Durham Region Municipalities Come Together to Support Hunger Action Month

September 06, 2023

The Region of Durham and area municipalities are once again coming together this National Hunger Action Month to help raise awareness, food donations, and funds to fight hunger in the community.

Hunger is an important issue that affects individuals, seniors, and families throughout the Region. As Durham Region continues to rapidly grow and food prices increase, more people are experiencing homelessness and/or using food banks and related services than ever before. Feed the Need in Durham, which distributes food to local food banks and hunger relief programs, has seen the number of people accessing their services double over the past three years, reaching 10,000 clients per month. The Region and area municipalities are taking action to address this need in the community.

From September 5 to 28, there will be numerous drop-off locations located throughout Durham, making it easy for residents, businesses and community groups to drop off non-perishable food items. Scugog will have donation boxes at the Municipal Office, Arena, and Fire Administration Office. Donations made in Scugog will be delivered to Operation Scugog. Additionally, you can visit the following municipalities to donate:

Donations will be leveraged by Feed the Need in Durham and area food banks to support local families in need.

Residents can also leverage their impact by donating online. For every $1 donated, Feed the Need in Durham can collect, store, and distribute three meals and other needed products to reach those in need.

QUICK FACTS

View Feed the Need in Durham’s Wish List of most desired food items here.
Cash donations can be made online.
In 2022, the Region and area municipalities collectively raised food and funds equivalent to 17,867 pounds of food (or 48,894 meals) for Feed the Need in Durham and local food banks. This year’s goal is to beat that record by 10 per cent.
Feed the Need in Durham collects, stores, and distributes 2 million pounds of food annually to 65 emergency food providers and five school nutrition programs across Durham Region.
Between now and 2046, Durham Region's population is projected to grow by almost 40 per cent. That's faster than the Ontario average.
Almost 300 people are currently on the Region of Durham’s homelessness “by-name list”, up from about 209 people in December 2021. This list keeps track of people experiencing chronic homelessness and includes individuals, seniors, and families.

For media inquiries, contact:

Devon Jarvis, Supervisor of Communications and Engagement

Town of Ajax

Phone: 905-409-1491

Email: devon.jarvis@ajax.ca

Tamra Kaiser, Communications and Tourism Coordinator

Township of Brock

Phone: 705-432-2355 x 232

Email: Tamra.Kaiser@brock.ca

Jennifer O’Meara, Policy and Communications Advisor

Municipality of Clarington

Phone: 905-260-2844