While local food banks have seen a bevy of recent funds thrown their way, a couple of organizations are still seeking as many donations as possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, four local food banks received $6,000 each from the Muskoka Builders Association, while ten food banks in the district received an additional $1,000 from the Muskoka Community Foundation.
However, for organizations Huntsville Salvation Army, there’s been a spike in demand causing issues in being able to provide people with what they need.
In an interview with MyMuskokaNow, Corps Officer at the Salvation Army in Huntsville Major Darren Wiseman says they actually had to start cutting back on what they were giving to people because they were running low on stock.
“We’ve had some donations over the past week or so but we’re serving close to 120 families every week which is more than double what we normally do. So, that’s put a real crunch on our resources,” Wiseman said.
At their council meeting Tuesday, the town of Huntsville also said they would donate $2,500 to both the Salvation Army and Table Food Banks.
Wiseman says this will help them afford products that are in high demand.
“Things for kids, and stuff like that. We’ve been giving most of that out. People realize they’re not getting as much as they used to. We’re giving out frozen foods and we just had some fresh vegetables donated this week.”
CEO for the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation Heather Cassie says while they’ve had less of an issue meeting demand, they are still happy to receive any help people can provide.
She says circumstances could be worse if not for the volunteers at the Foundation.
“Guests are still able to shop weekly and we’ve been able to keep up with the demand so far but we’re always looking for more financial donations primarily, food donations, toiletries and that sort of thing.”
Wiseman says you can donate to the Salvation Army by contacting their office at 705-789-3398.
To make a donation to the Table Foundation, you can call 705-783-5827 or visit their website.