefits are cut from Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

The province has eliminated payments under the ‘Community Supports and Maintenance Benefits’ program. This brought about a $1.5 million cut in OW and ODSP benefits in the Kingston and Frontenac County catchment area. Although the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac have committed some of their own funds to cover some of the shortfall, there is still over $800,000 that will be coming off benefits in the area, which could only increase the need for Food Banks in the City and County.

To contact the Southern Frontenac Food Bank to offer a donation, volunteer, or for a food request, call 613-376-6477 and ask for Kate Hulton (Family Services Co-ordinator) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The North Frontenac Food Bank in Sharbot Lake saw a smaller increase in requests in 2012, when it served 657 people (244 children), an increase of 5% over 2011. The statistics from the two food banks mirror the population levels in the communities they serve.

Brenda Piat, long-time co-cordinator of the Food Bank, said “The need is consistent in our region, and we are grateful for the ongoing support that has kept us afloat for many years.”

Their annual year-end letter is excerpted below.

North Frontenac Food Bank Committee

We were very thankful to the people who responded in the summer to our call for help. Summer is normally a slow time for donations to food banks because people are busy with vacations and unstructured time; their focus is on other matters. However, when our cry for help went out, donations came in from individuals and some food drives occurred. One such food drive was planned by Diane Whan of Sharbot Lake and took place on Elizabeth St. by Freshmart, with assistance from her daughter and a friend. We were and continue to be very thankful for the response from the communities when the need is made known.

We are always grateful to Northern Frontenac Community Services for acting as a liaison for our local food bank by taking messages and donations to pass on to us. We would also like to express our appreciation to the community church that provides storage space for the food supplies.

We are very pleased to advise that this summer the food bank committee received formal federal charitable status. As a result, we are now able to provide an income tax receipt to anyone who makes a cash donation. If you’d like to make a cash donation, you can do so two ways. You can mail a cheque to the North Frontenac Food Bank, c/o NFCS at P.O. Box 250, Sharbot Lake, ON K0H 2P0 or deliver it to the receptionist at Northern Frontenac Community Services on Elizabeth St. in Sharbot Lake, for the food bank. In return we will mail you your tax receipt.

Interesting Facts about your food bank:

The North Frontenac Food Bank is a charity operated by a small group of dedicated volunteers. We are always looking for volunteers; currently we’re looking for someone who can assist on a bi-weekly schedule coordinating appointments with clients and volunteers. This would take approximately 2 to 3 hours on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Confidentiality and discretion are absolute necessities. Anyone interested in assisting those in our community in need, please call 613-279-3151 and leave us a message.

We cannot distribute foods which are past their “best before” dates and as such we encourage people to check these dates when donating food.

We provide one food box in a one-month period, for anyone who meets our financial criteria.

People using the food bank are encouraged to use the food bank in unusually difficult times rather than on a regular monthly basis.

If you need help, please don’t hesitate to call NFCS at 613-279-3151 to ask for a referral or to leave a message for the food bank.