Volunteers with a group called Second Harvest are making nutritious food accessible for those in need in Grey and Bruce County.
The program links over abundance of food, with local demand.
For example, locally grown, unpicked apples would go to waste without volunteers from Second Harvest collecting the produce for area schools and food banks.
In Meaford, the group diverts good food which would not be used to people who can benefit the most. Since the launch last year, over 1,000 lbs of fruit has been distributed through schools and the Golden Town Outreach food bank.
“Working together, we can ensure good food does not go to waste and that everyone has access to quality food,” says Jaden Calvert, participant in the Second Harvest program. “We have more than enough food to feed us all. It just makes sense if we can connect nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste with those in need.”
Second Harvest is looking for people to get involved in the program or to let them know where there is excess food that might go to waste.
"Families that spend a significant portion of their income on housing and utilities don’t have enough money left at the end of the month to buy nutritious food. That affects their health and wellbeing." says Jill Umbach, coordinator, Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force, "The Second Harvest is a fantastic local community-based initiative that can meet a real demand in our communities."
