Blog #8: The Mino’Weesini Grocery Program
This summer I spent some time volunteering at the Mino’Weesini Food bank in Ottawa Central. It’s a program where people in need can get groceries for free. It can be a real lifesaver for people who are food insecure. Maybe they don’t have access to good nutritious food. There are alot of reasons for why that might be, they may not have enough money, they may not be working, they may be unable to work. Groceries can be very expensive and food is a necessity of life. Programs like this are created to help people who need help. The centre also operates their own delivery program to specific clients in need.
The centre is set up like a grocery store, with shopping baskets and grocery carts. A person can come in and get fresh produce, frozen meat including fish, chicken and beef, eggs and milk, canned goods, pantry staples and even fresh bread. There are also personal hygiene products available like shampoo, toothpaste and soap. And for people who menstruate there are pads, tampons and those types of items.
My job at the centre was making sure everything was well stocked in the front of the store. I also had to make sure that the back storage area was well organized, including breaking down cardboard boxes, and refilling the pantry area. When a delivery arrived I would help unpack, then sort the produce into three categories; clients, kitchen, and pigs. Nothing goes to waste if we can help it!
Grocery stores like Produce Depot, Metro and Loblaws for example give away their unsold food to the Ottawa Food Bank, who in turn organize and distribute the donated food to the smaller food bank programs like Mino’weesini. Food drives can happen all year long, but there are often special drives around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Anyone can drop off canned goods and shelf-stable items to designated bins or locations and that food is taken to the main branch of the Ottawa Food Bank. Last year, the Ottawa Food Bank served close to 52,000 people every single month.
Remember you can help. You can bring food to food drives when they are available. You can organize your own food drive. The Ottawa Food Bank also uses donated funds to purchase important food items that are not readily available through donations, like baby food, diapers, proteins, and fresh fruit and vegetables. So you can organize a fundraiser, or make a donation directly to the Ottawa Food Bank. Please know that you can make a difference, be the change we need.
