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York Region food bank volunteers packed 70,000 hampers in 2021

More than 7,000 hours and 2,300 shifts were filled by more than 1,300 volunteers at the Food Bank of York Region in 2021 alone

During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, the Food Bank of York Region (FBYR) recognized some of its most dedicated contributors to the fight against food insecurity.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the contribution from all our volunteers. They give our non-profit organization the ability to keep growing our efforts in the fight against food insecurity and help us feed more people in our communities of York Region,” said Alex Bilotta, founder and CEO of the Food Bank of York Region, in a news release. “A heartfelt thank you to everyone who ever donated their time and labour to our cause. We couldn’t do this without you.”

In 2021, the FBYR had 1,337 unique individual volunteers, with 42 per cent of them being a regular part of their volunteer program and having volunteered in previous years.

More than 7,000 hours and 2,300 shifts were filled by volunteers in the FBYR’s volunteer program in 2021 alone. They contributed to packing over 70,000 food hampers that were delivered across the FBYR’s network and through their home delivery program in 2021.

“We get all types of people from across York Region of all ages wanting to come in and give back. It’s great to see our volunteer program grow with contributions from residents in all parts of our communities. They come in and work together to help others and leave meeting new friends and feeling like they’ve done some good for the day,” said warehouse coordinator Ruth Beckett.

"Our volunteers are invested and have a hands-on impact. We’re grateful for their participation. Every person here can give back in some way to help support our food insecurity initiatives," said logistics manager Clay Cudmore.

“The FBYR is very lucky to have this group of remarkable volunteers. We enjoy their company, and their help is always needed,” said Sarah Smith, communications and community relations manager. “We’re also thankful for the local organizations that come and volunteer as teams for private sessions. We’ve got some great groups that book time in our warehouse to give back, and we recognize their contributions, too.”

Schools, corporations, social groups and other community organizations commit their time to warehouse sessions to sort and pack food hampers for the network of agencies and our home delivery program as well, said social media and office administrator Christina Hall.

For more information on ways to volunteer or get involved, visit the website or download the volunteer handbook.

The Food Bank of York Region is the regional food hub and mobile food pantry with a network of more than 75 social service agencies and emergency home delivery programs. The network supports food programs in the nine municipalities of York Region, serving over 24,000 individuals in 7,000 households. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of people accessing food bank programs in York Region by 42 per cent from 2018, expanding the threshold of food insecurity to a larger scale of members of our community.