While donations tend to drop off in the summer months, the need for food does not.
As such, Acton Foodshare will be holding its Stuff a Bus food drive on Saturday (Sept. 7) in the No Frills parking lot (388 Queen St., Acton). The event will help bridge the gap to the larger drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“It’s a very important time,” said Foodshare chair Mike Albano. “We cater to all kinds of clients, but with school on again, we want to make sure those families with kids have the food they need.”
Volunteers will be at No Frills from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be handing out paper bags with the most needed items printed on them, including: hot and cold cereal, jam, juice, crackers, condiments, sugar, syrup, pancake mix, canned fruit, pasta sauce, canned pasta, granola bars, pudding cups and other school snacks. One item the food bank already has a good supply of is dry pasta.
Albano said demand for the food bank’s services have continued to increase since the pandemic. He said Acton Foodshare used to register one or two new clients every month. In the past two weeks, it has had applications from four families, and that's become the norm.
“Costs have gone through the roof. It used to be people that just ran into unfortunate times and they would reach out to help them get by,” Albano said. “Now we have people who have jobs, but they just can’t make ends meet. With the cost of food, fuel, mortgages or rent, a lot of things get compounded.”
The increase in demand has put a strain on Foodshare’s inventory.
“The back room used to be filled with donations every week,” he said. “Now, as soon as we put it on the shelves, it flies out the door.”
The food bank can also use donations of cash or grocery store gift cards to buy meat, fruit or any other items in short supply. You can also e-transfer donations to [email protected].
If you can’t make it out during the food drive hours, Acton Foodshare has ongoing donation bins at No Frills, Sobeys, Giant Tiger and Bethel Christian Reformed Church.
“It’s a great community,” Albano said. “They’ve always supported us.”
