Thanksgiving food boxes packed up for delivery to Barrie families
Volunteers for Fresh Food Weekly were busy packing Thanksgiving boxes on Wednesday to hand-deliver to 75 families in Barrie.
Each box is filled with nearly everything you would expect to see on a Thanksgiving dinner menu.
"It comes with turkey or ham and also butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce, butter tarts," said founder Leah Dyck.
Leah Dyck founded the monthly meal box delivery program for low-income families in June.
"Everybody knows right now that the cost of all things is insanely high, and most people are having a hard time paying for food," said Dyck.
As a single mom for 13 years, Wendy Hill said she knows what it's like to struggle, and it's one of the reasons she's volunteering.
"I've been married now for 25 years quite successful, so now I have tenants that are on ODSP and having a really hard time," said Hill.
From pick up to packing and delivery, the boxes are helping those who need it most.
All the food to fill the boxes is donated or offered at a discount by local farmers and businesses
According to data compiled by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Thanksgiving dinner staples have increased by 22 per cent compared to last year.
"I have about a 300 family waitlist every single month. I get people reaching out to me saying they are going days without food, especially in neighbouring towns that don't have a food bank," said Dyck.
At a time of year when the message is all about giving thanks, those involved say it's also about giving back, one box at a time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.