Helping the community
Little, Dorey recognized for years of service to Fundy Interchurch Food Bank
Leo Dorey was selected when the New Minas Baptist Church was looking for someone to represent it with the Fundy Interchurch Food Bank.
It was 1998 and Dorey had sold his restaurant, Big Red's, two years earlier and was involved with the soup kitchen.
“I was elected by the church congregation, which I thought was going to be one year, two years or three years at the most. I was there for 22 years,” the New Minas resident recalled recently.
And he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I enjoyed meeting people,” sad Dorey, who also worked in the insurance industry for 25 years. “I still miss them.”
Dorey and Kentville’s Bud Little were recently recognized for their years of volunteering with the food bank. About 85 volunteers were treated to a turkey dinner at St. James Anglican Church in Kentville.
Little and Dorey, both founding members, were surprised when they were called to the front of the room.
“It’s just great to be recognized for what we’ve been doing,” Little said.
Both agreed they had a lot of fun and knew they were helping the community.
“It’s work but it’s fun,” Little said. “The good times compensated for the work.”
Feed Nova Scotia executive director Nick Jennery commended Dorey and Little and all of the region’s volunteers.
He noted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a home delivery system was set up in Nova Scotia to provide those in need with non-perishable items every two weeks. He said volunteers drove 54,000 kilometres “on their own dime” to deliver the items in 2022.
“So, whether you’ve been a volunteer for 30 years or you just started this week – and I know both – let me say a huge thank you to all of you,” he said. “You lift me up. You inspire me. You motivate me. It’s impossible almost to feel tired every time you get exposed to the wonderful gifts that volunteers give back to the community.”
NEED
Dorey and Little have witnessed the need roughly double from their early days. The local food bank sees about 70 families or about 230 people a week.
And it’s a region.
More than 4,100 people were supported by Feed Nova Scotia’s member agency food banks in the Annapolis Valley from January to March, an 18 per cent increase from the same time period in 2022. The statistics also show a 15 per cent increase in the number of visits during that time frame.
In March, 260 new clients entered the food bank system in the region. Food banks also supported 1,600 households in March.
“That’s the most that we’ve ever seen since we started collecting data in 2018,” Jennery said.
Dorey remembers wondering where they were going to get the food to meet the demand over the years, but the community always came through.
“I can’t say enough about the suppliers we’ve had here – the local stores and suppliers,” Little said of the generous people in the area. “It’s just amazing how they’ve supported us.” trend across the
DINNER
The dinner was held in conjunction with National Volunteer Week, April 16-22. At the dinner, quotes from food bank clients were placed on the table to let the volunteers know how much they are appreciated.
“The volunteers seem to be like a family, very helpful. I am so thankful they are here to help,” one said.
“So, whether you’ve been a volunteer for 30 years or you just started this week … let me say a huge thank you to all of you.” Nick Jennery Feed Nova Scotia executive director
Another read: “When I first came to the food bank, their compassion and kindness blew my mind! Best experience. I am out of work, need help and there is no judgement.”
BUILDING
The food bank has had a couple of locations since Little and Dorey got involved. But in 2011, it moved into its newly built home at 50 Belcher St. in Kentville.
“It was, to me, a godsend,” said Dorey, who resigned in 2020 due to a health issue.
Officials moved in without a debt to pay off for the new facility thanks to a lot of hard work and community support.
“That was the mandate we had,” said Little, who represented St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church with the foodbank. “We couldn’t start it until we had the money to finish it.”
The food bank is operated by the Kentville, New Minas, and Area Council of Churches, which is comprised of 14 churches in the area. It operates five days a week with food pickup on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Little and Dorey have witnessed the heart-warming stories of people giving to the food bank and also people accessing their services while fighting through difficult times.
“They’re hard stories,” Little said.
But Dorey knows they are making a difference.
“If we help one person, we’ve done our job.”