“Food is a universal language.” Community partners band together to address food insecurity

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

According to Feed Ontario, 510,000+ people (33% of them children) have visited provincial food banks three million times between April 1^st, 2018 and March 31^st, 2019. It is estimated that this number will continue to rise, as more people will need food banks in the coming weeks. Families are dealing with: loss of jobs, home schooling, paying bills and trying to get by on employment insurance.

Community organizations have had to get creative with how they operate during this global pandemic. There is a lot of pressure because everyone is facing the same issues. Households, who have never visited a food bank before, have now had to swallow their pride and do what it takes to keep food on the table.

Emmanuel Life Management Centre (ELMC) is a non-profit organization, established in 2010 to address the increasing challenges that face the youth of Toronto. Founder Janel Simpson-Campbell oversees all operational aspects of the organization’s food bank, which is only one of the services that is offered to the community. She assists in conducting client assessments and intakes for families of low-income, or those who are homeless. She advocates on behalf of clients for support services and utilizes her knowledge of Ontario Works legislation and Ontario disability support to aid the community.

ELMC’S Food Program continues to service clients during this challenging time They have partnered with Hear 2 Help, Second Harvest, and Spice-it-Up-Restaurant to better serve our vulnerable communities in Scarborough.

The pick-up and delivery program is located at 4352 Kingston Road. They will be offering other essential services such as medication pick-up and food drop-offs.

They are strictly following Public Health Ontario guidelines and taking additional precautions to keep employees, volunteers and clients safe. In addition to regular cleaning and hygienic practices, they are implementing social distancing measures.

“We are working to create a program to reach our most vulnerable clients in time of social isolation with a vision,” Janel explains. “Food is a universal language and a basic necessity for everyone.”

“Our food program will be open every Wednesday from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. In compliance with social distancing, we are creating pre-packed hampers for our clients.  Hampers are distributed outside the front doors of the restaurant with no access inside.  We ask that all clients receiving hampers keep a safe distance of 6 feet from one another. Our staff will be positioned inside the dining area and at the front door to hand out hampers.  We ask for your support and cooperation during this time.” 

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, they ask that you stay home. If you are seniors, unable to leave your home for health reasons or you are in self-isolation due to other circumstances you can contact them at elmc2010@hotmail.ca or hear2help@hotmail.ca. You can also give them a call at 437-886-4694 and they will arrange delivery for you with our volunteers.

“We want to thank our community partners, local businesses, and donors for their support.”