As a site manager for the Toronto Emergency Food Program, Jack Brown welcomes volunteers as they arrive each morning, helping the team get organized for the day. He hands each volunteer a route map, which outlines where they need to deliver food boxes to residents and answers any questions they have. After receiving their route map, volunteers load the cars with food baskets, grab a day’s supply of personal protective equipment and head out for their deliveries.
Jack is amazed at the commitment and hard work of Red Cross volunteers who support the emergency food program. “The volunteers are dedicated to providing this service so people can get what they need.” Brown added. Even in difficult weather situations, such as winter snowstorms, the team ensures that each delivery is made.
At the beginning of the pandemic, as stores shut down, non-essential travel was discouraged and self-isolation was recommended, many individuals found themselves struggling to find reliable access to food. While some turned to family and friends for assistance with food pickup and delivery, others could not. To address the issue of food security, the Red Cross adapted and expanded its Mobile Food Bank model to meet the urgent needs due to COVID-19.
In partnership with the City of Toronto, the Red Cross began operating the Toronto Emergency Food Delivery Program on April 6th, 2020. The program delivers pre-assembled food baskets provided by the Daily Bread Food Bank, to residents of Toronto who are unable to leave their homes and do not have alternative options for food access.
Over the past year, the Toronto Emergency Food Delivery program has delivered nearly 55-thousand food hampers. That’s more than one thousand deliveries every week for the past year.
“When they come to the door, they are so grateful. They have a big smile on their face and always say thank you.” Brown said. “While it’s a basic task for many, for some, this service is a necessity.”
For volunteer Ken Rutherford, the emergency food program is more than just delivering food baskets. “It’s human interaction, short conversations, making people happy, or in some cases, it’s connecting them with their care workers. You’re providing benefit beyond the food.” Rutherford said.
Ken joined the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Team in December 2019, but when the opportunity to join the food program came up, he decided he wanted to help. Ken was among the first group of volunteers to start supporting the program in April 2020 and began delivering food hampers three times a week. He has helped make deliveries during both the first and second wave of the pandemic, volunteering with the program for a total of six months.
He believes that while the emergency food program provides access to food in a safe way, it also shows people that they are cared about. “We help strangers. I say that because, helping strangers takes a little more than helping a friend or family member does. It shows you’re caring for the world at large.” Rutherford added.
The Toronto Emergency Food Program has assisted close to 4,000 individuals in the city of Toronto and continues to provide critical food support for those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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