Last Updated on April 16, 2022
The Richmond Food Bank is grateful for the donations we receive from individuals, families, businesses and community organizations, that we use to support those in need in our community. This post explains how we use your donations, and who we supported in the past year (January to December 2021).
Food donations
The food donations we receive get sorted and make their way directly into the hands of the individuals and families that we support. When an individual or a family request assistance, our volunteers will prepare a grocery order filled with non-perishable food and personal care items.
On rare occasions, we may receive an abundance of a particular item, which we are unable to utilize before best before dates. In these instances, we may pass along these items to a larger food bank in our area (i.e. Stittsville Food Bank) who are able to make use of these items.
Monetary donations
The monetary donations received are used to purchase food in bulk to fill our shelves during periods in the year when we receive fewer food donations, and also to purchase much needed items that we don’t necessarily receive as donations.
Monetary donations are also used to purchase the fresh food that we provide in our hampers three times per year (i.e. turkey, ham, potatoes, fresh vegetables, etc for holiday meals).
Finally, monetary donations are used to purchase gift cards for our local grocery store. Unfortunately, the food bank does not have the space or resources to store perishable items such as meat, produce, bread, and milk. Therefore, we also provide a small amount of support in the form of gift cards, that the individuals and families receiving support can use to purchase these items from our local grocery store.
Who received support in 2021?
Food bank clients may receive assistance in the form of a grocery order once per month. Hampers are also available three times per year, leading up to major holidays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Monthly support
In 2021, the food bank supported 55 families, consisting of 75 adults and 39 children. On average, we provided support to 19 families each month, and we prepared a total of 228 grocery orders.
We provide support on an as-needed basis. This means that some individuals and families may receive support every month, and others possibly only once or twice to get them through a hard time.
With the increase in food and gas prices, we are also seeing an increase in the number of people in our community that need support. We are seeing a particular increase in seniors needing support, as well as larger families.
Hampers
Hampers are offered three times per year, leading up to major holidays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hampers are available upon request, and include fresh food for a holiday meal (i.e. turkey or ham, potatoes, fresh veggies, dessert), as well as some staple non-perishable food and personal care items.
In 2021, we provided a total of 105 hampers, as follows:
| Easter | 31 hampers |
| Thanksgiving | 28 hampers |
| Christmas | 46 hampers |