588,000 pounds of food collected for 2021 Business Cares Food Drive – London | Globalnews.ca

Days after issuing an urgent call for donations, Londoners have pulled through again for the annual holiday Business Cares Food Drive, in support of the London Food Bank.

Roughly 588,000 pounds worth of food was collected over the course of the 2021 campaign, which began on the weekend of Dec. 3 and wrapped up on Wednesday.

In a statement, campaign chair Wayne Dunn said officials weren’t sure whether Londoners would be able to support the campaign as they have done in years past, given concerns about the pandemic, rising food costs, and other economic uncertainties.

“We knew the will is always there, but we are so humbled that our community chose to find a way,” Dunn said.

“I say it every year, because it’s always proven true — London businesses, employees, and citizens always answer the call when people are in need.”

The total is over 100,000 pounds shy of the record set in 2020, however officials stated at the outset of the campaign that, like last year, there was no concrete goal in mind.

“For the second consecutive year, we’ve approached this campaign not knowing what the end result would be,” Dunn said in a statement.

“But in spite of another year of COVID-related challenges, Londoners came through. This is truly a celebration of our community and the resolve Londoners have to support those who need it most.”

According to Business Cares, the campaign supports the London Food Bank to allow it “to support over 30 other community organizations in London and area including, the Soup Kitchen, the Youth Action Centre, Atlohsa, the Unity Project, and Mission Services.”

Jane Roy, co-executive director of the London Food Bank, said in a statement that the donations come as times have been getting tougher for more and more people.

“Results like what we saw from this year’s campaign are just a reflection of how strong and supportive our community is. We’re truly honoured by the support and Londoners’ donations are going to have a huge impact on so many people’s lives,” Roy said.

Late last week, Dunn told 980 CFPL that roughly 3,500 families were the recipients of food from the food bank every month, up from 2,900 in the fall.

A recent report from Feed Ontario, a collective of hunger-relief organizations in Ontario, said food bank usage in the province rose 10 per cent during the first year of the pandemic.

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