Skip to content

Pandemic food delivery program extended beyond Christmas for York Region residents in need

Thanks to $40,000 in funding from the Regional Municipality of York, the Food Bank of York Region is able to continue to help those with food insecurity issues
20210929_072340
The Food Bank of York Region's COVID-19 home delivery driver Sebastian Dastranj has been delivering food to clients for the past 14 months.

The Food Bank of York Region (FBYR) is extending its home delivery program until Dec. 31 to provide increased access to food during the holiday season and beyond.

The program was slated to end Sept. 31 due to a lack of funding, but York Region is providing $40,000 to extend the service that helps ease food insecurity and provide relief from extenuating circumstances caused by the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 home delivery program was created in response to the pandemic. As food insecurity went on the rise, so did the number of unique individuals who experience hunger across our network," Alex Bilotta, CEO and founder of the Food Bank of York Region, said in a news release.

“We couldn’t have anticipated how many people would be affected, and the need for the duration of the program. As time went on, more and more people began to sign up for our service, and our program has continued to fill a need we hadn’t known existed. We are very thankful for all of the external contributors and donors who have continually funded and extended this program and witnessed how vital the need for a service like ours is in York Region.”

Since its inception in May 2020, the program has delivered food to more than 7,500 individuals and 2,400 households across York Region. The program hopes to deliver food to 2,000 individuals leading up to and following Christmas.

When delivery driver Sebastian Dastranj began informing the clients that the program would be ending in September, the news was met with confusion and tears, said Sarah Smith, communications and community relations program manager of the Food Bank York Region. 

"A lot of them were disappointed, some of them crying as they need our deliveries to survive. Others (were) confused as to why such a crucial and vital service had to end and questioned why no one had stepped up yet to invest in the program so that it could continue," she said.

The Food Bank of York Region is the official regional food distribution hub serving the nine municipalities that make up York Region: Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina and King.

According to Smith, the clients who rely on the program range from those suffering from a loss of income due to the pandemic, have mobility or disability issues, are immigrants or individuals who deal with mental health issues. Others, she said, may not have access to public transportation.

"We believe this program is more crucial now than ever as we see the trends in the numbers and hear the response from our clients," she said.

To be eligible for the FBYR’s home delivery program, an applicant must be a resident of York Region, and not currently being served by a program that already has an established food partnership with the FBYR.

Applicants can apply for emergency food home delivery online. For more information on the FBYR’s programs, community partners, or ways to donate, visit www.fbyr.ca.