By Mike Anderson
The Canada Post strike is making it harder for the Georgina Community Food Pantry to raise the holiday donations it needs to operate next year.
Cesar Caneo, the Pantry’s executive director, says that while more people are now donating online, many people still prefer to mail a cheque.
According to Caneo, while the Pantry sent out 1,900 online donation requests, roughly 450 donation letters were also mailed out on November 12, just before the mail strike.
“The donor responses are about half and half. That’s why we must use the mail. There’s still a lot of people out there, especially seniors, who like to write a cheque and mail it in an envelope,” he said.
Caneo is concerned because the holiday donation drive raises the most money for the Pantry.
“Usually, our year-end campaign has the most significant donations. Last year, we received around $165,000. Now, considering our situation, it’s hard to know what we will raise. It’s really out of our control.”
Caneo also says the Pantry depends entirely on donations, as it no longer receives gift cards from Food Banks Canada and Feed Ontario.
“The gift cards allowed us to buy food and give it to people. It was part of the tail end of the pandemic strategy. It worked for about two and a half years, but we have not seen any gift cards. So, it’s not happening this year.”
Caneo is also worried about donor fatigue, as donations have declined this year.
“During our spring campaign, which is a smaller campaign in April, we noticed a 17 per cent decrease compared to the previous year.”
However, at the same time, the Food Pantry continues to see unprecedented demand for its services.
Last year, according to Caneo, there was an 85 increase in household visits and a 93 per cent increase in people served.
“Those increases, 85 and 93 per cent, are usually seen over a decade, but they happened in one year from 2022 to 2023,” he said.
“We are already 11 per cent above last year for the same period. So that means we are heading for another record year.”
During the holidays, the Food Pantry is increasing the number of food hampers and gift cards for families in need.
“We are going to make sure that everyone in need will get a food hamper, some with toys and treats for kids,” he said.
“More importantly, we will invest $36,000 in gift cards. So, regardless of size, every family will receive a $75 grocery card. Last year, it was $50. We hope to help close to 600 families,” he said.
Caneo is encouraging donors to make online donations through the Pantry’s website (https://georginafoodpantry.com/) or sign up to give on Canada Helps (https://www.canadahelps.org), a website that allows you to make donations to any registered Canadian charity.
“People can use their interac, Visa, MasterCard or PayPal, and get a tax receipt immediately.”
He also says the Pantry will accept e-transfers.
“There’s not a lot of options at the moment. So we worry about the impact it’s going to have. And it’s not just ourselves; other non-profits and charities are struggling as well.”
Caneo has also installed a secure mailbox outside the Pantry so donors can drop off envelopes during the mail strike.
“We are really encouraging the community to help support us during the next few weeks. We have several organizations, individuals, and even small businesses doing food drives for us. But financial support is important because it allows us to buy fresh food and to meet the immediate needs of the growing number of people in our community experiencing food insecurity.”
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