Officials with London’s Business Cares Food Drive are urging Londoners to donate if they can as they race to collect donations in support of the London Food Bank before the campaign wraps up on Wednesday.
The holiday food drive, now in its 22nd year, is in even greater need of donations following the postponement of Friday’s London Knights game, which would have seen fans bring donations to Budweiser Gardens for the second “Be a Fan, Bring a Can” night, following the game on Dec. 11.
The Ontario Hockey League postponed the matchup due to COVID-19 protocols affecting the Owen Sound Attack Hockey Club, the league said. The Attack said in a statement Thursday that one of its players had tested positive.
“The usage at the food bank has significantly increased over the last even two to three months, and that is really primarily pandemic-related more than anything,” said Wayne Dunn, the campaign’s chair, in an interview on London Live with Mike Stubbs.
“We know what’s ahead of us, particularly the cold winter months, and that’s what we’re really asking for now.”
Roughly 3,500 families are the recipients of food from the food bank every month, Dunn says, up from 2,900 in the fall, illustrating the need for donations.
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A recent report from Feed Ontario, a collective of hunger-relief organizations in Ontario, said food bank usage in the province rose 10 per cent during the first year of the pandemic.
Nearly 600,000 people made more than 3.6 million visits to food banks between April 2020 and April 2021, the report said, marking the highest levels seen since the recession.
This year’s campaign, like last year’s, has no concrete goal due to the uncertainty caused by the ongoing pandemic. Last year saw the equivalent of 597,123 pounds of food donated, a new record.
However, what’s been raised so far, Dunn says, may not be enough to help get through the winter.
“People are really thinking more about, and understandably so, about the pandemic… than they are Christmas and giving, type of thing,” Dunn said.
“The business community particularly, we have some firms that have done great and are contributing, (and) others that just don’t have the (wherewithall) to be able to help out as much this year, and and that’s okay,” he continued.
“It’s more that if those who are out there have the ability to give, and only if you can and what you can, we would appreciate it.”
Food and money donations can be dropped off at 363 Sovereign Rd. or made online at BusinessCares.ca. Donations can also be made via arranged pick-up by calling 519-661-9803.
The campaign supports the London Food Bank to allow it “to support over 30 other community organizations in London and area including, the Soup Kitchen, the Youth Action Centre, Atlohsa, the Unity Project, and Mission Services,” Business Cares said in a statement.
“Londoners always have come through and, you know, whatever we end up with, it’s going to be more than good and it’s going to help the community an awful lot,” Dunn said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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