If you put it in your own grocery cart, the Woolwich Food Bank probably needs it, too. Today (May 2) kicks off the annual Dig In food drive, a one-day event across Waterloo Region where volunteers collect donations to help local food banks fill their monthly hampers for the summer.
![EDSS co-op student Casey Langer and WCS volunteer Linda Love were busy at the Woolwich Food Bank, which will be accepting donations on Saturday for the Dig In food drive at Foodland and Food Basics in Elmira.[Whitney Neilson / the observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/post_digin.jpg)
Volunteers will be at Food Basics and Foodland collecting food and monetary donations for Woolwich Community Services. WCS’s Kelly Christie says they’ll sort the items, fill their shelves and take any excess to the Waterloo Region Food Bank.
“Summer is a time where people go on holidays and attendance at the churches are less because we have different churches that donate on a monthly basis, so donations can go light in the summer. Our need doesn’t change,” Christie explained.
Volunteers will have a top 10 most needed items list to give to shoppers and can also give suggestions based on what’s on sale at that particular store. Donations from other locations are also welcome.
The most needed items are canned meat, cookies or baking supplies, ketchup, mayonnaise, shampoo, tissues, toothpaste, canned fruit, canned juice (family size juice, not juice boxes), and jam. She notes the personal hygiene items are of particular importance.
“I like using this opportunity to let people know that whatever you put in your grocery cart is what people need,” Christie said. “People like to focus on the peanut butter, the pasta and the beans which have always been promoted because of the nutritional value, the easiness of the product. People do really need the toothpaste, the Kleenex, the shampoo as well.”
She adds laundry soap as the eleventh most needed item because everyone uses it and it’s often overlooked. Also, it can be on the pricier side. This time of year the shelves are really light on those items, but they’re well stocked with dry pasta, soup, and beans.
“With each hamper they would receive milk, eggs, margarine, a couple apples per person, carrots for a meal, potatoes for a meal, and the loaf of bread,” Christie said. “Those are all things I buy on a regular basis, a couple times a week. If they do a cash donation that’s where that’s going and any time they make a donation, whether it’s at this Dig In food drive or come in the office and make a donation they specify to the food bank, it goes to the food bank. It can only be spent for food bank purposes.”
She hopes this food drive will get them through to the next one, which is Thanksgiving. The community has traditionally donated generously to the Dig In drive.
“Last year we had a really good food drive and we got a little bit lighter at the end of the summer,” Christie said. “Again it’s the certain items we tend to go light on. If we got a whole food drive of those items then we would be fine. We will run light on these things by Thanksgiving.”
As for how they’re settling in to their new location at 5 Memorial Avenue, she says they couldn’t be happier. They’re holding their grand opening on May 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the new site, which is already up and running.
“Fabulous. We’re totally enjoying the new location,” Christie said. “What’s not to enjoy?”
Volunteers will be at Food Basics and Foodland in Elmira collecting donations Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit www.thefoodbank.ca for a full list of locations in the region.
