Digby group opens free food pantry after 2 others vandalized

A group of volunteers providing a small free food pantry in Digby, N.S., is hoping its efforts will help keep people in the area fed, and the new pantry won't suffer the same fate as two others around town that were vandalized in December. 

The food pantry is outside the Digby Bargain Bin on First Avenue, and is stocked weekly by a group of participants at the Conway Workshop Association. It opened in January. 

The Conway Workshop Association is a non-profit that serves people with disabilities. In August 2024, some program participants came up with the idea of stocking two free food pantries around town with food donated to their program by their local Sobeys.

But in December 2024, someone vandalized those pantries, which were not owned by Conway Workshop. 

Program participants Justin Foote and David Axeworthy said the vandalism left them "mad" and "heartbroken."

"You can't go in and break in, and take other people's food. It's not proper," said participant Katie Robicheau. 

In response, the group decided to open its own pantry outside the Bargain Bin. The pantry, which is monitored by security cameras, is in an area with lots of people passing by. 

"We decided to open the pantry for people who didn't have as much as we do," said Kaitlin Benedict, one of the participants. 

She added that non-food donations like mittens, hats and scarves have also been put in the pantry for people to take.

The food donations are restocked each Thursday and vary from week to week. Donations from Sobeys have included cases of eggs, baked goods, breads, soups, milk, yogurt, and even birthday cakes. Members of the public can also contribute by dropping off items at the pantry.

Program participant Michelle Bohemeir felt it's important to stock the pantry with nutritious items, "not just junk food." 

"You eat too much junk food every time, every day, your body's not feeling good and after that you're sick," she said. 

Program director Joanne Frost-Trimper says she feels the need for assistance in the Digby area is "much, much worse" than it was when she joined the association 2½ years ago. 

"We hear from the schools that there are kids who are going to school, they're not having breakfast, they're not having lunch," she said. 

"We have people in the community that we know are struggling. And there is such a demand. We have homeless people here in Digby; we never used to have homeless people here. There's such a need, we need to pay it forward."