While people gather outside of 9 Hanes St. in Huntsville, waiting until noon for the doors to the food bank to open, volunteers have spent their morning stocking shelves and preparing food for the incoming guests.
The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation has been servicing Huntsville for more than 17 years, growing exponentially to now offer a variety of services beyond the soup kitchen; there is a men’s hostel, a community kitchen, clothing donations, and of course, the food bank.
Every month, volunteers at this non-profit organization hand out approximately 900 baskets of food to individuals and families.
Avraham Yakobi, 63, is a Huntsville resident who’s been in two car accidents and is collecting disability benefits due to his injuries.
But Yakobi said the money is barely enough to get through daily life — estimating around 90 per cent of the disability cheques go to pay rent, which leaves almost nothing left for other necessities. “This food bank is my main resource for food,” he said.
For the past six years, Yakobi has been a guest at The Table almost every week.
“This social service is very friendly. Here — people put heart into their work,” he said.
The food bank is available three days per week. Volunteers log visitor information at the check-in desk, as each guest is only allowed one visit per week — a necessity to ensure everyone is getting what they need and the provided items can be shared widely throughout the community.
Linda Haslam-Stroud volunteers twice weekly at The Table and is also the foundation's treasurer on the board of directors. She said the main people who use their services are those without homes, on unemployment insurance, collecting disability, seniors with low incomes from pensions, and single mothers.
Doug Morrison, the president of the foundation's board, said the food bank experienced an increase in use of a staggering 43.5 per cent from 2022 to 2023. He has also noticed the community's need for food services has been high so far in 2024.
"Because usage is up, we want to make sure we use our resources wisely so we can continue to meet the community's needs," said Morrison.
Even as The Table helps more people, Haslam-Stroud said they’ve been seeing a reduction in physical donations. “People that may have donated food in years gone by are having to pay so much for the food, that they’re trying to make their ends meet,” she said.
There are a lot of ways to become involved:
- Grow extra rows of produce in your gardens to donate
- Volunteer — especially on Fridays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays
- Donate money and/or food when possible
You can find more information about The Table here.
Megan Hederson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Huntsville and Lake of Bays. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
