A day at Feed Nova Scotia's warehouse: A photo essay on giving, kindness and community
Alvero Wiggins | for CBC | Posted: December 13, 2022 7:25 PM | Last Updated: December 15, 2022
Volunteers lend support to growing need during this holiday season
This holiday season I had the privilege and pleasure of visiting Feed Nova Scotia, a pillar of food security that has been in operation for over 30 years and now supports 140 member agencies, all food banks.
The first thing that stood out to me when I arrived at the Feed Nova Scotia warehouse was the friendliness of the staff and volunteers. Karen Theriault, director of development and communications, welcomed me with kind words and a warm "under the mask" smile.
After a quick tour, I got the chance to take photos and chat with some volunteers. These kind-hearted individuals are making a difference in people's lives everyday.
Their selfless natures and willingness to help strangers deeply moved me. While chatting with mother-and-son volunteers, Julie and Patrick Ball, I shared a story from my own childhood.
Growing up, my family needed extra support around the holidays. My mom was a single, full-time working wonder woman. She was raising five children by herself.
My family used to receive Christmas food and gift boxes like the ones being assembled during my visit to the warehouse.
When I was about 12 years old, inside one of the boxes we received was a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. My mom, knowing how much I loved to read, gave me the book. I didn't realize it at that time, but the support my family received and the gift of that book helped to keep me out of trouble.
Witnessing the acts of kindness on this visit to Feed Nova Scotia brought me back to my childhood days and I realized the importance of the food bank, especially this time of year.
Portraits of Kindness is a special series of photo essays. CBC Atlantic asked local photographers to visit a food bank and capture acts of kindness through their lens. The project coincides with CBC's Make The Season Kind campaign in support of food banks in Atlantic Canada.