Disappointment

Thursday, 9 October 2014 at 16:11

Organizers of the Food for Friends program disappointed they weren't asked to participate in a study on food bank alternatives

WOODSTOCK - Organizers of the local Food for Friends program are taking issue with a newspaper article from London which suggests food banks are the best way to get food to those in need.

The article was based on a research done over six months by the London Poverty Research Centre which claimed there was not a current way to replace the food bank.

Executive Director at Food for Friends, Steve Giuliano says he was disappointed not to be contacted by the team of people looking into alternatives to the food bank to discuss the Food for Friends program.

"We do not believe that even the Food for Friends food card is the ultimate solution to the problems of hunger but we truly believe it's been a progressive step forward out of the traditional food bank system."

"We have been able to provide highly controlled, non-transferable food cards where people can go and buy all healthy foods, make the choices themselves based on their dietary needs and also give them confidence in a variety of other areas of the life and it has been running successfully for eight years."

Giuliano says the program should have no trouble working in larger cities like London.

"I think smaller communities are more challenged based on the amount of money that could be collected because the money is collected by the simple act of donating 25 cents when people go shopping. 100 percent of it goes directly back to that program and in larger centres the amount of money that could be collected by collecting quarters would be substantial to say the least."

Giuliano says Food for Friends did the math originally on how much it would cost to give out what they would in food and then adjusted up a little. Giuliano believes any way you slice it, those using the Food for Friends program are coming out ahead through fresh, healthier choices.

Food for Friends is a program which runs in partnership with local grocery stores and asks at the till for a quarter donation from every resident which is then put on food cards so those in need can buy fresh, healthy food.