Sometimes, nutritious food is out of reach—and not just because of the cost. For people living with mobility issues, disability, or serious illness, just getting to the store can be impossible, let alone struggling with heavy grocery bags.
In October 2019, The Mississauga Food Bank launched its Food Bank 2 Home delivery program to break down these barriers. For the first time, volunteers were able to deliver nutritious food directly to vulnerable neighbours’ doors.
When Food Bank 2 Home first launched, it served 42 households. Since then, the program has exploded, growing to serve 800 households during the height of COVID-19 pandemic. Food Bank 2 Home has been a crucial part of The Mississauga Food Banks’ response to the pandemic; it helped keep up with the surging hunger in the community while keeping vulnerable neighbours safe at home.
Neighbours like Grace, a single mother of three young children. Grace was just able to make ends meet until the province shut down at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.
In the blink of an eye, schools closed and Grace was left with nowhere to turn for child care. As a result, she was forced to leave her part-time job to stay home with her kids. Just like that, she could no longer afford to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table.
Getting to the food bank—without a car, and with three little ones in tow—was impossible. That’s when Grace found out about Food Bank 2 Home. She connected with The Mississauga Food Bank team.
Within a few days, a smiling volunteer arrived at her doorstep with bags full of healthy and nutritious food. For Grace and hundreds of other vulnerable neighbours, Food Bank 2 Home doesn’t just deliver food. It provides precious peace of mind.
“I really needed help. I wasn’t able to keep up with my family’s expenses; I’m a single mother and was looking for support. As a result of the pandemic, I had to stop working when child care shut down. Being the only adult at home with my three young children made going to my local food bank impossible. This program has changed my life. It’s been a great help and relief for my family. Now I know my children are getting the healthy food they need.”
Grace, The Mississauga Food Bank client
Since March, The Mississauga Food Bank’s Food Bank 2 Home delivery program distributed food for over 364,000 meals to over 1,800 hungry children, seniors, families, and neighbours across Mississauga. Thanks to the generosity of our community, the Food Bank 2 Home delivery program has met the increasing demand for food from our most vulnerable neighbours. With the support of caring neighbours and hard-working volunteers, The Mississauga Food Bank continues to ensure that no one gets left behind as they work towards creating a Mississauga where no one goes hungry.
Grace’s story originally appeared in Hunger Report 2020. She is served by The Mississauga Food Bank. To learn more about The Mississauga Food Bank, visit their website Link opens a new window.
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To support families like Grace’s in Mississauga, donate to The Mississauga Food Bank Link opens a new window.
To support families like Grace’s across the province, donate to Feed Ontario.