A dedicated group of volunteers walked the streets of Oro-Medonte today distributing 1,000 bags of food in an effort to make sure those in need have enough to eat.
Bob Wright was going door-to-door in and around the community of Marchmont Oct. 30, 2013 delivering white plastic bags with bright orange notes on them that read: "The men of Marchmont will be picking up any non-perishable food items in the attached bag sitting at the end of your driveway."
With some help from the other men at his church 1,000 bags like this have been distributed, and on Saturday the donation bags will be picked up. Wright says it’s a convenient way for the rural community to make a donation to the food bank.
“We have covered the Warnminister area, the Marchmont area, Bass Lake Woodlands and Bass Line area, which is right down to Bass Lake,” Wright says.
This is the fifth time the church has run a food drive like this and it works. Last year the donations collected filled two pick-up trucks with food for the Salvation Army in Orillia.
The food bank in Orillia is a busy place; more than 500 families go there for help every month and the food gets distributed as fast as it comes in.
Linda Goodall says the food bank is starting to put some supplies aside for Christmas now but any time is a good time for a food drive.
“It's a year-round need,” she says. “The need at Christmas is great but throughout the whole year. Come January people are still going to need food.”
Wright is hopeful this year’s food drive is as successful as last year’s.
“I'm so thankful that the people in our area respond in a wonderful way and they have helped out wonderfully in the past,” he says.
The collection of the food donations will begin Saturday morning, Nov. 2, 2013, at 10 a.m.
