Food bank drive-thru 'in demand' as jobs on hold amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Unemployed Help Centre (UHC) has launched a drive-thru food pick-up at its main location on Cantelon Road in Windsor to make sure staff, volunteers and visitors stay safe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

The new model comes almost two weeks after staff at the UHC moved away from the centre's previous grocery store set-up that gave visitors the chance to pick and choose food items on their own. 

Although the drive-thru helps protect the safety of workers and those looking to use the service, supplies remain a concern. 

"We've definitely seen a surge in demand for the need for food," said UHC assistant CEO Maxine Deleersnyder, adding that the local school boards have made donations of food.

"We have gotten quite a bit of food. However with the demand, we're not sure how long that will last."

Watch: The Unemployed Help Centre has a new drive-thru

Deleersnyder said the UHC still has a walk-thru area accessible by foot, but explained that visitors in cars can now drive up to a hub, answer a few questions "just to ensure we're supplying their needs as far as family size" and simply wait for staff to load car trunks with food items. 

"[There's almost] no interaction, we're just maintaining that physical distance," Deleersnyder said. "We have pylons erected to ensure that."

For anyone concerned about health and hygiene, Deleersnyder said representatives for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit visited the UHC last week to make sure that the new set-up is safe. 

We're hoping we have enough to supply the need, but … we just don't know how long this is going to last- Maxine Deleersnyder, assistant CEO, UHC

"They said we have gone over and above to ensure the safety of everyone who is involved," Deleersnyder said. 

The UHC is in the process of setting up similar drive-thru hubs in the Greater Essex County area, including Belle River, the Town of Essex and Leamington. 

"Those will pop up in the coming weeks," Deleersnyder said. 

Food supply still a concern

Despite the new model, Deleersnyder said she's not sure how long food supplies will last. 

June Muir, CEO of the UHC, previously told CBC News on March 20 that food banks across Windsor-Essex only had about 10 days of supplies left. 

Members of the community, as well as local school boards, have provided "quite a bit" of food to the UHC, but Deleersnyder said demand has also steadily increased — driven in part by residents who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. 

"We do track everybody that comes in through a database just to capture how many people we're serving," Deleersnyder said. "Through that process, we have learned that many [visitors] are new clients to the food bank."

Listen to Maxine Deleerysnyder discuss how COVID-19 has affected food banks with Windsor Morning host Tony Doucette:

Deleersnyder said the UHC is part of Feed Ontario group of food banks and Food Banks Canada — organizations that have received some money to make prepackaged food hampers available to local food banks in Windsor-Essex.

She said the UHC should receive those hampers over the next two weeks. 

"We're hoping we have enough to supply the need, but … we just don't know how long this is going to last," Deleersnyder said. 

The UHC's drive-thru will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.