Care & Share Foodbank preparing for annual food drive

By Ryan Peddigrew

QUINTE WEST – The Care & Share Food Bank in Trenton is gearing up for one of its most important events of the year.

The food drive will be held on two Saturdays this year – Sept. 28 and Oct. 5.  Last year, the food bank raised approximately 10 tonnes of non-perishable food.

“It takes a lot to walk through that door.” Food bank manager Al Teal has been the food bank manager in Trenton for 25 years. Photo by Ryan Peddigrew QNet News.

Foodbank manager Al Teal said they’re looking to build on last year’s success.

“After a few lean years, it was a good year. This year if we can take it up about two or three tonnes more would be great.”

The food bank will be collecting food on the east side of the Trent River on Sept. 28 and the west side on Oct. 5.

Teal says this annual food drive is very important to the food bank. He says they’re giving out food at an average rate of about five tonnes per month while their average intake is around one to two tonnes of food per month. During the slower donation months their resources go towards topping up the warehouse in order to maintain the minimum requirement of eight tonnes of food on the shelves, Teal said.

“This food drive in October gets us through to Christmas. Christmas we don’t even ask, people just donate. that gets us through to probably April or May. Then May to September I’m topping that warehouse up.” he said.

Clientele at the food bank ranges from people using the Ontario Disability Support Program, to people living on welfare or minimum wage and college students. The food bank serves around 325 households a month.

“When [college students] come I treat them a little differently than I do the others. I give them more time … I’d rather have them eating something and doing their education to get out.” said Teal.

The facility located at 30 Pelham St. in Trenton is the first permanent location since they opened their doors at St. Georges Anglican Church in 1985. Teal has been food bank manager for 25 years and has been around for three locations including the current one, which was given to them by the city. The new location is outfitted with a state of the art industrial fridge and freezer which was given to them by Walmart, as well as 4,600 square feet, most of which is warehouse space. Teal says they could fit their old facility inside the warehouse part of their new one.

The two food drive weekends make for long days for the volunteers. Forty drivers and 80 walkers go out to their assigned areas, usually subdivisions, and begin walking door to door collecting non-perishables left on the porches. They collect from 9:30 a.m. until noon, and after that it’s time for the staff to begin sorting through the tonnes of food and to start inventory.

Teal said the work is difficult and long at times, but the community has always been helpful.

“The generosity of this community in the years that I have been here has not diminished. It just goes up and up and they are very, very generous. I really can’t express it enough. We thank and appreciate that very, very much.” said Teal.

Information about the food drive can be found on the Care and Share Food Bank website.