HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2013-11-27, Page 11Wednesday, November 27, 2013 • Huron Expositor 11
Food bank users know the value of giving back
Gerard Creces
QMI Agency
It's the last place anyone
wants to be, but one of the first
places people need to donate to.
Food bank usage in Huron
County has spiked in recent
years, with more than 18,000
accessing the services in the past
year alone. For those using the
food bank, it was not an easy
decision to make. The News -
Record talked to three different
food bank clients to illustrate
just what the experience is all
about. Some names have been
changed to respect the persons'
privacy.
For Jody*, her first trip to the
food bank was borne out of dis-
aster. She approached the Salva-
tion Army food bank following
the 2011 tornado, which flat-
tened a large swath of Goderich
and Central Huron. It was not
easy, and she questioned
whether she was even deserving
of the help.
"When I first went, I was
scared and embarrassed," she
said. "Should I be doing this? I
am working but there are other
people that are probably worse
off than I am:'
That sentiment is common
among first-time visitors, but
necessity is greater than pride,
and she said she was made to
feel very comfortable by the food
bank staff, who sent her home
with far more than she
expected.
A typical box of food for Jody
contains soup, beans, two
choices of meat, pasta, toiletries,
Gerard Creces QM Agency
Dawn Climie has been using the food bank off and on for two years, and
said while apprehensive at first, she soon came to realize it is there for
one purpose - feeding the hungry, no matter who they are.
cereal, milk, eggs and vegetables
when in season. She also
receives pet food and other sta-
ples like laundry soap, coffee,
juice and bread.
Jody uses the food bank each
month. She works less than 20
hours a week and is on Ontario
Works. Her husband is unable to
work following a workplace
injury. It had a significant impact
on the family of three's finances.
"He was a labourer, and mak-
ing good money too," she said.
Technology
at work.
"That was a big blow."
What made the first visit so
difficult for Jody was likely the
way she was brought up, she
said. Both her parents worked
hard and her family had "almost
everything" Sometimes, espe-
cially with a souring economy,
rock bottom comes sooner than
expected. The important thing is
to recognize it, she said, and take
advantage of the help available.
"I would recommend it to
anybody that is in dire straights,"
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she said. "If you think you need it, go.
Don't feel embarrassed - there are a lot
of people out there that use it that don't
feel the same."
As a way of giving back, Jody volun-
teers at the food bank when she can.
Working 2-3 jobs and caring for her
grandson does eat into that time, she
said, however she stresses the impor-
tance of giving back - especially when
the shelves are getting empty.
Don't feel like you don't want to go is
her advice to anyone considering
approaching the food bank.
"Go and see for yourself. Don't be
ashamed:"
Tony* was laid off from Volvo when
the grader manufacturer closed its
doors in 2008. He first connected to the
St. Vincent De Paul food bank through
the Clinton Salvation Army office.
"Things got pretty tight - the sever-
ance only lasted so long."
He has been using the SVDP food
bank for more than a year now, getting
his monthly box of food and household
staples.
On his first visit, he too felt embar-
rassed about having to go to the food
bank, though he did not know what to
expect. He said he kept thinking he
didn't want to or shouldn't be there, but
after visiting the food bank, found it to
be a welcoming and positive experi-
ence. As he was leaving the St. Vincent
De Paul after that first visit, he ran into
someone he knew on the way out.
Rather than be further embarrassed,
Tony said he just accepted it.
"It was just a fact of life... one of those
things," he said. "I wish I wasn't doing
it. I wish I was building road graders
again."
Between his Volvo pension and his
Canada pension, he is faring better than
he was on Ontario Works - which
deducted his Volvo pension amount
from his payments and "netted out to
nothing," he said.
There are times when his food bank
visits are anything but rosy, he said, and
it all depends on what donations are in
at the time.
Last week he received a litre of milk, a
pound of hamburger, food for his dog, a
pound of pasta with two cans of sauce,
cereal, a dozen eggs, two rolls of toilet
paper and some other household
items.
"It's supposed to last a month, but it
sure as hell can't," he said. "They are
struggling. All they can dole out is what
they are donated. Sometimes they are
just about down to the bare walls."
Unlike any for-profit business, he said
the more customers at the food bank,
the worse things are.
He quit driving a year ago when he
needed eye surgery, and while he said
his sight is now better than ever, his car
still sits unused. By the time insurance
and plates are paid for, he would have
very little left, he said, so he pays a
friend to bring him into town for shop-
ping and appointments.
He, too, gives back when he has the
chance, and encourages others to do
the same.
"I just encourage people to donate
whenever possible," he said. "Not just
food - think about what you use around
the house."
CONTINUED > PAGE 17
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