Today’s donation of more than $1,000 worth of turkeys will serve as warm comfort in time for Thanksgiving, Sudbury Food Bank executive director Dan Xilon said.
“Any time we get turkeys it’s going to be well-used,” he said outside of the Real Canadian Superstore on Lasalle Boulevard upon having the turkeys loaded into a waiting minivan.
“It’s nice to have them for times like Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’ve got your family tradition … and all that comfort in there, too, so it’s really nice.”
The Sudbury Food Bank has managed to meet the community’s basic demands, Xilon said, noting they’re averaging approximately 10,000 visits per month, be it feeding a family of five or a single person.
This is a 20-per-cent increase from the average of 8,000 in 2019, which Xilon said is the most recent comparable year due to a dip in services last year coming as a result of health regulations restricting their activities and not a decrease in demand.
“Generally speaking, the average person we serve is a young male,” Xilon said. “Now, a big part of the services is being offered to families with two people working part-time … It’s quite an interesting change in the people that are using the food bank.”
The general affordability of life appears to have hampered people’s ability to purchase food, and Xilon foresees the trend continuing. While he’s confident the food bank will be able to keep those in need supplied with the basics such as canned goods, the more specialized foods people want, like frozen turkeys, will remain in short supply.
Community need is ongoing, with the turkeys donated today expected to be distributed soon, after which another round of donations will be needed to help fill Christmas hampers.
Before then, however, the food bank needs things to fill kids’ lunch bags.
“We also need a lot of baby products and a lot of just generally the basics — the pasta, the sauce, the peanut butter, proteins; tuna, that’s a big one,” Xilon said.
“Money is still one of the best things to donate because it allows us to buy what we need when we need it as opposed to just storing and handling it.”
That said, Xilon clarified, “Any way people feel comfortable to help is much appreciated.”
Donations can be dropped off at the food bank’s warehouse building at 1105 Webbwood Drive from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Today’s donation came as the result of a partnership between Sudbury.com and the Real Canada Superstore in New Sudbury. Sudbury.com publisher Abbas Homayed said the donation recognizes that the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic have been tough on the community as a whole, but especially on more vulnerable residents.
“Supporting the food bank and spreading a little kindness around Thanksgiving is the right thing to do,” he said. “We are grateful for the generosity of the Real Canadian Superstore and for partnering with us with this donation to the food bank to help feed local families."
For more information on the Sudbury Food Bank, click here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
