The local Salvation Army hopes to call attention to the strain on food banks with a fundraiser next weekend.
The Salvation Army Windsor Centre of Hope is planning a regional event to commemorate its second World Homeless Food Drive.
Multiple locations across Windsor-Essex will be ready on Saturday, October 12, to collect food and supplies. The food drive is being held in partnership with Loblaws, Tailgate Takeout, Windsor police, and LaSalle police.
Some of the drop-off points will act as "stuff the cruiser" and "stuff the tailgate".
The food drive for Sally Ann will be held at a time when many food banks across Windsor-Essex are struggling to keep up with rising demand. The Salvation Army's food bank is not immune, having had a much lower stock of supplies since the beginning of this year.
According to a recent report from Food Ontario, a million people in Ontario visited a food bank last year. The number of visits has jumped 134 per cent since 2019-2020 to 7.6-million, a new record.
The report also showed that 69 per cent of food banks in Feed Ontario's network fear they don't have enough food to meet rising demand, and 53 per cent don't have enough funding.
The food drive will take place on October 12 from noon to 6 p.m. at the following locations.
The Great Canadian Superstore, 2430 Dougall Avenue, Windsor
The Great Canadian Superstore, 4371 Walker Road, Windsor
Zehrs, 400 Manning Road, Tecumseh
Zehrs, 5890 Malden Road, LaSalle
Tony and Kathy No Frills, 3975 Wyandotte Street East, Windsor
Metro, 3663 Tecumseh Road East, Windsor
Metro, Devonshire Mall, Windsor
For the first World Homeless Food Drive last year, the Centre of Hope was able to collect 2,000 pounds of food. This time, the goal is 3,000 pounds.
If you'd like to learn how to support the Salvation Army Windsor Centre of Hope, visit their official website.
-with files from Adelle Loiselle