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For those in desperate need of food in Ottawa, the holiday season is particularly difficult because that’s when many of the volunteer-run neighbourhood food banks take their only breaks of the year.
The food banks do provide advance warning, including the necessity of making advance appointments to prepare for the closures.
The Pavilion Food Bank on Tapiola Crescent in the South Keys district, for example, had more than 30 people lined up on appointment lists each day before closing at noon on Dec. 22. Its clients were previously notified of a Nov. 24 deadline to access food during the week before the holidays.
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For those who missed the messages along the way, the Ontario government’s emergency 2-1-1 help line is available to connect residents to emergency services.
“During the week of Christmas, many of our member agencies within the Ottawa Food Bank temporarily close to provide their hardworking staff and dedicated volunteers with a well-deserved break,” Ottawa Food Bank chief executive officer Rachael Wilson said in a statement. “Given that some of these organizations are entirely volunteer-run, this closure is a means of allowing them to recharge during the festive season.”
Wilson says the 2-1-1 service provides up to date information emergency assistance, guiding those in urgent need to the emergency food banks that remain open.
She says she understands “these are challenging times for everyone” and more support from all levels of government is necessary to help food banks meet increasing demand.
“The Ottawa Food Bank operates with the support of community donations, with less than two per cent of our funding coming from government sources,” Wilson said.
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