THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay food banks, closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are beginning to reopen. The first two locations opened Tuesday, while more will follow throughout the week.
Outside of The Gathering Place, a Christian community centre in Westfort, take-up was lower than normal Tuesday afternoon. About 40 households had registered for food hampers, slightly more than half of the pre-pandemic average.
Coordinator Sonya Cahais expected numbers to return to normal once word of the food bank’s return got out among those who use its services. She believed demand for food aid among those who use the group’s food bank had stayed fairly steady throughout the pandemic.
For several months, those in need of support have been picking up food hampers at a centralized location on the CLE grounds, as the city’s neighbourhood food banks shut down over COVID-19 concerns.
With encouraging regional COVID-19 numbers (the district health unit reported only one active case as of Tuesday morning) and the easing of provincial restrictions, a number of food banks are now ready to begin offering services again, providing about 10 days’ worth of food over two monthly pick-ups.
Cahais and about a dozen volunteers lending a hand Tuesday said they were happy to welcome people back.
“A lot of our normal volunteers have been waiting to get back to do this,” she said. “They miss being here – it’s a sense of family. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. You get to know the clients, the people that come for food. You can’t see the smile under [my mask], but we’re smiling!”
A pair of volunteers greeted visitors, asking COVID-19 screening questions and handing out masks. Dots were painted along the parking lot to support physical distancing, while volunteers handed out hampers from behind plexiglass screens.
Boxes given out Tuesday contained fresh fruit and milk, as well as usual non-perishable staples like pasta and canned food. Feed Ontario, a provincial food banks association, is providing the boxes through the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA), which tops them up with perishable foods.
It’s part of a centralization of local food aid during the pandemic, with the RFDA – which normally provides local food banks with food to distribute – taking the lead along with partners like the Salvation Army.
Cahais said while the change was born of necessity, it’s been a positive development, encouraging greater collaboration between the patchwork of local food aid groups.
“Something good has come out of this whole COVID-19 thing – people are working together, and hopefully the food banks will continue to do that,” she said.
It’s a hope echoed by RFDA Executive Director Volker Kromm. He said the new process, which requires those accessing support to register through 211, allowed for better planning and coordination of resources, and avoided duplication of services.
“For us it’s easier just to have a central portal,” he said. “The pandemic was a serious threat, but it’s turned out to be quite a positive thing in bringing all of us together.”
