Thanks to food security grants totalling $750,000 from ShareLife, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto and a generous anonymous donor, 34 food banks or meal programs received a welcome and timely financial boost.

Half the allocated funding, $375,000, was earmarked for 19 parishes recommended by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's (SSVP) Toronto Central Council. The remaining portion of the money went to 15 agency or community-run initiatives recommended by Catholic Charities.

The grant recipients received the money in November, and the aid has proved substantial in helping these entities progress through the demanding Christmas season.

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Arthur Peters, executive director of ShareLife and the director of development for the Toronto Archdiocese, spoke with The Catholic Register following his on-site visit with one of the beneficiaries, the ever-busy Food Banks Mississauga.

Peters learned that the record-high food insecurity gripping the Greater Toronto Area — and Canada at large — is not relenting.

“They spoke about not only the number of organizations they help by providing food but also the number of people coming to them to get food,” said Peters. “They also have a third program where they're delivering food to seniors who can't get out, or people who can't get out, they're delivering food to them. They (also) talk about the use is way, way up.”

According to Dietitians of Canada, there are well over 2.8 million food-insecure households in Ontario.

Alexandria Hamelin, founder and executive director of the grant-receiving Georgian Bay Food Network (GBFN) in Midland, Ont., said her program quickly attracted several hundred clients by Christmas 2021 after launching just weeks earlier on Dec. 1. Three years later, 1,700 households from Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny, Tay and Christian Island utilize the service monthly.

Resembling a grocery store arrangement, the GBFN features different aisles and sections for fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat, canned goods, bakery items, etc.

Driven to ensure that the GBFN is “an equitable organization that treats everybody fairly,” Hamelin and her team of more than 30 volunteers operate a phone-in delivery program for over 100 elderly clients and individuals with health issues precluding them from accessing the network in person. The grant money has made it possible for this particular initiative to keep going, said Hamelin.

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“The food security grant that we received will help us continue that program for all of this year and we will have the ability to expand to some additional households that we know could use the assistance that we weren't able to take on before,” said Hamelin. “It's really difficult to maintain the amount of clients that we have, and we know there are more people out there who are hungry, and they were just a little bit out of our reach. So thankfully, (the grant) will make a huge difference this year and we wanted to thank all of the ShareLife donors for making this possible.”

Fr. Mike McGourty, pastor of St. Peter’s Partish in downtown Toronto, also commended the bigheartedness of ShareLife benefactors as the money will empower the parish to keep serving dinner to over 100 in-need community members each Monday.

Some of the funding has also been directed towards purchasing additional Tim Hortons' gift cards. Anybody seeking sustenance any other day of the week receives a card so they may order a chili, sandwich or another item on the menu.

The parish also distributes winter clothing and toiletries for guests in need.

Lauding the diligence and geniality of St. Peter’s dedicated team of volunteers, and the spirit of the guests, McGourty said the meals have engendered a special dynamic.

“It is not just a meal program,” said McGourty. “People arrive at 4 p.m. — we serve the meal at 5:30 p.m. — and they sit at tables with other homeless people they know and there is a real sense of community. It's almost like family. They feel like they're at home.

“I think it may be the only place where they feel that they're talking to some people who care about them,” continued McGourty. “The volunteers have been here for many years and they know many of the guests by name and ask them how they're doing and can talk to them about the different events in their life.”

Peters, McGourty and Hamelin all encourage further giving to ShareLife so that programs striving to answer the call of the poor may continue to carry out their ministry.

Hamelin added that it is important for people to recognize that the food security crisis is not dissipating any time soon and to be mindful of the difficulties people around them are contending with at present.

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“I think that everybody should remember that it's not just homeless people who are experiencing food insecurity,” said Hamelin. “We have a large amount of people who are working more than one job. We have a large population of seniors who have worked their entire lives. They've given everything, they're physically not (able) to give anything else, and unfortunately, they don't have enough to make ends meet. (I hope) everybody can remember to be kind and (that) a little bit goes a long way.”

Visit https://sharelife.org/ to learn more about the grants and to donate.