Article content
AILSA CRAIG – With food banks straining under increased demand, one retiree’s gardens have grown a ton of food – a literal tonne – this year for one local agency.
What began as a hobby for Frank Hogervorst has sprouted into a charitable operation from the 557-square-metre (6,000 square-feet) garden at his home near Ailsa Craig. This year’s harvest will deliver a huge haul to the Ailsa Craig and Area Food Bank, whose territory includes half of Lambton Shores, the west side of London, Lucan, North Middlesex and Middlesex Centre.
Article content
“I thought, ‘Well, I enjoy it and it’s healthy,’” Hogervorst said. “It’s a healthy thing to do and something great can come out of it.”
Hogervorst said his venture into gardening was initially to educate his grandkids “so they would understand where vegetables come from.” But five years ago he began donating the vast majority of his yield to the food bank.
Although he and his wife Lorri keep a small portion for themselves, the weekly food bank donation is “anywhere between 50 and 150 pounds a week during the summer months,” he said.
Usually spending two to three hours a day gardening, Hogervorst said his key items are bush beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, squash and cabbage.
“We’re even getting an average of 15 cucumbers a day on seven days,” Hogervorst said. “That’s a lot of cucumbers.”
Hogervorst’s produce donations have also inspired others to donate to the cause.
His garden’s sprinkler system was donated by Blue Jay Irrigation, a London-based company. The tomato and pepper plants were supplied by Cozyn’s Garden Gallery in Stratford and Klomps Home and Garden in Perth County. And 22 square metres of topsoil was contributed by McCanns Redi-Mix out of Middlesex County.
Article content
Hogervorst’s contributions come at a critical time, said Mark Isaac of the Ailsa Craig food bank, where demand was up about 65 per cent as of earlier this year over pre-pandemic levels.
“They’ve kept going up,” Isaac said of the number of people visiting the food bank. “It’s never leveled off. It’s just kept climbing.”
Isaac said donations like Hogervorst’s provide clients “access to good, healthy fresh produce” which can make “a huge difference on their health.”
Spiking food-bank demand stretches far beyond Ailsa Craig. It’s risen provincewide and food banks in Ontario hit an unfortunate milestone over the past year – with more than one million people accessing them for help.
Public-health officials have also started raising concerns about food insecurity. Southwestern Public Health, which oversees Oxford and Elgin counties, reported that in 2021 and 2022 one in five households was having trouble putting food on the table.
The health unit for London and surrounding Middlesex County published similar data for the same time period, reporting one in six households faced food shortages.
bwilliams@postmedia.com
@BrianWatLFPress
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
Share this article in your social network
