Partnership in Antigonish provides thousands of meals for those in need
'There's obviously a need in the community. Food is definitely a precious resource'
A partnership in Antigonish is providing meals to people who need them.
The Antigonish Community Fridge has some packaged meals available. They are prepared by Sodexo, the food service company that provides food for St. Francis Xavier University students.
The program started last year made use of food that would have been discarded. An estimated 13,000 meals have been distributed.
"Normally, all this food would be thrown out," said Catherine MacPherson, a community fridge organizer. "And now … they're saving it for us."
Sodexo receives some funding to offset the cost of the packaging.
"There's obviously a need in the community," said Tim Hierlihy, general manager of Sodexo. "Food is definitely a precious resource."
Meals are placed in the fridges at the library and the Antigonish farmers' market each week, but the demand is high. Meals are also available at the community fridge in Havre Boucher.
'It's really making a difference'
"There's lots of people that say … they're really depending on this," MacPherson said. "It's really making a difference. It helps them stretch out their budget."
Hierlihy has asked for more funding from the town to cover packaging to ensure the program can grow.
"We ... want to make sure that the decisions we make are things that can be carried on for the years following," he said.
MacPherson said she's glad to be part of such a successful program, but wishes it wasn't needed.
"Why are we at this point in our society that there are so many people struggling with food security?" MacPherson said. "No matter if you just give them a meal today, tomorrow, the struggle is there again."
MacPherson is calling on the province to ensure Nova Scotians aren't struggling to afford food.
