WINDSOR — Food banks in Windsor-Essex are seeing a surge of people needing help due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Unemployed Help Centre, CEO June Muir says it is now serving more than 180 families per day — up from 100 families before the global pandemic.
"So we are going through the food pretty quickly," she says.
She says it has had to decrease its hours because of low staffing levels and has adjusted its model from a grocery style food bank, to a model where food is already pre-packaged in boxes and distributed one-at-a-time.
"We are trying to do this and keep our staff, our volunteers safe and we are trying to keep that social distance," adds Muir.
So far, it has food for about 10 more days, but she is asking people to donate food, money or grocery store gift certificates.
Pre-packaged boxes of food are now being distributed at area food banks instead of the previous grocery-style model at food banks. (Image courtesy of the United Way)
Muir says a restaurant, which had to close its doors, donated all of its food to the Unemployed Help Centre which helped.
An Emergency Food Action Coalition has been developed, made up of several local organizations including the United Way, the VON, the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation, Unemployed Help Centre, the South Essex Community Council and Family Services Windsor-Essex, to develop a co-ordinated response to the local food security issue.