In a world where food prices keep going up, this project in Thunder Bay, Ont., encourages kindness
The Kindness Cupboard aims to address food insecurity at the neighbourhood level
In the community of Current River in Thunder Bay, Ont., the brightly-coloured Kindness Cupboard can be seen from down the street.
Kaitlin Hagarty repurposed the cupboard, which was formerly a Blessings Box, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She painted it teal and pink and added emblems and quotes on the sides.
"I am very bright and colourful and like bright colours," Hagarty said. "I just wanted it to represent me as well a little."
Inside the cupboard are non-perishable food items, such as crackers, pasta and granola bars, and warm winter wear, like hand and feet warmers.
"People can leave food and take food as they need it," said Hagarty.
Similar to the Little Free Pantry on the other side of town, the Kindness Cupboard aims to address food insecurity at the neighbourhood level. It's located across the street from Claude E. Garton Public School.
People often drop off items from their own pantries or extras they pick up at the grocery store, Hagarty said. She also runs a Facebook page that has a wish-list of high-demand goods.
During the pandemic, it offered a safe space to get items outside of the grocery store. Now, Hagarty said it's busiest around the middle of the month and throughout the winter.
A family of four in Thunder Bay spent more than $1,200 a month on groceries in 2023, according to the latest report from the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU). That's a 15 per cent jump from the previous year.
Meanwhile, about 16.7 per cent of households in the Thunder Bay district are food insecure, which means they lack the means to access healthy food.
Hagarty said initiatives like the Kindness Cupboard offer a discreet way for people to supplement their shelves at home.
"Especially in Current River where you're a little more isolated, sometimes you just need something to get through that moment," she said. "There is still such a heavy level of shame associated with food insecurity, so this sometimes helps get people through that hump."
Push for income-based solutions
People who are food insecure are at greater risk of infection and hospitalization, and also have more challenges staying focused at work or school, said Kim McGibbon, a public health nutritionist with the TBDHU.
The health unit offers a number of resources related to eating healthy, but "you can't educate people around nutrition when they can't afford to feed themselves," McGibbon said.
While initiatives like food banks and meal programs are important in meeting people's immediate needs, she said the health unit advocates for ways to address the systemic issues behind food insecurity.
"We do recognize that those programs are needed in the meantime because people are hungry and they need to eat every day, but we're also really working on educating the public and policymakers to the fact that income-based solutions are really the things that are going to change," she said.
"Poverty is the biggest reason that people can't afford to eat, and we're working on those bigger picture things as well."
Beyond donating food and other essentials, McGibbon encourages people to appeal to their local government representatives for long-term solutions.
As for Hagarty, she said the Kindness Cupboard has taught her a lot about the community's capacity to make a difference – one item at a time.
"It has been such a heartwarming venture for me and my family to be part of, to see just how welcoming it has been throughout the community," she said. "It costs nothing to be kind — and you never know who needs something."
A list of places where people can access food in Thunder Bay can be found on the health unit's website.
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