Halloween may be over, but you might see some pirates around Peterborough, Ont., this weekend. But don’t worry, these scoundrels are donating their treasure. Megan Murphy is an organizer of the ‘Porch Pirates for Good’ food drive.
“Saturday Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. we are asking neighbours to put their food out on their porch, and we have 50 pirates coming around to collect the bounty,” said Murphy.
“So, this is a porch pirates for good food drive for Kawartha Food Share because the shelves are dwindling, inflation is rising, income is not meeting it and there is great need in the community for food and for help.”
This is the sixth food drive for the team, and they have collected more than 120,000 pounds of food. Murphy said she does it because it is an easy way to make a difference.
“I don’t know how to help,” she said. “I’m not an economist, I don’t know enough about social policy, but this is something I can do,” she said. “We have a big collective of people and we feel kind of helpless and don’t know how to help each other, but we do know how to leave a bag of food on the porch.”
Here is how it works: gather a few nonperishable food items, put them in a bag and leave them on your front step, porch, or by the door by 9 a.m. on Saturday Then the team of volunteers takes it from there.
Some of the items needed this year are the staples like canned proteins, pasta and pasta sauce, peanut butter and mac and cheese. The team is also collecting toiletries and feminine hygiene products.
Once the pirates have collected their bounty, the team drops off the goods at Kawartha Food Share.
Ashlee Aitken is the general manager of the food share. “The need is extremely high right now,” she said. “With the rising cost of food, it has put a lot of added pressure on clients using our food banks, our food banks themselves, our donors and ultimately us, so we really need this right now, more than ever.”
She said they have noticed an increase in students and seniors accessing the services and this time of year need always increases.
“Typically, we serve about 9,000 clients a month at the food banks, we serve 15,000 meals a month and 15,000 kids a day at student nutrition programs,” said Aitken. “So a monthly average of food we send out is 250,000 pounds and sometimes near Christmas that’s up to 300,000 pounds.”
She said that is why food drives like Porch Pirates for Good are so important.
“Whether it is a bag of food, or just one can, every donation makes a difference when we all come together.”
Monetary donations can be made online at the Kawartha Food Share website.