Just a quick message for those who frequent the Giant Tiger in Shawville and use the Bouffe Pontiac food donation bin as a garbage bin: Open your eyes!
We constantly hear about the fact that the Pontiac has faced, and continues to face, economic hardships.
With so many people struggling to make ends meet, there will inevitably be a large number of people relying on food banks to help provide healthy meals to their family.
Last Christmas, we ran a story about the fact that Bouffe Pontiac was able to bring in more than 5,000 kg of food from the community.
The food bank provides meals to anywhere from 500-700 people each month.
Clearly there is a need for the food bank.
Which is why it’s so frustrating to walk into Giant Tiger and see the donation bin strewn with receipts and plastic wrapping.
The staff at the store do their best to stay on top of it and make sure the bin is clear of any debris, but they also have a job to do.
We shouldn’t expect that the staff at the Giant Tiger would have to keep a laser-like focus on the food donation bin to make sure that only food goes into it.
Maybe a better policy would be to have shoppers police themselves.
We constantly hear stories about people not paying attention to what they’re doing. Whether it’s people texting while driving or having their face buried in their receipts while walking out of the grocery store to ensure every penny is accounted for – it seems people aren’t aware of their surroundings.
How is it that people just randomly throw garbage in any receptacle that is within arm’s length? It’s clearly labelled as a food donation bin. Would these people just throw their receipts in a baby’s stroller if it was nearby?
The worst part? Giant Tiger has a garbage bin sitting within a few metres of the front door. Too far for you? That’s fine. Right beside the donation bin is a lotto station with a disposal slot for losing lottery tickets. Put your receipt there.
The fact that this is a food donation bin makes this all the worse. The optics of throwing garbage in a food bank donation bin is brutal.
By most accounts, the Pontiac is a very generous place where people are almost always willing to help their neighbours. Which is why this is such a strange occurrence. For a community that prides itself on helping others, it’s strange that people would be so careless and callous.
Maybe you’re not the person throwing their garbage in the donation bin. You can still keep your eyes peeled and gently remind people that the food bank donation bin is not a garbage can.
Come on, folks. I’d never have thought I’d have to say this. But, in the immortal words of The Simpson’s: “Put your garbage in a garbage can.”
Chris Lowrey
