The “Spare A Square” porch food drive returns to Peterborough on Saturday (October 24).
Once again organized by Megan Murphy, “Spare A Square #2” is a COVID-safe city-wide food drive to restock the shelves at Kawartha Food Share before the winter months.
The first food drive, held back in March, collected more than 23,000 pounds of food donations. It was called “Spare A Square” because, in the early months of the pandemic, toilet paper was in short supply and was one of the needed items.
This time around, people are being asked to donate non-perishable food items including canned tuna, pasta and pasta sauce, easy-to-cook items that kids love (such as Alpha-getti, Kraft Dinner, and Chef Boyardee), breakfast cereal, peanut butter, any non-perishable fruit and vegetable items, rice, canned soup/stew, and baby formula, as well as feminine hygiene products and diapers.
Peterborough residents who want to participate should leave a bag of donated items on their front porch by 9 a.m. on Saturday to be picked up by volunteers, who will deliver them to the Kawartha Food Share warehouse. If you are ill, you are asked not to leave a bag of donated items on your porch.
This is a COVID-safe event. Volunteers will be in their own vehicles, wearing masks, and observing all necessary and suggested COVID-19 safety protocols. There will be no face-to-face contact between people donating and volunteers picking up the donations.
Monetary donations — cash or cheque — will also be accepted. For every dollar donated, Kawartha Food Share can purchase up to $6 worth of food.
People who are unable to participate in the porch food drive can make an online donation at kawarthafoodshare.com/donations.html.
Businesses that want to make larger donations can email Megan Murphy at murphy.megananne@gmail.com to make arrangements for a bulk pick-up.
