Area food banks were hoping for a miracle Sunday — and if one location's total is any indication —Windsor-Essex delivered.
UHC Hub of Opportunities CEO June Muir says more than 150,000 lbs. of food were gathered for the June 27 Miracle at the Roundhouse Centre in Windsor, Ont. alone Sunday.
Close to 40 drop-off centres participated across Essex County to gather items in support of 50 organizations.
Items waiting to be sorted for the June 27 Miracle in Lakeshore, Ont. on Sunday June 27, 2021 (Photo courtesy of Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Tracey Bailey)
Muir says every ounce of food will be needed as residents continue to struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A big thank you for the food donations because many people are without a job, we see it," she says. "We have 26 programs and services and a lot of people have not been called back to work."
Muir is thankful that so many people saw a need in the community and stepped up to meet it.
"I think those individuals that are working and aren't feeling the effects of the pandemic are donating," she says. "I believe they're donating more because today is an example of people giving back."
Food donations weren't the only miracle Sunday. Muir says the forecast was calling for a lot of rain.
"In my mind I though, it's going to pour rain and we're going to have umbrellas," she says. "We put up tents to make sure we could stay dry while we pulled food from the trunks of cars, but we got a great day and it was good, truly good."
Last year the event gathered more than 2-million pounds of food.
Organizer Matt Hernandez says final totals for this year's miracle will be released later this week.