On Monday, May 25, Daily Bread Food Bank opened a new warehouse space to respond to the growing need for food in our city due to COVID-19.
A ten-minute drive from our 191 New Toronto Street location, this new space, which we are calling DB2, will serve as a distribution hub for over 60,000 pre-packaged food boxes that will go out to families and individuals experiencing hunger across the city.
This initiative is the result of an incredible partnership between Feed Ontario, the Government of Ontario, and the support we continue to receive from Food Banks Canada, and countless organizations and individuals across the province that remind us how much stronger we are together.
The hamper program was designed to provide enough food to feed every family that was being served by food banks in Ontario prior to COVID-19, plus an extra 10% due to an increase in food bank usage. Once thought to last us a month, the 60,000 hampers that now have a home at DB2, will only last about two weeks, given the drastic increase in people experiencing hunger during this challenging time.
Through an additional partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, United Way, City of Toronto, and Daily Bread Food Bank, over 4,000 emergency food hampers have also been delivered to those who are unable to leave their homes due to COVID-19.
The launch of DB2, on Monday, May 25th, was attended by all three levels of Government, and Daily Bread Food Bank could not be prouder of the work being done to ensure that everyone’s right to food is realized.
Daily Bread would like to express our tremendous thanks to the landlord of our new space, Richard Hughes, and sub-tenant, Alex Cameron, who donated the space to Daily Bread Food Bank. The warehouse space was acquired thanks to a connection made through the Toronto Office of Partnerships and the Emergency Operations Centre and we could not have done it without them.
We know that the road ahead will not be easy, as food insecurity and economic uncertainty continue to increase rapidly. However, all of this incredible support will allow our team to take stock of the past few months, reflect on our ongoing efforts, and prepare for the future, ensuring that those who need it most, continue to have access to food.