SFCS Officially Opens Walk-in Freezer       

Wilma Kenny | Aug 11, 2021

Southern Frontenac Community Services Corp. (SFCSC) has completed work on a new walk-in freezer. The purchase of the freezer was made possible with the support of two charitable foundations; the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA), and The Davies Charitable Foundation

The CFKA Community Grants program awarded a $34,137 grant: “As a foundation one of our guiding principles is a commitment to respond to community needs now and as they evolve,” says Rob Wood, Board Chair for the CFKA.

“Southern Frontenac Community Services embodies that principle and we are proud to support them in their work to answer the demand for food security supports for seniors, individuals and families in need.”

Pandemic restrictions presented some challenges to the project with various rules around what types of construction work could occur and when, and how many people could be in the building at a time. A $9,025 grant from The Davies Charitable Foundation was used toward the costs of installation.

“One of the focus areas that our family’s foundation looks to support is around health,” says Andrew Davies. “The food security programs at SFCSC are so important to the health and wellness of people in the community. This new walk-in freezer has a direct impact on the success of these programs and we’re very pleased to contribute in ways that help SFCSC improve their operations and efforts.”

The new 416 cubic foot freezer provides enough space for food prep/storage for hot and frozen Meals on Wheels programs, and the Food Bank and garden, as well as daily meals and snacks for seniors in the Adult Day program, the weekly Grace Café and other activities/events as needed.

“This was a big project for us and one we could not have taken on without the help we received from the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, and The Davies Charitable Foundation,” said David Townsend, Executive Director for SFCSC.

“At one point there were seven full-size freezers on our site and we still didn’t have enough room for food storage. We are grateful to our friends and community partners at the foundations whose financial support has done so much to aid the thousands of area residents who turn to us for help.”

SFCSC offers a range of health, wellness and social support services to residents of the Township of South Frontenac and rural Kingston (north of Hwy. 401) including the food security programs of hot and frozen Meals on Wheels and a community food bank. These programs were always well used but as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic the demand for them increased dramatically. Compared to the year previous, the number of Meals on Wheels being provided more than doubled, the number of seniors using the meals service increased by 75%, and number of days of food provided by the Food Bank for those in need went up over 50%.