Demand exceeds supply at west Windsor holiday hamper giveaway

Published Dec 20, 2023 • 2 minute read

Residents attend the Adie Knox Herman Recreation Centre food bank to receive holiday food hampers on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Photo by Taylor Campbell /Windsor Star

Hundreds lined up in cars and on foot outside a west Windsor food bank on Tuesday for holiday meal ingredients for local families.

The UHC Hub of Opportunities food bank at Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex, which had prepared to hand out 100 holiday hampers, ran out of turkeys in about half an hour.

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Demand for food exceeding the supply is the new reality for the organization, UHC executive director June Muir told reporters as the lineup next to her grew.

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“We’re not always able to give everybody a hamper, which is pretty sad,” Muir said. “We’re doing the best we can.

“What’s nice about giving everybody a turkey dinner … is that they’re all able to sit down and enjoy something that we’re all going to enjoy.”

The holiday hampers distributed this week included a turkey, potatoes, carrots, onions, salad, stuffing, crackers, and other food items.

Residents line up outside Adie Knox Herman Recreation Centre food bank for holiday hampers on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Photo by Taylor Campbell /Windsor Star

Food donations to UHC, which operates the hub for the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association, have been down, Muir said. Monetary donations have allowed the organization to “buy what we normally buy,” but the need this year is greater than ever before.

“We’re asking those that can donate to donate because the need is greater this year,” she said. “Food banks have become a necessity.”

More working people, people on fixed incomes, and seniors are now relying on food banks, she said. Contributing to the problem is a lack of affordable housing and food inflation.

“Trying to make ends meet and (deciding) where to spend your money each and every month is getting more difficult for families and individuals,” Muir said.

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Helping the UHC folks distribute holiday hampers on Tuesday were MP Brian Masse and MPP Lisa Gretzky, both New Democrats representing the Windsor West riding at the federal and provincial levels, respectively.

“We need to be grateful for what we have, but also try to give as much as we can back and dig a little deeper,” Masse said.