Peterborough’s Porch Pirates for Good are springing into action on Saturday (May 14) with another porch food drive to restock the dwindling shelves at Kawartha Food Share.
People who are not ill or in self-isolation are asked to leave a bag of non-perishable food items on their front porch.
Beginning at 9 a.m., volunteers will drive around the city, collect the donated items, and deliver them to the Kawartha Food Share warehouse.
The rising cost of food along with supply-chain shortages have affected Kawartha Food Share’s clients, donors, and the organization’s own purchasing power, according to a media release.
Making matters worse, the demand for food supports has also grown over the pandemic, with Kawartha Food Share now supporting 51 local organizations in the city and county of Peterborough — 14 more than they were supporting before the pandemic.
Needed food items include peanut butter (Kawartha Food Share suppliers are out of stock), canned fruit, canned tuna, individually wrapped school snacks, pasta and pasta sauce, easy-to-cook items that kids like such as mac and cheese, breakfast cereal, gluten-free items such as pasta, canned vegetables, rice, and canned soup and stew. Other needed items include feminine hygiene products, baby formula, and diapers.
Those who are ill or who can’t donate food items can also help by making a monetary donation at kawarthafoodshare.com/donations.html. For every $1 donated, Kawartha Food Share can purchase up to $6 worth of food.
The organizers behind Porch Pirates for Good have held four porch food drives since the pandemic began, bringing in more than 100,000 pounds of food and over $10,000 in monetary donations for Kawartha Food Share.
