Eyeopener on the demand placed on food sheds

Uncertainty of the time for a cheque presentation photograph was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to me last Thursday.

It put in perspective the high, almost impossible, demand being placed on the food sheds of Helping Hands.

When I saw a lingering crowd at their St. Andrew's United Church location, I stopped a departing Helping Hands vehicle, convinced I had missed the shoot. To my relief, I hadn't.

That's when the education began.

The crowd was formed of people who had become familiar with the rescued food refill times and were seeking a few groceries to help feed their families,

Returning two hours later, it was emptied of most items.

Carmen Brown, who manages 218 volunteer shifts a month for Helping Hands, says she's seen it emptied in as little as 20 minutes after filling it with rescued foods from partnering businesses.

"Typically, when we do a rescue, the food is gone, I would say, within an hour. Not all the can foods or bread, but all the perishable food is gone."

Keeping up with the demand has become impossible with soaring food prices, inflation, and jumps in interest rates.

"The demand is so high with inflation and food prices, I feel like saying it has doubled," says Brown. "More and more people supplement their grocery shopping with free shed."

Helping Hands executive director Laura McDonald says they are seeing a rising demand for all the free services provided by their charitable organization, and even some that are beyond their scope.

"People are asking us to help them find affordable housing, which, of course, who can help with that? We're seeing people struggling in every area of their life, so if you're struggling in one area of your life, you're probably struggling to buy groceries."

This makes donations like the one by the Cochrane and District Horticultural Society on June 15 crucial.

Thank you to all those who have and continue to donate to the free food shed. Seeing is believing, and what you're doing is helping many people survive in trying times.