CALEB NICKERSON
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Oct. 7, 2020
The local food bank is getting back to normal after a busy summer that saw a large spike in people seeking assistance.
Bouffe Pontiac Director General Kim Laroche said that they still had all their health and safety precautions in place, but the pace of the . . .
demand has slowed down.
“We’re back to the normal clientele, that changed,” she said. “But the way we are working hasn’t changed.”
Laroche said that June was their busiest month, with approximately 180 additional people seeking some kind of assistance. They typically distribute food and other items to around 600 people, so the spike represents a sizable increase. She said that the pandemic was definitely to blame.
“It’s directly [because of] COVID,” she said. “It’s people that were working … and lost their job and stuff like that.”
Laroche added that donations of food items had slightly decreased, but that was made up for by monetary donations.
“The food donations went down a bit, but … we received more money donations, so I guess it kind of [evened out] that way,” she said.
She added that the group’s thrift store has been closed for the duration of the pandemic, and donations aren’t being accepted. However, if a client makes a request, staff can pack whatever items they need into their food order.
“Let’s say they need a few shirts of a certain size, we gather a small bag and we put it in their food box,” she said.
Despite not being able to have their typical annual fundraisers, Laroche was thankful for all the community support that the organization has received.
“I just want to thank the community for giving us help, volunteers, money donations, food donations, if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be functioning,” she said.
Those looking to donate to Bouffe Pontiac can call 819 648 2550.
