Orders for Good Food Boxes in Grey and Bruce counties may have to be put on hold shortly due to a lack of volunteer coordinators.
According to a release from the Bruce Grey United Way, Good Food Box sites in Walkerton, Markdale, Teeswater and Tara are continuing, but may have to be halted if more volunteers don’t sign up to assist at these sites.
Good Food Box sites allow residents in Grey and Bruce to purchase vegetables and fruit easily and affordably, and is operated by more than 19 local coordinators and 150 volunteers.
Public Health Dietitian Laura Needham says “The Good Food Box depends on volunteers in order to be affordable and sustainable. They are invaluable to the growth and success of the program.”
The site in Sauble Beach has already been stopped temporarily due to a lack of coordinators.
Needham noted “This is something you can volunteer for with a friend or by yourself. The program is a way of building community around food, with like-minded volunteers getting together each month to distribute the food to customers.”
Site coordinators act as a local contact, organize orders and work with volunteers to pack boxes on pick-up day, and the position requires approximately 15 hours of work each month.
There are 20 Good Food Box sites in Grey-Bruce. Volunteering with the Good Food Box has given co-ordinators the chance to meet new people and participate in their community for a good cause.
Packing days are the second Tuesday of the month at the Teeswater site, the third Tuesday of the month at the Walkerton site and the fourth Tuesday of the month in Markdale and Tara.
Contact Laura Needham at L.Needham@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca or 519-376-9420 extension 1267 if you are interested in becoming a volunteer site co-ordinator, or would like to learn more about the position by participating in a packing day.
