Fresh and healthy for two decades: Georgian Good Food Box program marks 20 years of service
The Georgian Good Food Box (GGFB) program is celebrating 20 years of providing fresh and healthy food to the South Georgian Bay community.
GGFB is a non-profit buying club that purchases fresh fruits and vegetables monthly for distribution.
The organization's mission is "To optimize the health of residents of South Georgian Bay through the provision of quality, fresh fruit and vegetable boxes and to foster awareness and encourage healthy food choices by promoting the consumption of locally grown produce."
Since April 21, GGFB has accumulated 86,000 bags of local produce, typically containing a variety of fruits and vegetables.
"Along with our supplier, we have calculated that our volunteers have packed over 1.2 million kilograms of fresh produce. We have no paid staff at all," says Mark Redmond, the GGFB program coordinator.
Currently, the organization has around 60 volunteers who come to the each pack location on the third Wednesday of the month. The pack could typically take up to two hours to complete.
"It is quite a process to see 9,000 pounds of produce come off the truck at 9 a.m. and be packed in bag liners and out of the building by noon at our Collingwood location. The Wasaga Beach and Stayner pack statistics are similar to this timeline," says Redmond.
Redmond stresses how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their numbers. Still, they are back to packing over 600 boxes monthly at the three locations in Wasaga Beach, Stayner, and New Lowell.
"This is slightly above our average winter months' numbers pre-COVID.
The demand for donated boxes has increased over the years, and we are striving to meet that need ourselves and with customers funding the purchase of an 'extra' box for us to donate to fulfill a request for the produce," says Redmond.
The program has not changed much since then, except for Collingwood delivery volunteers, who significantly boost many customers, including those at work, seniors, and persons with disabilities.
Collingwood staff packs over 300 food boxes daily and arrive in customers' homes by 1:30 p.m.
Buyers range from office workers to individuals who pay a premium for boxes that can be donated to persons in need who cannot afford to do so themselves.
"When we deliver especially to some of the people that are not doing so well economically, and see the conditions they are living in, we feel so grateful to be in a position to help. The need is there. People with good hearts are doing good things for people that need help," concluded Redmond.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Speaker kicks Poilievre out of Commons over unparliamentary comments
Speaker Greg Fergus kicked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre out of the House of Commons during question period today.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.