A Chatham-Kent charity that donates food and supplies to people living in poverty overseas are in need of new warehouse to continue their operations.
John and Sandra Van Raay are the founders of Canadian Food for Children Chatham-Kent.
The original Canadian Food for Children started in 1985 by a Toronto physician and his wife, Dr. Andrew Simone and Joan Simone, who regularly sent money to Mother Teresa to purchase food for people in need in Africa.
At that time, Mother Teresa informed Dr. Simone that there was limited food to buy in the country and asked if he could send physical items instead of money. As a result, he began sending shipping containers of food and supplies.
The Van Raays said they were inspired by the initiative and created founded Canadian Food for Children Chatham-Kent in 2006.
"We started small, collecting cans and money on the street," explained Sandra. "Then we went to church and gathered things in Lent. Then when my husband retired from his work, he decided that maybe we should try and get a warehouse."
Sandra and John have been at their current warehouse on Inshes Avenue for 15 years.
Once they acquired a warehouse space, Canadian Food for Children Chatham-Kent was able to quickly grow operations and send three shipping containers a year to developing countries filled with food and vital supplies.
Over the 15 years, the organization has continued to grow and now sends an average of 10 to 12 transport trucks a year filled with items to the warehouse in Mississauga where supplies are transferred to shipping containers and then sent overseas. Included on the transport loads are 10,000 to 15,000 lbs. of non-perishable food items.
"A lot of the places that we help, we've had letters that say they depend on the containers to come over and how important it is for them," said Sandra.
The organization has on average between 50 to 75 volunteers across Chatham-Kent who sort and pack the food and supplies.
However, Sandra said the volunteers, most of them seniors, now need something more practical.
"It's time for us to move on, we're all getting older and we need a one-floor facility," she said. "This [current warehouse] has a lot of stairs in it."
According to John, they are looking for a warehouse between 3,500 - 5,000 sq feet. However, he said the biggest challenge has been trying to find a warehouse that has a washroom.
The pair said that they've been fortunate enough to find a warehouse owner who has let them use space for free over the past 15 years. However, they know that likely won't happen again and are willing to pay rent for their new space.
"It's unusual that we'll find too many people who want to donate good warehouse space for free," said John. "We're willing to pay reasonable rent, perhaps on the low side a bit because the more we pay in rent, the less we can send food overseas."
Sandra added that the organization can also provide a gift-in-kind for a tax receipt.
Canadian Food for Children Chatham-Kent works with several local businesses and organizations to help with their mission, including Sweet Seconds, a Chatham consignment shop that provides the pair with overstock clothing.
Sandra said it coincides with their other goal of helping fewer items go into landfills.
"I can't tell you how many backpacks sent with school supplies [that we've sent over,]" she said. We collect from the schools at the end of the year, stuff that they'd throw out into the garbage."
Meanwhile, anything that gets donated that can't be sent overseas, such as winter clothing, stays local.
"We've been overwhelmed with the goodness of people," Sandra said. "This whole experience has been humbling for me."
The pair have about four more months until they have to move out of their current warehouse. They would like to continue operations in Chatham but if there are no other options, said they will considering looking at other communities in Chatham-Kent.
Anyone who is interested in providing warehouse space can get in touch with Canadian Food for Children Chatham-Kent by calling 519-352-6659 or 519-351-3685 or by emailing fdm@kent.net.