A food charity campaign in London, Ont., enjoyed a healthy serving of generosity this month with officials announcing Friday that donations had reached a 10-year high.
Between June 16 and June 26, the equivalent of 85,000 pounds of food was collected for the 25th edition of the London Cares Curb Hunger food drive, an amount that soared past last year’s total of just over 63,000 pounds of food.
The total equivalent is made up of food donated to grocery stores, corporate donations and donations made to the Community Refresh program, along with just under $60,000 in financial donations.
Spearheaded by the London Food Bank, this year’s food drive also saw the returning support of the Business Cares Food Drive and the City of London.
Business Cares provided funding for a new community greenhouse initiative, which provided greenhouses free of charge to those who wished to grow food for the London Food Bank.
A total of 11 greenhouses have been handed out so far and the food bank says additional requests are still being processed.
Three of those greenhouses can be found at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church. One of the greenhouses at the west London church has been named Abraham’s Tent, an interfaith faith garden that’s tended to by members of the London Muslim Mosque, Temple Israel of London and other local Christian communities.
“This year’s Curb Hunger effort was a resounding success and has helped to put this community on a new path toward urban agriculture and the ability to provide local, nutritional food to hungry families,” said London Food Bank co-director Glen Pearson.
“This is the time to grow, and we are encouraging Londoners to keep planting and harvesting fresh produce through the Grow-a-Row and community garden initiatives.”
More fresh produce is still expected to arrive from garden initiatives led by the food bank.
This year’s campaign also marked the launch of green walls, a product offered by the food bank that allows for at-home gardening for those with limited green space.
Individuals can register for a free 30 cm x 102 cm vertical garden, with groups allowed to register together for a larger 100 cm x 100 cm green wall. Details for registration can be found on the London Food Bank’s website.
Comments