Londoners are again being urged to help stock London Food Bank shelves ahead of the summer.
The City of London officially launched its 28th annual London Cares Curb Hunger Food Drive on Wednesday. The drive asks residents to donate non-perishable or non-perishable foods, or make monetary donations to food banks, to help ensure no one in the city goes hungry over the summer. Traditionally, food banks receive fewer donations during the summer, as many people are on vacation or busy with other things.
“Each year, the London Cares Curb Hunger Campaign showcases the generosity of Londoners,” Mayor Josh Morgan said in a statement. “Each year, the kindness and commitment that supports this campaign helps make food more accessible to individuals and families in need. We are working to address food insecurity and feed our communities, but there is still much work to be done.”
Last year's food drive raised 86,880 pounds worth of food, including fresh produce donated during the late summer and fall harvest season.
The food distribution will continue until June 8th.
Those who wish to donate can bring fresh non-perishable food items to the food bank's warehouse at 926 Leathorne Street. Non-perishable food items can also be dropped off at any London fire station or participating grocery stores. Donations, which the food bank uses to purchase fresh food, can be made online at www.londonfoodbank.ca.
For Londoners with a knack for gardening, the city is again encouraging them to take part in Grow-a-Row or Adopt-a-Plot programmes, in which Londoners plant surplus produce from their own backyards and bring in a donation when they harvest, and Adopt-a-Plot, in which individuals or community groups agree to plant, grow and harvest vegetables in a garden on a food bank's property.
