The community was in a sharing mood during the holiday season, and Chris Peacock hopes that continues into the new year.
The executive director of The Sharing Place Food Centre said the season has been “bittersweet” for the organization. While he thanked the community for its generosity, he added, “It’s hard to celebrate a holiday season of successful donations when the need for our services has gone up.”
Six months ago, The Sharing Place was averaging 1,300 visits per month. The monthly average now is 1,800.
“It’s been great to see the community understand we need that support,” Peacock said. “What’s to come is the big unknown.”
Cost of living and the cost of food continue to rise, and they’re expected to keep going up.
“I’m really curious to know how people are going to figure things out and afford what they need,” he said.
One way people can help locally is to support The Sharing Place all year. About 60 per cent of its revenue comes in around Christmas, “but the demand is a 12-month thing,” Peacock said.
“We need to keep the items we had donated during the holiday season on our shelves as long as we can.”
He suggested people become monthly donors, not only to The Sharing Place, but to whatever charity they choose to support.
“If you believe in them, believe in them 12 months of the year,” he said.
During the summer, The Sharing Place will reach out to those who held food drives around Christmas and ask them to do another. Summer is typically a slower time of the year for donations to the organization.
Peacock also encourages people to check out some of the programs offered by The Sharing Place, including its weekly cooking event at St. Paul’s Centre. The free program runs every Wednesday (not this week, though, as it will be New Year’s Day) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
For more information on The Sharing Place and its programs, call 705-327-4273 or visit its website.
