From L to R: Mayor Steve Ferguson, Linda Downey, Councillor of Wellington, Corey Engelsdorfer
PICTON – The recently retired president of the Storehouse Foodbank based in Wellington received a standing ovation at the Prince Edward County council meeting on Tuesday Jan. 14 for her dedicated service to the community for nearly 20 years.
Linda Downey was presented with a civic recognition award by Mayor Steve Ferguson and the councillor for Wellington, Corey Engelsdorfer.
Downey had been running the food bank since 2007 and was honoured for her contribution to the community by supporting those in need.
“Prince Edward County Council takes great pride in recognizing you for the exemplary level of volunteerism as the Founder and President of the Storehouse Foodbank since November 2007,” Mayor Ferguson said to start off the recognition.
“You met those in need with kindness and comfort and went beyond simply being charitable and became a mechanism through which charity could be accomplished.”
“Through the years, you built the network necessary to ensure no person in our community was left out or left behind,” Mayor Ferguson continued.
Engelsdorfer also had some words of recognition for Downey.
“Some people may be surprised to know about the circumstances that led Linda to her role,” he said before he read a quote from Downey that appeared in The Wellington Times newspaper in 2014.
“I remember sitting at home thinking ‘What am I going to do?’ crying, because I had two little girls and I had nothing for Christmas. I was in school taking computer classes,”
“While living in Belleville, a group of Seventh Day Adventists’ visited her home with a Christmas hamper filled with food and toys, she hadn’t reached out for help, but they came to her.”
“She collapsed in tears and she made a promise that they would pay it forward,” Councillor Engelsdorfer continued.
“I think we can all say with confidence that Linda has done that and more.”
“For Linda, the foodbank was a full-time, year-round job, with a break only on Christmas. She wasn’t paid to do it, nor was she reimbursed for driving around the County picking up food, clothing and furniture to be donated,”
“It was never a question of money (for Linda), but of paying forward the kindness she received in her worst moments.”
QNet News had the opportunity to speak with Downey after she received the award.
While she is grateful to receive recognition for her work, she says it’s not about the awards, but being able to support those who are going through similar experiences as her.
When asked if there were any moments over the years that particularly stood out to her, Downey knew right away.
“This story is close to my heart because being a single mother myself. Years ago, there was a single mom who was on a rural road and her husband took off on Christmas Eve with all of the gifts, toys. He had harmed her and the kids, and she was coming home from the hospital at that time with her kids and everything was gone,” Downey said.
“There was no heat in the house, there was no money. My husband and I, in the middle of a snow storm, we put the word out and we had the (Christmas) tree put up, we had oil in her furnace, she had a wood burning stove, we had presents under the tree, the tree decorated, Christmas dinner delivered, that made my Christmas,”
“That was the best Christmas ever in 15 years.”
Downey says she will continue to volunteer at the food bank, but is handing over the running of it to someone else. For more information on The Storehouse Foodbank, visit wellingtonfoodbank.org.
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