The city of Ottawa and OC Transpo’s annual food drive on Saturday collected over 100,000 food items and more than $25,000 in cash and vouchers for food banks across the city.
The city said Tuesday more than 600 City of Ottawa employees and their families volunteered to fill the buses with donated items.
Those donations added up to a total of 118,047 food and non-perishable items and $25,521.63 in cash and food vouchers, which were delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank’s Michael Street warehouse. The city says these donations will restock the shelves to help those in need during the upcoming holiday season.
“The holiday season is an opportunity to help those who are less fortunate,” said Mayor Jim Watson in a release. “Once again, OC Transpo and City of Ottawa employees have embodied this spirit by lending their support to the 35th annual OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive.”
According to the city, the drive collects items for four local food banks: the Ottawa Food Bank, the Family Service Association of Churches Food Cupboard in Nepean, the Stittsville Food Bank and the Kanata Food Cupboard.
The OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive is a joint effort between OC Transpo, the City of Ottawa and local Loblaws banner stores.
The Ottawa Food Bank’s Michael Street warehouse distributes 12 to 14 tons of food says the city which provides 112 member agencies with supplies to feed more than 39,000 people each month.
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According to a report released Tuesday by Feed Ontario, the number of food bank users with jobs has gone up 27 per cent over the past three years.
“Not only are we seeing a rise in casual and contract employment, but we are seeing more adults having no choice but to work in temporary or minimum wage positions,” Carolyn Stewart, Feed Ontario’s executive director, said in a statement.
Feed Ontario called on the provincial government to significantly reform its social assistance programs by raising tax rates and implementing a portable housing benefit.
—With files from the Canadian Press
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