Food banks receive more requests for help
Both Champlain Township food banks saw a little more business traffic during the holiday season.
The chief executives for the Vankleek Hill Food Bank (VKH) and la Banque alimentaire de L’Orignal Food Bank (OFB) each confirmed that their organizations had a little bump in the numbers of requests for assistance last month. Both non-profit groups were able to accommodate the increase in client traffic.
“We had a small increase in our clientele,” said James Douglas, president of the Vankleek Hill Food Bank. He further noted that more than 70 Christmas hampers were delivered last month, about the same as in past years.
“There was one family who, in the past, we have helped often,” said Douglas, concerning one bright note in the VKH Food Bank Christmas report. “But this year they declined. So that’s good news.”
“We had more (requests) than we had before,” said Jacques Lacelle, president for la Banque alimentaire de L’Orignal Food Bank. “We had more families. But we were able to provide everything they were asking for.”
Lacelle observed that two factors may account for the increase in traffic at the OFB. He said in some cases it is because more people have moved into the area and need some help. In other cases those seeking assistance may have lost their jobs and just need a bit of support while they are trying to find work.
Douglas also noticed a possible trend during the past year for the VKH Food Bank. “There seems to be a growing number of men,” he added, “living on their own, older fellows, who need some help.”
Whether this may be a continuing trend or not for the VKH Food Bank is unknown at present. Both Douglas and Lacelle confirmed Les représentants des banques alimentaires de Vankleek Hill et de L’Orignal, James Douglas et Jacques Lacelle, ont signalé une légère augmentation du nombre de personnes qui leur demandaient de l’aide pendant la période des Fêtes. Ci-dessus, James Douglas devant James Douglas devant un réfrigérateur rempli de dindes congelées provenant de la distribution des denrées de Noël.
that the shelves at Champlain Township’s two food banks remain well-stocked after the Christmas rush to assist families in need at the start of the new year.
This includes both diapers and baby food for families that have infants and newborns. It also includes toiletry products like toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand soap, and shampoo. These are necessities for people who want to look their best when job-hunting. “Cleanliness is all part of human dignity,”
said Douglas.
Both food banks also operate thrift stores that provide good used clothing and other items at little cost for families who need them. Those operations also depend on community support to succeed.
“We’re very grateful to the different service clubs, local folks, and churches that have been so supportive,” said Douglas. “Because of the generosity of the people,” added Lacelle, “we are able to help others.”