Region's AIDS committee plans emergency food pantry for food-insecure clients
Emergency food pantry will be set up like a small market to give people choice of foods they want and need
In an effort to support clients struggling with food insecurity, the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA) wants to create a new emergency food pantry.
The non-profit organization is currently fundraising $5,000 to purchase a fridge and freezer for the program. Greg Mann, co-ordinator of support services at ACCKWA, said the organization has offered food supports to their clients for the last 20 years in the form of hampers.
This emergency pantry will be set up like a small market so people "are making choices for themselves and we're not deciding what's good for them," Mann said.
Mann said they hope the pantry will fill a need as inflation and rising food costs have made it even more difficult for people to access fresh foods.
"The one things that isn't going up with the cost of everything else is [Ontario Disability Support Program] and [Ontario Works], so we're trying to fill the gap so people don't have to make a decision whether or not to get medication, pay the rent or have food in their bellies," he said.
1-stop shop for clients
The pantry, which will be located at ACCKWA's main office in Kitchener, will be supported with the help of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, which has also seen an increase in people needing support, acting CEO Kim Wilhelm said.
"What we're seeing over the last couple of months is a very consistent increase of about five per cent every month in those who are having to access emergency food assistance here in Waterloo region," Wilhelm said.
Nearly 35,000 people in the region needed to accessed emergency food assistance in the past year, with 35 per cent of them being under age 18.
Wilhelm said there are many reasons someone may need to access the food bank, such as a sudden job loss, an illness in the family, or paying extra at gas pumps and at the grocery store.
ACCKWA's executive director Ruth Cameron said many clients living with HIV need nutrient-dense foods — like whole vegetables and fruits — to stay healthy. She hopes to open the pantry soon to meet the growing need and make it as accessible as possible.
"Transportation is expensive," Cameron said, adding if people are already coming into the office for programming, then they could speak to staff to access the emergency pantry at the same time.
"So a one-stop shop is convenient, it's accessible and it sometimes makes things more affordable, too."