For 40 years, the Good Neighbours Care Centre in Peterborough has been run by exactly that — good neighbours. From the volunteers who commit countless hours stocking the shelves to the local businesses that donate what they can, the charity is a long-standing community effort and the demand for its services is only increasing.
“Over all these years, it’s been a whole variety of volunteers that just continue to make it what it is,” says Robin Adair, volunteer treasurer of the Good Neighbours Care Centre. “We just spent all those years keeping it going and serving our community and we will do that for as long as we get community support.”
Though Adair has been volunteering for the registered charitable organization since his retirement in 2019, the Good Neighbours Care Centre was established in 1984 and has run out of the same building at 164 Sherbrooke Street ever since.
Four times per week, volunteers of the charity go to three grocery stores in Peterborough to pick up food items like breads, premade salads, and produce. As a member agency, Good Neighbours Care Centre also received items from Kawartha Food Share up to three times per week, on top of receiving a major shipment with up to 10 skids full of packaged food once per month.
Then, clients can drop into the Good Neighbours Care Centre on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to pick up, at no cost, the fruits, vegetables, and bread, as well as visit the “sweet corner” full of cakes, cookies, crackers, and other pastries. Editor’s note: the centre is closed for the holidays and will reopen on Friday, January 3.
There are additional opportunities for clients to pick up household goods like gently used clothing, shoes, tableware, toasters, and personal hygiene products — all of which have all been donated by businesses and individuals in the community. If the charity has extra cash, they will purchase additional food to even out the offerings, if necessary.
“We run a pretty high-quality operation,” says Adair. “Those who come in to use our services can walk out knowing they have a zipper that works, the clothing is clean, and the food is good.”
Additionally, once per month, clients can get a larger haul of staple goods from the kitchen, including milk, eggs, frozen meals, proteins, coffee, tea, canned goods, pastas, and more. The clients will be able to get enough for the whole family and all it requires is showing a piece of government ID.
“Sometimes we get pork chops or salmon and its $40 worth that can be part of their big shop for the month,” says Adair. “Food banks aren’t there to supply every meal for our clients, but they are here to help them get through the month.”
Thanks to the suppliers and donors, beginning two years ago, the Good Neighbours Care Centre was able to undergo transformations to better improve client service. The charity repainted the interior of the 100-year-old building, installed central air conditioning, and received a brand-new laminated floor that was entirely donated.
“Our clients are our focus obviously and we want to do the best that we can for them in providing food, providing facilities, and just getting to know them a little bit and build a bit of a relationship with them,” Adair says.
He adds that the pantries are intentionally designed so clients can walk through and select their own vegetables, produce, and products as if they’re shopping at a grocery story.
“We try to present a place of high dignity all the way through the system,” Adair says. “That’s our goal with what we do. Treat them on a human basis, because we see all kinds of different economic status of people and how they have to live life.”
Though the centre never closed during the pandemic, Adair says he has since noticed an increase from roughly 50 to 60 people coming in daily before the pandemic to up to 80 or 85 now coming through daily. Some of the increased demand came earlier this year due to higher food prices.
“We found when inflation started going bad on food, around March this past year, all of a sudden we’re getting people we hadn’t seen before,” he says. “Making $36,000 a year on minimum wage doesn’t go very far anymore, so we’re just there to support and give a hand to those who need it. That’s always our aim.”
This year, the charity has served between 11,000 and 12,000 clients.
“We have clients that are there at 7:30 or 7:45 in the morning for a 10 a.m. start, so it would not be unusual for someone to stand in line for an hour or an hour and a half to get in because it’s first come, first served,” Adair says, adding that occasionally they’ve had to turn people away. “That doesn’t happen real often, but it’s heartbreaking to go out and tell somebody that we’re out of food.”
Increased living costs not only exacerbate the demand for Good Neighbours Care Centre, but also create a barrier for individuals in having the disposable income to donate to the charity.
“Even for a middle-class family, their grocery bill went up, and now they’re just trying to stay alive themselves, so they don’t have more to give to anybody else,” he says. “It’s hard on everybody.”
Those who are unable to financially support the charity might be interested in a volunteer position. Such work can range from driving the trucks for pickups, sorting donations, and running the shop during opening. Currently, the centre is made up of more than 30 volunteers, many of who are retirees.
“A person should volunteer long before they retire — you don’t have to wait until you’re 65 to volunteer,” Adair says. “Maybe it’s only a couple hours a week somewhere, but the whole concept of volunteering should be just a part of everybody’s life. Whether you’re a hockey coach or whatnot, you’re taking some of your time and giving it to somebody else.”
Those interested in volunteering can email hello@goodneighboursptbo.com.
“There’s fulfillment in helping somebody else,” Adair says. “I’m in a position that I can do that, and I enjoy doing that. Look at all the people we served this year — 11,000 is not a small number and there’s a lot of households involved in this, so we are thankful for it and for all who support us.”
He notes that while Good Neighbours Care Centre is entirely volunteer-run, there are always ongoing costs like operating the trucks and paying rent, and every bit of support can make a difference.
“Often you get somebody who says ‘I only have 50 bucks’, but we’re grateful for whatever you have,” Adair points out. “We appreciate it even if all you have (to give) is some clothes. Somebody else will be using those clothes. As an organization, we’re just grateful for whatever help somebody can give us, and we’ll just keep it going.”
For more information about the Good Neighbours Care Centre or to make a monetary donation, visit www.goodneighboursptbo.com.
