Three volunteers load the Fare Share Food Bank truck with items collected recently as part of the Holiday Food Drive. Photo courtesy of the Cobourg Police Service.
Northumberland County council wants residents to make a special effort to help those who cannot afford food during September.
It wants people to participate in various ways over the 30 days to support local food banks and food security programs and reduce food waste.
Council approved the initiative at its meeting earlier this month when it proclaimed Hunger Action Month.
The suggestion came from Jennifer Glover, the Ontario Works manager for the county, at the Social Services Committee in July. She told committee members the project was supported in the past, involving several events that groups and individuals can participate in over the month.
Its goal is to raise awareness about food security within the community and the links to programs and resources.
In 2023, more than 5,000 residents made more than 74,000 visits to food banks in Northumberland. Fare Share Food Bank, which serves Cobourg and Port Hope, reported a 50 percent increase over the previous year in December 2023.
The county’s Food 4 All program distributed over 1.2 million pounds of product to local food banks, according to the 2024 Feed Change Report released recently. Food 4 All is a warehouse that supplies food and other items to local food banks and school nutrition programs across the county.
At the Social Services Committee, Deputy Warden Olena Hankivsky asked if the Hunger Action Month initiative was coordinating its efforts with the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit. The health unit monitors food affordability via its Nutritious Food Basket survey and publishes a food insecurity report annually.
Glover said she would make sure a connection was made with the health unit.
Residents can discover ways to participate in the project via the county’s Food 4 All Facebook page or download a calendar at the county’s main website.
Politicians at the county council meeting unanimously supported the proclamation.