Matthews House Hospice
Every week, Matthews House Hospice in Alliston receives generous food donations from Foodland in Beeton and Shelburne. “We’re happy to share them with other charitable organizations around town,” said Marisa Vega, Food Services Coordinator at Matthews House. “It’s just another way we can support the community.”
Marisa Vega at Matthews House
Matthews House asked the Rotary Club of Alliston for their help in identifying organizations who would welcome items which have recently passed their best-before dates or were frozen at source before their expiry. The local food banks and several other charities cannot accept anything past its best-before date but Rotary contacted Random Acts of Kindness, which operates a service for the members of their Facebook page. Headed by Nikki Melara, Random Acts of Kindness displays frozen and packaged items at locations in Loretto and Beeton and lets members choose what they need.
“We know most of these items are perfectly good to eat or drink long after their stated expiry,” explained Eileen O’Connell, who operates one of the locations. “The choice will be up to our members to make. Besides, in order to reduce food waste, some countries are eliminating best-before dates for most products except milk, eggs and a few other fresh items.”
The average Canadian wastes about 79 kilograms of food every year, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme. That amounts to 2.94 million tonnes of annual household food waste across the nation. Canadians, who prioritize food safety over food waste, throw away about $2,500 worth of edible products annually for an average family.
Rotary is helping by picking up a selection of juices, crackers, cookies, bread, buns and canned goods at Matthews House and delivering them to Random Acts of Kindness. The service began on 20 January with George Scott, Chair of Rotary’s Community Service Committee, and will continue weekly with the help of other volunteers. Scott added: “At a time when some local families are struggling with inflation and food insecurity, we’re pleased to be making a difference in the community by helping Matthews House share their supplies.”
Rotarian George Scott picking up food from Matthews House
Eileen O'Connell of Random Acts of Kindness receiving donated food for distribution