588,000 pounds of food collected by 2021 Business Cares Food Drive – London | The Canadian News

Days after issuing an urgent appeal for donations, Londoners rallied again for the annual Business Cares food drive, in support of the London Food Bank.

Approximately 588,000 pounds of food was collected over the course of the 2021 campaign, which began on the weekend of December 3 and concluded on Wednesday.

In a statement, campaign chairman Wayne Dunn said officials were unsure whether Londoners would be able to support the campaign as they have in previous years, given concerns about the pandemic, rising costs of the food and other economic uncertainties.

“We knew the will is always there, but we are so honored that our community chose to find a way,” Dunn said.

“I say this every year, because it has always been proven to be true: London’s businesses, employees and citizens always answer the call when people need it.”

The total is more than 100,000 pounds less than the record set in 2020, yet officials stated at the start of the campaign that, like last year, there was no concrete goal in mind.

“For the second year in a row, we are approaching this campaign without knowing what the end result would be,” Dunn said in a statement.

But despite another year of COVID-related challenges, Londoners made it through. This is truly a celebration of our community and the determination that Londoners have to support those who need it most. “

According to Business Cares, the campaign supports the London Food Bank to enable it to “support more than 30 community organizations in London and in the area, including the Soup Kitchen, the Youth Action Center, Atlohsa, the Unity Project and Mission Services.”

Jane Roy, Co-CEO of the London Food Bank, said in a statement that donations come as times become increasingly difficult for more and more people.

“Results like the ones we saw in this year’s campaign are just a reflection of how strong and caring our community is. We are truly honored by the support and donations from Londoners are going to have a huge impact on the lives of many people, ”said Roy.

Late last week, Dunn told 980 CFPL that roughly 3,500 families received food from the food bank each month, up from 2,900 in the fall.

A recent report by Feed Ontario, a collective of hunger-fighting organizations in Ontario, said that use of food banks in the province increased 10 percent during the first year of the pandemic.

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