Londoners are once again being asked to help stock the London Food Bank's shelves for the summer.
The City of London officially kicked off the 28th annual London Cares Curb Hunger food drive on Wednesday. It calls on residents to donate fresh food, non-perishables, or make a financial donation to the food bank to help ensure no one in the city goes hungry over the summer months. Traditionally, the food bank receives fewer donations over the summer months as many people are away on vacation or otherwise preoccupied.
“Each year, the London Cares Curb Hunger campaign shows us the generosity of Londoners,” Mayor Josh Morgan said in a statement. “The kindness and dedication each year to support this campaign helps make food more accessible to individuals and families in need. We are working to address food insecurity and helping feed our community, but there is a lot of work still to do."
Last year's food drive brought in the equivalent of 86,880 lbs of food with additional fresh produce donated during harvest time in the late summer and fall.
The food drive runs until June 8.
Those wanting to donate can bring fresh and non-perishable foods to the Food Bank's warehouse at 926 Leathorne Street. Non-perishables can also be dropped off at London fire halls or participating grocery stores. Financial donations, which the Food Bank uses to purchase fresh food, are being accepted online at www.londonfoodbank.ca.
For Londoners with a green thumb, the city is again encouraging them to sign up for the Grow-a-Row or Adopt-a-Plot programs. Grow-a-Row relies on Londoners planting extra produce in their home gardens and bringing the donations in at harvest time, while Adopt-a-Plot sees people or community groups agree to plant, raise, and harvest vegetables in the Food Bank's on-site gardens.