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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 30, 2009 · 10 Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone: 905-337-5560 Fax: 905-337-5571 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com CUPBOARD WON'T GO BARE: At Fareshare food bank, Claire Dorsey (left) and Kim Harrison gather food items to be delivered to Oakville families in need. It is hoped the Thanksgiving food drive -- Oct. 3-18 -- will restock the dwindling supplies at the Speers Road facility. KAREN NEWMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER Fareshare ready to stock up for Thanksgiving By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The recession has been declared over, but Oakville's Fareshare food bank has fingers crossed that Thanksgiving will be bountiful. That's because, while the economy may be picking up, it's unlikely that will translate into reality at the food bank for at least the next year. With the recession striking at about this time last year, it has taken its toll -- Fareshare, unlike some other local food banks, has not run out of items, but is running close to it. It has run out of a few items, like canned tuna, but has been replacing the item on clients' shopping lists with other canned meats. It's not a position Fareshare's volunteer executive director Dudley Clarke relishes. The numbers over the past year -- when Clarke graphs them -- puts the tally of those visiting the food bank well above that of the recession in the early 1990s, a peak in Fareshare's more than two decades in town. Average monthly visits to the food bank (families can only use it once a month) now is at 378, a number Clarke said "is a dramatic increase over last year." "In the past eight months, we have averaged 23 new clients each month, a shocking 64 per cent increase over the similar period in 2008," said Clarke. "While the economy is definitely seen to be improving, the problem is general employment lags behind. It's going to be a while before we see unemployment numbers starting to change," said Clarke. With the needs well document- ed, Fareshare welcomes Thanksgiving -- and all donations Fareshare's annual Thanksgiving Food Drive may bring. The food drive runs from Saturday, Oct. 3 to Sunday, Oct. 18. Non-perishable food can be dropped off at the food bank -- at 1240 Speers Rd., Unit 6, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday to Saturday. It can also be dropped off at all fire stations in town and all supermarkets in Fareshare bins on site. Paper bags for donations will also be handed out at the Loblaws superstore at Trafalgar Road and Dundas Street. Volunteers, both student and adult, will be helping with the paper bag handout and the sorting of donations at the food bank. While all types of non-perishable foods are welcome, the items most needed include: canned fruit and vegetables, cooking oil, instant coffee, tea (not herbal), canned whole potatoes, canned stew, dry and canned pasta, saltine soda crackers, spaghetti and baked beans. Donations of laundry powder and diapers (#5 and 6) would also be appreciated. If you don't give food, monetary donations are also welcome as they are vital to Fareshare's annual, daily operation in that the funds are used to provide vouchers redeemable at local grocery stores for milk and fresh fruit. With half of Fareshare's clients children, mothers of children are top priority for the vouchers. In 2008, $29,000 worth of such vouchers were redeemed for milk and fruit. In addition, Fareshare also spent $68,000 for perishable food such as ground beef, chicken, wieners, fish and cheese. Another $5,200 was spent on apples and $7,500 on personal care items such as toothpaste, soap and toilet paper. It's no longer that the annual Thanksgiving and Easter food drives bring in the majority of food needed annually by Fareshare. Today, Fareshare depends heavily on daily, and cash, donations. Fareshare was established in 1988 and is run with no government funding and solely by volunteers like Clarke. The food bank's most frequent users are families -- representing about 1,100 people, half of them children. Even with news the recession is over, Clarke is not looking for vast improvements as Oakville's population continues to climb -- with donations often outstripped by increased user numbers. For information, call Fareshare at 905-847-3988.