Food rescue van officially launched in Shelburne

February 20, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The Shelburne Food Bank has officially unveiled its new food rescue van.

Volunteers, sponsors, community members and dignitaries gathered at the Mel Lloyd Centre last Thursday (Feb. 13) for a special event celebrating the launch of the food rescue van and the sponsors who helped fundraise.

“This van signifies that people are recognizing that the need continues to grow, and food rescue is one of the ways we’re going to meet the need,” said Ardith Dunlop, volunteer coordinator for the Shelburne Food Bank. “It will definitely help us increase our food rescue, and therefore be able to give more as a food bank, and in a way be more sustainable.”

The Shelburne Food Bank, along with the Rotary Club of Shelburne, announced the launch of a sponsorship campaign in July of 2024 to help raise the $100,000 required to purchase a 2023 Ford E-Transit Cargo Van T-350 for the food bank.

The campaign saw local businesses choose from a selection of sponsorship tiers priced at $20,000, $10,000, $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000.

According to the food bank, roughly 22 sponsors are featured on the van, and various donations from community members aided in crossing the donation finish line.

The Rotary Club of Shelburne was the biggest sponsor of the Food Rescue Van, providing $20,000 in donations.

“When we heard about this campaign and the need for a food rescue van, the club did not hesitate to roll up their sleeves and help make it a reality,” said Bobbi Ferguson, a member of the local Rotary Club. “Although the Rotary supports many causes locally and internationally, fighting food insecurity in our community is a priority. We’d also like to thank all the other sponsors who gave generously to help achieve the $100,000 goal in record time. It’s our extreme pleasure to see our logo displayed alongside the food bank’s on this beautiful new van.”

The Shelburne Food Bank has been exploring the idea of purchasing a food rescue van for multiple years due to the rise of food insecurity in the community and the stress the demand has put on volunteers using their personal vehicles.

The Shelburne Food Bank uses a team of 10 volunteer drivers, who use their personal vehicles to pick up and transport purchased and donated food items.

According to the Shelburne Food Bank, in 2023 there were 936 trips taken by volunteers using their own vehicles.

“This rescue van will provide our dedicated food bank volunteers with a critical tool in their arsenal in the ongoing fight against food insecurity within our community, and for that reason council was very happy to provide some funding support for this initiative on behalf of Shelburne ratepayers,” said Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills.

While Mills noted that the unveiling of the food rescue van is a moment of celebration, he also highlighted it as a moment to call on action from upper levels of government to advocate more for food security.

“Unfortunately, the issue of food insecurity is not often given the attention that it deserves by upper levels of government, and the work to address this issue in most cases is left to community donors and dedicated volunteers. The issue of food insecurity requires an all hands on deck approach, which involves grassroots community as well as all three levels of government. Food Insecurity is an issue that impacts local communities the hardest, but it is a national epidemic that cannot be solved by local communities alone.”

According to statistics from 2023, the Shelburne Food Bank has 400 files consisting of over 1,000 individuals from Shelburne, Melancthon, Mulmur and Amaranth. Of those clients, nearly 70 per cent are from the Town of Shelburne.

The Food Bank also noted in 2023 they served between 225 to 250 families each month of which 41 per cent were adults, 37 per cent were children and 17 per cent were seniors.