Groceries for Girls
During the pandemic, we saw a need for food security amongst girls and their families and we responded with our Groceries for Girls Program. Three years later, the program has continued steadily as we continue to see the ripple effects of the pandemic in every facet of society. According to Feed Ontario’s latest Hunger Report, 2023 marked the largest single-year increase in food bank use ever recorded by Ontario’s food bank network. Food insecurity in our community is not going away any time soon, and we see direct correlations in program participation when basic needs are not being met.
The Girls Inc. Groceries for Girls Program is a collaboration with the Brockville and Area Food Bank and is designed to assist families meet basic needs with dignity and autonomy. Each family is given a number of points based on family size and each month they select groceries from an online order form. Girls Inc. staff and volunteers hand pack and deliver the groceries to families across all 13 municipalities in Leeds & Grenville. Demand continues to be consistently high with an average of 30 families ordering groceries each month. Inflation continues to make everyday necessities feel like luxuries for many and we at Girls Inc. are pleased to be able to support our participants in this way.
So far in 2024, our Groceries for Girls Program has delivered more than 250 grocery packages to families in every corner of Leeds & Grenville. Each package is valued at a minimum of $75 and includes fresh produce, meat, dairy products, and canned goods and non-perishables.
We are always looking for volunteers to help with packing groceries at the Food Bank and/or delivering packages to our families’ houses. To find out more, follow the links below, or send us an email at admin@girlsinc-uppercanada.org!
