Home Community Local seniors building hosts food bank for residents

Local seniors building hosts food bank for residents

August 7, 2025

By Mike Anderson

Paying the weekly grocery bill has become a struggle for many residents at Northview Court, 37-39 North St, a subsidized seniors-only community operated by Housing York Inc in Sutton.

Food inflation has made many items, like meat and fresh produce, a treat rather than a staple.

So, once a month, Susan Jones and two other residents, Dennis Hamlin and Larry Berriau, organize a food pantry in one of the building’s common rooms.

“We’ve been doing this for about five years; on the last Wednesday of each month,” Jones said.

“Every resident is welcome to one bag only because there’s a limit for both buildings.”

Jones, 71, has been living at Northview Court for 12 years, and during the last few years she’s seen many seniors struggle to feed themselves properly.

“Some seniors can’t afford food. And this will help them out over the month. It stretches the food bill a little better,” she said.

Stacked on tables, there’s a wide variety of fresh produce, including apples, oranges and potatoes. There’s also water, juices and canned goods. But, Jones says it’s the meat that usually goes quickly.

“The meat products are the most expensive. They’ve gone so far up. People in here can’t afford it.”

But baked goods, especially desserts, are also popular.

“If there’s any dessert over here of any kind, that’s the first to go. Everybody’s got a sweet tooth in this building,” she laughed.

Jones says when they started the pantry some residents were ashamed to participate, but that’s changed now.

She estimates that about 50 residents from both buildings use the pantry each month. The buildings contain 72 units in total, so it’s possible that more than half of the residents are using the food pantry.

“They’re very happy because it’s helping them through the month. I, myself, use the food bank because I’m stretching my dollars as far as I can stretch it,” she said.

The food is supplied by the Food Bank of York Region (FBYR), and delivered by truck from its warehouse in Concord.

FBYR’s delivery program was launched during Covid to address the needs of people unable to access food banks or meal programs in person, including seniors with transportation, health and disability issues.

It has since expanded to provide food to more than 20 social housing locations in York Region, including Lakeside Residences in Keswick, and Northview Court in Sutton.

“We had a good crowd today. We had a lot of people from this building, and we’re getting more from the back building,” said Jones, who added leftover food is left on the tables so residents who couldn’t make it can pick up something.

“By the end of the day there’s not much left here,” said Hamlin, who along with Berriau help unload the FBYR truck each month.

“They really appreciate what we’re doing here. And we think it’s great,” Hamlin said. “Everybody needs a little help now and then.”

To apply for an on-site food pantry at your community housing location, visit fbyr.ca.