A local food bank is pretty stocked up for the upcoming Christmas season, but it can always use more.
The Outreach for Hunger in Chatham serves over 400 families a month, according to Executive Director Brenda Leclair.
"We feel very fortunate to have a community that continuously gives," Leclair said. "There are definitely those big times of the year when donations increase, which is Christmas, Thanksgiving and sometimes Easter."
While Outreach for Hunger is technically a food bank, it provides a lot more. Leclair said one of the biggest things needed is personal care items because they tend to cost a lot and having them donated helps families minimize their grocery bill. She added food items with no sugar or gluten are also in high demand for family members who are diabetic or have allergies.
"Basically I would tell people, and I've been saying this for 30 years, if you're going to feed it to your family, they're no different," Leclair said. "That's what they want to feed to their family, but we want the nutritional component in there."
Leclair was also excited to announce this month marks the 30th year of operation for the Outreach. She said the mission statement is the same now as it was then, which is to provide food free of charge to anyone in need within Chatham-Kent.
She said none of what the organization does would be possible without the community.
"We have the most tremendous community of givers and people who reach out to each other," Leclair said. "It's really neighbours helping neighbours and that's what Chatham-Kent does well."
