On the south side of the Halton Hills Public Library's Acton branch are two garden beds.
These plantations help the local library be one piece of a food sharing network that's a safety net for the community, especially during a year of rising prices and food insecurity. The good news is, this year’s harvest was large.
"Anecdotally, I heard last year the crops weren’t quite as successful. I think we did have a really dry summer, so that was probably part of it,” Youth Services Librarian Emma Lupinacci recalled.
This year’s bumper crops had such staples as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and beans, as well as squash and herbs.
Most of the grown food was given to the local youth centres. But despite this, the library still had enough food from the harvest to stock fridges they run in partnership with Halton Food for Life.
“Because we had so much, we reached out to [Food for Life] and asked if we could put some of the harvest into the fridge, and they said for sure,” Lupinacci said. Anyone can take from these fridges located in the local library branches.
But one crop took the library team a touch off guard.
“The real surprise was corn, which we actually didn't plant. It just started growing in a perfectly neat row along the back of the garden,” noted Lupinacci.
The Halton Hills Public Library partners with several local organizations to distribute food to where it's needed. Local kids can access food pantries in the Town-run youth centres and take items home. They also have access to kitchens at the centres, where they can make their own food. Youth volunteers from the centres donated their time to pick the goods at the library's garden beds.
“They (youth centre participants) were making salads one day from all the lettuce that we grew,” said Recreation Coordinator Jennifer Ancona.
But that only represents a partial picture of available food safety nets in the community. More and more people have been struggling to put food on the table this year. As a result, local organizations are seeing increased demand.
Councillor Mike Albano, who chairs Acton Foodshare, says he has seen an increase in the number of clients using the local foodbank's services.
“Inflation, the high cost of food and fuel is contributing to the uptick of new clients using the food bank,” he said.
"From time to time, we have had individuals and families requesting emergency food (as well)."
The youth centres report they've both seen clients using their resources more, with a similar sentiment being shared by library staff.
“I would say the use of the food fridges at both (library) branches has increased. We do have to replenish those. We see them emptying out every day,” said Community Librarian Andrea Arsenault, who noted she's not sure if it's the result of inflation or other factors.
Those experiencing hardship due to food insecurity can get more information at:
- Georgetown Bread Basket
- Acton Food Share
- Acton Community Garden
- The Roxy Centre
- Halton Hills Youth Centres
- Halton Hills Public Library
- Hillsview Active Living Centre
- Food4Kids Halton.
Similar to the library branches, the Hillsview centres have a partnership with Halton Food for Life. The public can take free food bags from the Acton and Georgetown centres. Both facilities host food markets on Friday; Georgetown's is at 11 a.m. and Acton's is at 1 p.m. Fresh and frozen meals are available at the Hillsview Georgetown branch.
